Don't let the innocent and boyish smile deceive you. Behind the countenance of an angel is the man who was reckoned to have the fastest paws on the planet before a bloke called Cassius Clay came along.Those in Castlebar boxing circles will tell you that this particular boxing legend could fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee even before Mohammed Ali was heard of.

However, his talents were not to be found in the ring alone, as he was something of a wizard when it came to dribbling, and I don't mean as a baby. I'm talking about his silken soccer skills - or as Johnny Mee would say, he had an educated right foot - with Castlebar Town FC back in the good old days when Celtic, Barcastle, Westport United, Westport Textiles, Crusaders and Ballina Town roamed the landscape.

Had he been found earlier he would undoubtedly have been the first Castlebar man to appear on Top of the Pops, such was his singing talent, an X-Factor winner had Louis Walsh been around when this man was on stage.
When age finally caught up with him and he had to hang up both the gloves and the boots his talent brought him into coaching darts, and ladies darts in particular, where he met the love of his life, the stunning Marie, and now there is Kayla and Cian.
They were hanging from the rafters in Hogs Heaven at the weekend as Reggie walked in for what he thought would be a quiet pint but 'SURPRISE' was the word of the evening as one of Castlebar's true greats had to take a count before he celebrated his 40th birthday. I give you the one and only Reggie Redmond.

Babes reunion planned for London

Thirty years ago the Byrnes Babes travelled across the Irish Sea to support Mayo against London in the Connaught championship. It was one of the many ventures by the Babes which took them into some strange territories and they were to visit London three times in all when the sides met in the championship, each trip a memorable one, but the first was somethingspecial.
The only other occasion the Babes left the country was when they went to the Republic of Cork during an itinerary that covered the far reaches of Northern Ireland, the southern straits of Kerry, and a daring venture into Kildare and Offaly. And then there's the famous trip to Wicklow when Dr. Bob was appointed assistant navigator and the Babes, jaded and dehydrated, returned after a six-hour journey into the night, the bus taking a wrong turn (alleged shortcut) somewhere around the Midlands.

Age has caught up with a few of us while sadly a number have passed on to their eternal rewards, but the memories will never be banished from the windmills of our minds (oops, where did I hear that phrase before?).
Some of the stories from those epic journeys were absorbed in Irish folklore and the one quip that always comes up in conversation when the trip is recalled at headquarters was the exchange between the late Mel Grey and Josie Munnelly as they stopped outside a shop in Oxford Street and peered in at the shoes on sale.
"Why are you looking in at shoes?" Mel says to Josie.
"Sure aren't you footless anyway."

There are many other anecdotes and gems during what was a memorable journey.
There are a few of us left and it has been decided to mark the 30th anniversary of the Babes trip by heading for the British capital at the end of May when Mayo will once again be in championship action.
Any former Babes or aspiring Babes interested in going on the trip should contact Cathal on (087) 7814300, and before the price of air fuel takes another hike. This could be the trip of a lifetime.

T. Flynn returns to Rush Street

From his first days when he ran The Local (now disappeared but a snug little pub which was sadly missed before the bulldozer ran through it on Rush Street), Tony Flynn is back to where he started by taking over his latest venture on Rush Street.
Tony had something of a nomadic life before pitching his tent in Rush Street, doing a stint in Spencer Street and Linenhall Street and he, and indeed his family, have worked hard in business, which is going through some testing times at the minute.

But the Flynns are battlers, and anyone who knew Tony's late father, Mick Flynn, will testify to the never-say-die qualities of the family and we can only wish Tony and Harriet (Tony made the treacherous journey across the border to Leenane to find the love of his life) the very best of luck and hopefully Rush Street will be where they will lay their heads, not, I hasten to add, in any great hurry.

Pubs have different characteristics and different followers and T. Flynn's is well regarded as a great darts pub and the likelihood is there will be a good crowd there on Thursday night, January 20, when world-ranked player Terry Jenkins takes on all comers.
Pool went through a phase and seems to have dropped off in popularity but darts remains as strong as ever in towns like Castlebar, Ballina, Charlestown, and indeed in most towns around the county, but Castlebar has a very strong men's and women's league, which is currently in full swing.

 

( 1 Vote )