Local Notes: All the latest news from Kiltimagh
The overall winner of the Balla Golf Club Captain's Prize, Chris Mannion, receives his prize from Club Captain Danny Lyons. Also pictured were Club President Maureen McDonnell, Lady Captain Nora Heraty and runners-up in the competition. Picture: Trish Forde
The Kiltimagh One-Act Festival 2026 will take place over three nights at the Town Hall Theatre, from Friday, November 13 to Sunday, November 15. Irene O’Meara will adjudicate the festival.
The programme begins at 7.30pm on Friday, November 13, with Balally Players presenting in the Open section. Shannonside Drama Group will stage in the Confined section, followed by Doonbeg Drama Group with , also in the Confined section.
The festival continues at 7.30pm on Saturday, November 14. Bunclody/Kilmyshall Drama Group will present in the Open section. Clann Machua will stage in the Confined section, while Charlestown Drama Group will present , also in the Confined section.
The final session begins at 5pm on Sunday, November 15. Castleconnor Drama Group will present in the Confined section, Shed by the Road Productions will stage in the Open section, and Carraig na bhFear will present in the Confined section.
The All-Ireland Drama Festival circuit is divided into Open and Confined sections. The Open section is generally for more experienced and established amateur drama groups, often with greater resources and a strong record on the festival circuit. Groups compete at qualifying festivals around the country for places at the Open All-Ireland final. The Confined section is intended for newer, smaller or less experienced groups, giving them an opportunity to compete against groups at a similar stage of development.
A group which wins the Confined All-Ireland is required to move up to the Open section.
Tickets for the Kiltimagh festival will be available at the door, with admission costing €10 per session or €20 for a weekend pass.
The memory of Kiltimagh man Shane ‘Peach’ Freeman will inspire a remarkable team of 55 Mayo runners when they take on the Dublin City Marathon in support of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation on Sunday, October 25.
Peach’s Runners have already raised more than €14,000. The group includes a strong Kiltimagh contingent alongside runners from Swinford, Charlestown, Castlebar and Westport and Mayo people now living in Dublin. Each of the 55 will complete the full marathon, meaning that between them they will cover an extraordinary 2,320.73 kilometres through the streets of Dublin.
Behind those figures, however, is a much more personal story. The runners have come together in memory of Shane and in recognition of the care he and his family received from Mayo Hospice.
Months of training, early mornings and increasingly long runs have gone into preparing for the challenge, but Shane’s wife, Orla Freeman, said the size of the response had surpassed expectations.
“What started as a group coming together to run in memory of Peach has grown into an incredible team of 55 people. Every one of them is taking on a full marathon, and together they will cover 2,320.73 kilometres for Peach and for Mayo Roscommon Hospice.
“The response to the fundraiser has been unbelievable and I am so grateful to everyone who has come on board in memory of Peach to support Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation. The care Peach received in Mayo Hospice, as well as the support we got as a family, is hugely appreciated and won’t ever be forgotten.
“To every runner who has joined us, and to every person who has donated, shared our fundraiser or supported us along the way, thank you. Peach would be absolutely blown away by this. We have a lot of kilometres ahead of us, but knowing that we are doing it together and for such an important cause is what will keep us going.”
Mayo Roscommon Foundation CEO Martina Jennings welcomed the initiative.
“We are so grateful to the Freeman family for their support. All of the funds raised will go towards providing much needed palliative care services in our hospices and in our communities.”
Enda Ruane made it two wins in three rounds when taking first prize in the fourteenth and penultimate round of the Summer Poker League at Teach O’Hora last week.
Annette Reynolds finished runner-up, with Paul Walsh third and Pat Boyle fourth. The remaining finalists were John Borza (5th), Julian Keane (6th), Majella Gilmartin (7th), Thomas MacDonagh (8th) and Gerry Groarke (9th).
With just one round remaining, Boyle has opened a 24-point lead at the top of the league table on 260 points. John Borza is second on 236, with Michael Sheridan third on 231. The remainder of the top twelve is John Reynolds (219), Enda Ruane (215), Michael Higgins (212), Paul Walsh (211), Majella Gilmartin (185), Alan Sheridan (182), Gerry Groarke (179), Andy Quinn (178) and Keith Lydon (174).
Following this week's final round, the top twelve players will qualify automatically for the Grand Final. They will be joined by two players from the Last Chance Playoff tournament, which takes place next week. The Grand Final will have an estimated prize pool of just over €3,500.
Meanwhile, 26 entries created a prize pool of €2,210 for the September Sunday Superstack tournament at O’Hora’s last week.
Alan Sheridan took the honours, defeating Andy Quinn heads-up. Mark Fox finished third and Aiden Maughan fourth. The remaining final table players were Dave Brennan (5th), Martin Mullahy (6th), Martin Monaghan (7th), Derry O’Sullivan (8th) and Michael Higgins (9th).
The next meeting of Kiltimagh Women’s Group will take place in the Parish Centre on Monday, October 5th at 7pm and will include the group’s annual general meeting. The annual membership fee of €20 will also be collected on the night.
The group thanked Pat Burns for the informative talk on vitamins and other health-related issues which she gave at the September meeting.
Meanwhile, Tai Chi classes continue in the Parish Centre on Wednesday mornings at 10.30am, while the group’s lunchtime gathering takes place in the Folk Café at 1pm on the third Monday of each month.
Kiltimagh secured their Intermediate Championship status for another year with a 2-18 to 0-17 victory over Cill Chomain in their relegation play-off semi-final last week. The seven-point win brought a difficult championship campaign to a positive conclusion, with Kiltimagh producing a strong second-half performance after the sides went in level at the break.
For Kiltimagh player Paul Kelly, the result was all that mattered.
“We'll be playing intermediate again next year, and that's all that matters. We just wanted the win, whether it was one point or, as it ended up, by seven points. Cill Chomain came at us in the first half, they used that breeze very well, kicked a couple of beautiful two-pointers. What we knew when we went in level, that there was a stronger breeze out there than it probably looked,” Paul said.
“In the second half, Oisín Mulderrig, Conor Hession and Fionnan Burke kicked some brilliant points that really put daylight between us. And it was a matter of just seeing it out with 10 or 15 minutes to go.”
Paul also felt the experience from the bench proved important as Kiltimagh closed out the game, with Tomás Keegan making his return from an ankle injury and Paddy McDonnell also introduced.
“That helped the younger lads, especially down the stretch,” he said.
“Tomás Keegan has been out since just before the first round of the championship. He injured his ankle, so this is his first game back probably since Mayo won the All-Ireland, actually. We probably had as deep a squad today as we've had all year and we needed it. Thank God we just got over the line in the end.”
Kiltimagh Museum will become an intimate theatre space when Australian professional company BYTE – Back Yard Theatre Ensemble brings an hour-long performance to the town on Sunday next, October 4th at 2.30pm.
The Melbourne-based company is led by German-born playwright, poet and theatre-maker Joachim Matschoss, who has written and directed more than 50 BYTE productions. The ensemble has toured extensively in Europe and Asia, including previous visits to Ireland, and is known for collaboratively created work combining contemporary writing with elements of music, movement and improvisation.
BYTE’s productions have explored subjects including identity, family, loss, mental health and human rights, while previous work has also examined the experiences of women confined in convent laundries. The Kiltimagh appearance will provide an opportunity to see an international touring company in the particularly intimate surroundings of the museum.
There will be no formal admission charge, although a hat will be placed inside the door for anyone wishing to make a contribution.
Una, Deirdre, Aisling, Donal, Eoghan and Matilda Walsh were the winners of Kiltimagh GAA Club’s weekly 50/50 draw last week, sharing a jackpot of €644.
The club congratulated the Walsh family on their win and extended its thanks to everyone who supported the draw. Tickets continue to be available online and through local shops and pubs, with funds raised contributing to the club’s ongoing activities.
Michael Sweeney and Tom Begley led the way at the latest 25 Card Drive, taking first prize after another competitive evening at the tables. Second place was shared by Joe Boyle and Tom Conroy and the pairing of Manus Kilcoyne and Martin Regan.
Alo Langan and Danny Doherty collected the Last 10 prize, while Mary and Jimmy Doyle claimed the spot prize. Raffle winners were Michael Sweeney, Geraldine Turbitt, Jack Ryan and Tom Begley.
