Garda from Longford and Granard district, came together for Blue Santa, doing different things to raise money for non profit local charity’s. I bumped into blue Santa and Garda at St Mel’s Cathedral, where the Garda Band performed to an exciting crowd. As you can see, there was many gifts donated, and up for grabs for few lucky people. Well done all involved for doing a great thing for needed charity’s
Blue Sant St Mel’s Cathedral Longford Town 31st Oct
Nicole Higgins Longford Town Garda, Mick Hogan Granard , Adrian Dockery Edgeworthstown
ONE-Veterans is an organisation that’s set up to look after ex-service men in many ways, you can check out link below image for further details on how you can help or raise awareness. Longford’s veterans were out in force in town today, doing their duty for veterans who need help or families of soldiers who lost unfortunately lost their lives on duty. On duty where they wear with pride the Irish badge and are very well known and respected in many countries for there very much welcomed diligent work.
The Fabulously True and Timeless Tales of Sergeant Virgil in Connolly Barracks Longford, a great show I had the pleasure of seeing, on Friday eve, 22nd Oct. Travel through time as you listen to histories where the histories took place, the barracks St Johns church and beside the Camlin river. Enthralling theatrical show, well done all involved. Thanks to Shane Crossan, Republic of Culture and Backstage Theatre, also brought to you by Faoinspeir, funded by Arts Council Ireland and Longford County Council.
Father James of St Mel’s Church Longford Town, County Longford gave a blessing today to pets great and small, and below is a prayer for those with their own pet that would like to pray for their pets from St Francis of Assisi Patron Saint of All Animals
PRAYERS TO ST. FRANCIS FOR OUR PETS:
Good St. Francis, you loved all of God’s creatures. To you they were your brothers and sisters. Help us to follow your example of treating every living thing with kindness. St. Francis, Patron Saint of animals, watch over my pet and keep my companion safe and healthy. Amen. _________________________
St. Francis of Assisi Lover of all Creation Prayer for Sick Animals:
Heavenly Father, you created all things for your glory and made us stewards of this creature If it is your will, restore it to health and strength. Blessed are you, Lord God, and holy is your name for ever and ever. Amen
Out and about came across Neill Kilbane, a mini enthusiast and part of the Irish Mini Owners group. Likes to spend time tipping away at the car a now and then, told me thousands of Mini’s were made in Ireland. Just a quick chat about the future electric cars and he broached a relative question on the idea of their usefulness and having knowledge of someone’s recent journey across our very own country, that a recently bought electric car, had two needs of a full charge, and the lack of charge points, and the recent news of possible power outage’s, they have a long way to go yet. The allure and the visual aesthetics of a vintage car will not be or ever be overturned easily
Mac Eoin Park had its own surprise (Chelsea) garden show, and although their is many nice gardens, the one that stands out, quite literally ‘stands’ pretty tall, belongs to the man the golden gardening gloves a certain Mr. Shields, and his neighbour is pretty impressed also (Brendan Duggan).
As some of ye may know, I took part in the Culture Night, Friday last (17th Sep), I want to thank Shane Crossan, Annaly Hotel and staff, and Spirit Clothing and staff, they allowed me the space to have my exhibit. Shane Crossan and his very handyman father who helped me with the staging of the exhibit. Also a very special thank you to Revamp 3R Store for the installation parts, and the same thanks to Hungry Horse Outside Charity shop for the filing cabinet, that was part of my exhibition.
The exhibition was about the importance and relevance of a photographic archive, this was my mission statement: ”
Artist Michael Croghan in association with Longford Library and Archivist Martin Morris, responds to Longford Library photographic archive.
The Archive and the Photographic image is highly important, has a social and historical relevance, highlighting the hidden cultures of a place. The more volume of a wide ranging Archive specific to one place, the better understanding and study of that place. The meaning of archives changes with the culture of the day – they are not innocent, they are fluid pieces of history. Collaborating with Longford Library Archivist Martin Morris, Michael has corresponded his own findings with that of the Archive held within the Library.
This exhibition welcomes public engagement, adding to the exhibit with real time relevance to the exhibit. The trope is of local interest, in lesser known photographs of Longford, coming from the Archive that is supplied by public and private collections, mixed with everyday images and commercial and newsworthy photographs. The exhibition has four parts in all, with the aim of furthering Archive Cognizance.”
The four part installation was as follows, part one familiarity of home and the loss of images with families, for many reasons.
Two was the precariousness of archiving itself.
The third part was the Archive selection I made from the library files, lesser known photographs of County Longford, which I screened via a projector with the exhibit.
The fourth part was the audience participation, I got people to respond to the photographs, by writing two things, age and keywords they took from the photographs. This was to show in one show you can see the variables and different understandings, thus showing the fact that archives are not innocent, they change with time and cultures. Reviewing old imagery gives image’s a new agency, a new eye and understanding, and proves the worth of archiving photography, as I have said in my project statement it has great value in ” …has a social and historical relevance, highlighting the hidden cultures of a place. The more volume of a wide ranging Archive specific to one place, the better understanding and study of that place”. Below image represents the keywords expressed by them that partook in the exhibition on the day, to whom I am also grateful.
KEYWORDS BY AGES – Fluidity of culture and time experiment – in a space of few hours
The Lesser Known photographs of County Longford from Longford Library and Archivist Martin Morris, which is reliant on Private and Commercial donations.
In the late 80s early 90s Robert set off to England to find work. There was nothing here, I went over to the Isle of Dogs South Quay, and I walked straight onto a job on a building site. It was the biggest site I ever saw, the biggest thing I saw at home was a building site with few houses, this was on a much larger scale. After that I went across the water to Canary Wharf, putting down floors, a time before there was a precast on building sites. We had to put in shuttering steel and then concrete, which was tough labour. Moved from there then to Thames exchange, down in Bank, another big job in London. After which I went to the Bishop Gates Bank, down Liverpool street after the IRA blew it up, 18 or 19 floors were on that, beside Natwest and Lloyds building. Reinforcing the lift shafts abseiling up and down lift shafts, semi skilled more advanced than general laboring, had to a course for that. On the concrete back then it was 95 pound a day. It was 7 days a week, Sundays started at 7am and finished at 1pm. I Used to get up at around 5am to get a bus to the tube station, and then it was an hour into the city. Also worked at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
Came back to Ireland after that, the celtic tiger, friends said to come home. there was money on the streets, and it was true. Jobs left right and center, worked with MPM marbling granite in Edgeworthstown, then ended up in ABB driving an oil master, it is like a forklift, was very good wages. The next thing you could see, reading the papers, watching the news, something was not right. Then Lehman Brothers went bust, at ABB the arse was about to fall out of that place, I had just got a mortgage, and now I see this recession coming, some people are not believing it. I remember working with one lad, who was about to buy a house for three hundred thousand, the kitchen alone was about twenty two thousand. He was driving a forklift. I said listen son, you’re not a professional, that is a solicitor or a dentist’s house, you’re a labourer. My advice was no to do it. I was getting letters every week, which my bank was sending, we are now in a position to offer great loans for cars etc, with a picture of a jeep and keys for it on top of the page, with robert written in the name tag. I could see this place was going to close, a job in the council was on offer as a traffic warden. I was thinking if I get into the council, if I survive a while it could be a steady job for a long time, during the recession. Even if I got in it, it could have been, I would not end up a traffic warden, I could be down in the yard where the boys are, that was fourteen years ago. I have been a traffic warden for fourteen years. Majority of the people all the time are ok, I understand when I’m giving a ticket on someone’s car, they might initially be angry, I understand the heat of the moment, they might shout and call me names that would go with the territory. I could meet that same person next week and there would be no problem, the last thing you want to do is take it personal, you would not last if you took things personal.
I try to be as fair as possible, the last thing I wanna do is give people a fine. But that is my job, if somebody makes an effort with the pay and display ticket they won’t get a fine outta me. If somebody is up on a footpath with no regard for disabled or mothers and buggies, I am only a bollix for giving a ticket. People say there is no need for this, no need for that, but I guarantee that if the word got out that there was no traffic warden, that day you would not get up or down the street, with cars abandoned everywhere. The council makes the rules, I’m just out there doing a job, if it is not a traffic warden I could be cutting grass, or down the yard, or doing the roads. I work within the rules given to me by the council, if people have issues with a traffic warden, the council sets the remit. If I was given another task to do, I would not miss this, I will say that it is sad, I have lost friends on the back of doing this, people I knew all my life. I was physically attacked once, but as I have said 99percent of the time people are understanding, I do understand the frustration of a ticket, it is a job and not life and death.
I have to say I was moved by an honest and straight talking Robert, they say that anyone that can move away and work supporting themselves is a hero. How many people can say that they had such a work life, and only wanting to keep a wage going, and a regular job with a possible future, if as Robert said to me, if the council put up an advert for a Traffic Warden how many applicants would they have.
And thinking about that, what if it were your father, uncle, cousin, brother, sister, mother aunty, would you easily curse them, dislike them, take issue with the rules, and not the worker.
Longford Sports Partnership have kicked of bike week in Longford Town with some very lucky Mean Scoil Mhuire students benefiting with a healthy Cycle on the Royal Canal. Lead by Fuel4Sports owner Brendan Doyle, one of Longfords fittest gentlemen to bring the students on the cycle. I bumped into Robert Crilly of Midlands Cycle Club Clondra, County Longford, as he was organising all the bikes he was supplying for the schools kids cycle on the Royal Canal Longford Town. Midlands Cycle Hub can service large and small groups, families, friends, based in Clondra, right beside the Royal Canal Way, also guided tours available, a great thing to do in County Longford I highly recommend.
”The Reilly and Flynn families would like to thank John Stokes who came to them about the idea of a memorial cup in honour of Nathan Reilly, and got the actual cup made. Also to thank both teams Longford Wanderers and Longford Cruisers for kicking off this new to be annual memorial match, thanks to all involved for making it happen. This will be an annual event in honour of our son Nathan who will always be remembered” 8th Sept 2021.
thejourneysofsomepeople 