Fidelma & Anthony - The Landmark

It was all happening in The Landmark yesterday as Fidelma and Anthony got married there in a civil ceremony. People were arriving all morning from Dublin, Ballymote and Cork, and by 4 o'clock there was a full house in the beautifully decorated lobby. This was my first wedding for a few weeks and I really enjoyed it - Fidelma and Anthony are a great couple and there was a fun atmosphere and lots of craic all day.

Woodenbridge

We've had some beautiful spring evenings this weeks with great light. I had a stroll down by the river past the boathouses last week and took a couple of snaps. The light is the star of these otherwise ordinary shots. Today, I'm back to the weddings again, with Fidelma and Anthony in The Landmark.

St Patrick

I've had several requests to post pictures of this, so against my better judgement, here goes... I allowed myself to be talked into dressing up as St Patrick and riding a horse in Boyle's Parade as part of the Lough Gara Riding Stables entry. I couldn't bring Pivo as he'd probably take off at a gallop scattering onlookers in every direction, so we went with Applejack instead. Even with the noise and the crowds spooking him, he still looks the most dignified of us, I reckon. It's a far cry from the previous post.

Cian O'Connor

A few of us from Lough Gara Stables took a spin up the road to the Keash Equestrian Centre last week to see Cian O'Connor and Mark Kinsella give a showjumping Demo. Cian finished the evening by doing a Grand Prix course against the clock on one of his best horses, Splendour.

As a fairly basic rider, the most impressive thing to see is just how easy and effortless the pros make it look, when it's anything but. Though I was more interested in watching than photographing it, I took along my new 70-200 2.8 VRII. It was my first time to use it properly and it's a brilliant piece of equipment, perfect for dimly-lit churches. It'll get a lot of use this year.

Jolene & Jonathon - The Landmark

While the early part of the year is generally quiet for weddings, there are some winter and spring weddings happening. My most recent one was with Jolene and Jonathon. They got married in Ballyconnell, and their reception was in the Landmark. As always, they received star treatment from Patricia, who has since been voted as the best Wedding Co-Ordinator in Ireland in the weddingsonline.ie awards. As anyone who sees her in action would agree, it was thoroughly deserved. There she is with Jolene & Jonathon in the second from last pic.

Legends on Tour

I had a weekend off in Madrid with the Boyle Celtic Legends - the remnants of the 1980s double-winning side, we still play every Wednesday night. I'd half-hoped to get out and about with the camera, but between bad weather and the evening's entertainment, it didn't happen. Great weekend though. Here's the (slightly tongue in cheek) match report I wrote for the Roscommon Herald. A couple of pics at the end, including one from our Madrid local, Scanlanos, as Pedro deals with a couple of ruffians.



Legends are Winners and Losers in Spain

Living as we do in a time when we constantly hear of concerns about obesity and sedentary lifestyles, it is heartening and inspirational to know that we have fine examples of good living on our doorstep.

The benefits of healthy exercise radiate from the Boyle Celtic Legends. It is a tribute to their vigour and vitality that this team of 40 and 50-somethings continues to seek out new challenges at home and abroad.

Last weekend, the Legends travelled to Madrid to take on the veterans of Britannica in an eagerly awaited encounter. Months of tactical planning and preparation brought the Legends to the peak of physical fitness ahead of their departure. Once installed at the team’s city centre training base however, leader/manager Brendan Lynch received news that the Britannica veterans had withdrawn from the challenge. News of the Legends all-conquering 2009 season had clearly reached their ears.

Undaunted, the Leader threw down a gauntlet, inviting any team brave enough to take on the Legends, if they dare. Later that evening, the challenge was met by local side Escuela Deportiva. On arriving at the Stadio Poledeportivo next day, it became apparent this would be the Legends toughest test yet. Instead of being matched against a comparable veteran side, they were faced with a crack Spanish league outfit of 20-30 year olds, which included a Philippine full international, and a cousin of Real Madrid’s Raul.

The first half was a hard-fought encounter, notable for heroic defending from Micheals Hunt, McHale and O’Dowd, ably assisted by the resolute Sean Donoghue. Crunching tackles and brave blocks kept the Spaniards at bay. On the few occasions the defence was breached, goalkeeper John Reynolds was at his sharpest, making several athletic saves. The midfield four of Jim Feighan, Brendan Tiernan, Mark Reilly and Doug Rodden rolled back the years to prove that old age and cunning can still triumph over youth and enthusiasm. Up front, Chris Callan and the marauding Chris Hill chased everything, causing the Escuela defence all sorts of problems.

A purple patch before half-time yielded a succession of corners and chances, a blazing drive from Tiernan skimming the crossbar, and a neat passing combination between Feighan and Callan sending Hill through. Despite the pressure, the Legends just couldn’t force the vital breakthrough. At the whistle, the young men of Escuela shook their head in wonder at how the grizzled Legends had stayed with their pace and polished skills. It was all to play for.

Sadly, it was not to be. After the break, the years began to tell a little. Substitutes Tom Gallagher, David O’Connor, Ray Queenan and the Roscommon Herald’s own flying winger Paul Connolly added bite and grit, carrying the fight back to the younger side. Ultimately though, it became clear that however fit and well honed the marvellous physical specimens of the Legends might be, it is simply not possible to give 30 years away to your opponents over 90 minutes and hope to carry the day. Despite a spectacular long range effort from Doug Rodden, in the latter stages of the game, breakthroughs came for Escuela, and their greater speed carried them to a narrow but deserved victory.

Undaunted, the Legends attended the Bernabeu Stadium on Sunday night to further their football education, watching Real Madrid’s 6-2 victory over Villareal, and enjoying a sociable evening afterwards where non-playing members of the squad, Brendan Lynch, Donal O’Connor, Donald Brennan, Maurice Mullins, John Greenan and Billy Roe all made valuable contributions to the celebrations. The Legends would like to pay tribute to Brendan and Michael McHale for their organisation of the trip, and to thank Padraig in the James Joyce and Pedro José in Scanlanos for their contribution to the weekend’s entertainment.

The search for similarly-aged opponents for 2011 has already begun across Europe.