Nicky's Theme - 'You've Got A Friend'

Athlone town was united in grief this week over the death of a young woman most knew, and who made everybody she encountered seem special.

Over 1000 of a congregation squeezed together into Our Lady Queen of Peace church in Coosan, Athlone for the funeral of the town’s main political representative, Nicky McFadden.

The gathering included many town residents, and the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, many ministers, TDs, Senators and councillors.

The popularity of the McFadden family was felt throughout the funeral, and everyone was also conscious that Nicky and her sisters, Gabrielle (who is the Mayor of Athlone,) and Aine had buried their father, former politician, Brendan last November. 

The McFadden’s have been a well gotten family in Athlone for the past fifty years.  Nicky’s father Brendan, ran a pub ‘Molly Flynn’s’ or ‘71s’ in Connaught Street, and also worked in the ESB. 

Nicky had also worked in the ESB, and as a receptionist in a doctors surgery in the town, before entering local politics in 1999.  She also ran a pet shop, 'Paws', with her aunt, Kathleen McFadden for several years.  Nicky had two adult children, Caren and Eoin, and a little granddaughter, Matilda.

Sadly one year after achieving her highest office, Dail Deputy in 2011, Nicky was diagnosed with motor neuron disease.  After an almost two year fight, Nicky died on March 25^th at the age of 51 years.

Around a thousand people crowded into Nicky’s parish church in Coosan on the morning of her funeral. Guitarist Tadhg Kellegher played and Lorna Folan, a schoolfriend of Caren’s sung a memorable song, ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ during the ceremony.  It was written by Carole King for her famous ‘Tapestry’ album in 1971.  James Taylor took the song to No. 1 in the USA.

The song was typical of the character of Nicky McFadden, a friend, always there to call on, and one who Fr. Declan Shannon said at the mass, made everyone she met feel special.

“Nicky was everybody’s friend,” said Athlone stage actor, Ray Collins, after the funeral.  “The song was perfect for her.”

The song portrays so well the character of Nicky that it can now be considered Nicky’s theme.

Caren said during the funeral mass that while it sounds extraordinary, Nicky did actually love everybody.  It was the personality of the woman.  She saw just the good in people, and refused to consider anything else.

‘You’ve got a Friend’ is a song which could have been written for Nicky, and anybody that heard it sung at the church, will never hear it again, without thinking of Nicky.

Nicky McFadden 1962 - 2014

US Author Launches 2nd Positive Book in a Week

It’s hard to believe, but Athlone's US based author, metaphysical healer and chiropractor, Dr. Mary Helen Hensley is launching her second book is as many weeks.  ‘The Pocket Coach’ – a book of motivational quotations will be launched on Friday night, February 21^st, and follows her first children’s book, ‘The Chakra Fairies – A Magical Mantra for Children’ which was launched last week.
When US born, Mary Helen was a child, her father, who was a football coach, and Baptist minister, gave her a prayer book written by John Bailey, a Scottish Presbyterian minister.
“There was a prayer on each right hand page, and on the opposite page there were my Dad’s motivational quotes, and he was a great motivational speaker,” said Mary Helen.
Mary Helen’s father, Dick Hensley died in August 2012, and a few months later, Mary Helen started sharing some of his quotes on Facebook, and got a phenomenal response, of 100 plus likes per quote.
Mary Helen decided after they had proven so popular on Facebook that she would write a book based on her Dad’s motivational quotes.
“I knew people had liked them a lot, so I extracted all Dad’s quotes, and left a blank page for the reader to write their own thoughts and called this new book, ‘The Pocket Coach’, so people could easily carry it with them,” she said.  “My Dad was known as ‘Coach’, so hence the name of the book, and I checked all the quotes as far as possible, to make sure they were totally authentic, and my Dad’s original quotes.”
The opening quote in the book is: “There are some people who seem to live above or beyond the frustration which is so common a feature of our contemporary society.  More often than not, these frustrated souls are people who live with conspicuous and unhesitating BOLDNESS.  There is no magic recipe for the good life, but we can learn much from those who have lived well.  The great majority of such persons have been men and women of outstanding BOLDNESS.”
The book is illustrated with many sports activities, such as rugby, Tao Kwando, triathlon, swimming, kayaking, cycling, golf, horse-riding, yoga, etc.,
‘The Pocket Coach’ will be launched by Aron O’Dowd, who is one of Ireland’s top rowers, and an energy speaker who also happens to be blind.
“Aron embodies the idea that we won’t let a physical disability stop us from becoming what we can be,” said Mary Helen.
The book launch will be in The Bounty, Athlone, at 7pm on February 21^st. Following the launch there will be some live music from some local traditional musicians, and dancing and DJ, and all are welcome.

 

Athlone Launch for US Author's Children's Book

The gatering around Mary O'Rourke and Mary Helen Hensley at the launch of the new children's book.

Mary O'Rourke and Mary Helen Hensley

Despite Mary O’Rourke indentifying with a “Boss Fairy” in the new book, ‘The Chakra Fairies – A Magical Mantra for Children’, it appears that all the eight fairies in the book, which represents the chakras, seem to have equal status.
The former Minister was lunching the new children’s book last weekend at the Dancing Soul Studio in Monksland, Athlone.  The book was written by prolific author, Dr. Mary Helen Hensley, and it is her first children’s book.  ‘Chakra Fairies’ was illustrated by Mary Helen’s daughters, Jemma and Jada.
“It doesn’t matter what you believe, the book teaches children that when they go to bed, to not carry baggage from yesterday into tomorrow,” said Mary Helen.
Mary O’Rourke, former Athlone Minister told the audience of mainly mothers and children, that she indentified with the ‘boss fairy’, and wanted to be her.
“In this country, we have the prayer, ‘O’Angel of God My Guardian Dear’ which is told to children going to bed and this book is a version of that in a fun way,” said Mary.  “The fairies tell about how the child must let go of all the bad things, and think of only the good in life, and it empowers the child.”
Mary said that Mary Helen and Jemma and Jada will be busy working on follow-up books to the Chakra Fairies, because there is more of the tale to be told.
The book, is a chakra ‘fairytale, which Mary-Helen has told to her daughters since they were babies. 
Mary-Helen, who has run the Athlone Chiropractic Centre since 1999, has previously written three books of autobiography based on her life and experiences as a metaphysical healer.  The books, ‘Promised’, ‘Circles of Light’ and ‘The Land Beyond the River’ sold well in Ireland and America.
It is believed in some traditions that chakras are energy points or knots in the human body, and this new children’s book tells the story of chakras in a simple way, and is aimed at ages 3 to 6 years.
“This was our first family effort, and the greatest gift I could give to my girls was the ability to care for their own well-being, by teaching them how to recognise the energy systems that directly affect their experiences of life,” said American born, Mary- Helen.
Jemma Wedding is eleven years old, and Jada Wedding is nine years old.
The book, ‘The Chakra Fairies’, which is the first of a series, describes each chakra in easy to read detail.
“My sister and I illustrated the book and my favourite of the illustrations is the yellow fairy, which is all about self-confidence,” said Jemma.
“I like indigo in the book, which is the sixth chakra fairy,” said Jada.
Mary-Helen first launched ‘The Chakra Fairies’ in her native Martinsville, Virginia, USA.  
“Many adults who bought the book have emailed me, and said that it makes the story of the Chakras so simple to understand,” said Mary-Helen. 
Mary Helen is also launching another book, ‘The Pocket Coach’ in the Bounty, Athlone on Friday night, February 21^st.  The launch night will be held alongside an open birthday party for Mary Helen.

 

 

Celebrating 65 Years of Arcadian Days

May Green and her friend, Paul Cushnan and son, Eamon Green

Throughout the world, there is not many 101 year old women overseeing their family business, however Athlone’s May Green has been doing that since she first built the Cova shop, sixty-five years ago this November.  The shop is still going strong, and is run full time, by May’s son, Eamon and his wife Nancy.

Family and friends of May Green piled into her house in Arcadia to celebrate the opening of the Cova shop.  The Cova shop opened for business in November 1948, just three years after World War 2 ended.

May's nephew, Paddy Egan and his wife Margaret

 
 May had already gained shop experience working in her cousin’s shop and newsagents in Dublin in the early 1930s.  Following her plan for the building of a shop in Arcadia, in 1948, her mother gave May a site on the edge of the family’s farm in Arcadia, facing the old Ballymahon Road.  On that site, she built the Cova shop.
She was reading a religious book at the time, and it gave her the idea to name the shop after the Cova in Fatima.
May had an eventful life up to that point, and witnessed the Black and Tans in Athlone, and after she married and went to live in London, she survived many bombing raids in the 1940s blitz.

Three generations of Green women, Carol, Nancy and May

Her maiden name was May Kilroy, and in her family there were five brothers and three sisters, and she and her sister, Alice are the only surviving members.  
May has been a widow since 1990, when her husband, Jack Green died.  May has two sons, Desmond and Eamon. 

Jose Carreras Influenced by Irish Tenor

McCormack Record in Liverpool Museum

 

One of the original international ‘Three Tenors’ said on RTE television recently that Athlone born tenor, John ‘Count’ McCormack was one of his greatest influences.

Jose Carreras, appeared as a guest on ‘The Late Late Show’ and told host, Ryan Tubridy that McCormack was one of the best tenors of his time.

Carreras is a Spanish tenor who gained a global audience, following his appearance with Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo in 1990, in the first of the Three Tenors Concert.  The concert took place in Rome on the eve of the 1990 World Cup final.  The tenors continued performing together in concerts for the next thirteen years.

“John McCormack was of his time, and one of the best, and one of the most prestigious people, and a favourite of the Metropolitan Opera House, New York for many many years,” said Carreras on the Late Late show. 

McCormack was born in Athlone in 1884, and up to his death in 1945; he was one of the world’s most famous tenors.  McCormack made £200,000 per year at the height of his fame and at 23 he became Covent Garden’s youngest tenor to play a leading role.  He was given a knighthood by the Pope, and was called Count.  He preferred to style his name, John ‘Count’ McCormack.

Athlone Town Council decided at their October 2013  meeting to re-name the town's Civic Square in honour of John ‘Count’ McCormack.

The Story of the Lough Ree Monster

Drawn by Athlone artist, Joe Moore during the summer of the monster in Athlone, in 1960

 

 

On May 18, 1960, Father Richard Quigly, Father Matthew Burke and Father Daniel Murray were enjoying a peaceful day of fishing on the shores of Lough Ree outside Athlone, Ireland when one of the men noticed an unusual object roughly 100 yards away. According to the men the creature’s length from the end of the coil to its head was 6 feet and roughly18 inches of head and neck appeared out of the water. The head and neck were narrow in comparison to the thickness of a good sized salmon and it received its propulsion from a source they could not see under the water.

The testimony of these three clergy men was more than enough to give credibility to the existence of the Lough Ree Monster and local newspapers soon picked up on the story.
"There were two sections above the water; a forward section of uniform girth, stretching quite straight out of the water and inclined at the plane of the surface at about 30 °, in length about 18-24 inches. The diameter of this long leading section we would estimate to be about 4 inches. At its extremity which we took to be a serpent-like head, it tapered rather abruptly to a point.
Between the leading and the following sections of this creature, there intervened about two feet of water. The second section seemed to us to be a tight, roughly semi-circular loop. This portion could have been a hump or a large knob on the back of a large body under the surface that was being propelled by flippers. As to the dimensions of this section, if a loop we should say the girth of a large fifteen pound salmon; if however, a round hump. . . we should put its base at about 18 inches. . . We would estimate the overall length to the two visible sections, measured along the surface from tip of snout to end of hump, at about 6 feet.
The movement along the water was steady. There was no apparent disturbance of the surface, so that propulsion seemed to come from a well-submerged portion of the creature. There was no undulation of its body above the water. It was cruising at a very leisurely speed, and was apparently unconcerned about our presence. We watched it moving along the surface for a period of two or three minutes in a north-easterly direction. It was going towards the shore; then it submerged gradually rather than dived, and disappeared from view completely. Another couple of minutes later it reappeared still following the same course. . . It reached a point 30 yards offshore, where it submerged and we saw it no more…"

although many other folk may also have spotted The Lough Ree Monster.......

 

 

Colm Revolutionised Sports Broadcasting

It was a testimony to his decade long stint with RTE that led to Colm Murray being headhunted for a newly created Sportscaster job in 1989.  His beginnings in the new television Sports Department that year was not as a result of the American style positive declaration, “You’re Hired,”.  Instead Colm heard some colourful orders which changed his professional life, and then he heard - “You’ll Do,”

Colm died early today, Tuesday, July 30^th after a three year battle with Motor Neuron disease.
The Westmeath man had since the early 1980’s, been one of the main newscasters on the national broadcaster, but following the setting up of the Six One News, there was a hunt for ‘Sportscasters’.  So Colm found himself sent for by head of news, Rory O’Connor, who told him that they were hoping to put sport on the news in a larger format than had been done in previous times.  Ironically Rory also died just a few weeks ago.  At the time, in 1989, he asked Colm to consider taking the job, but the Moate man believed that he knew very little about sport.
But the bossman said to him: “You play golf, you back horses, you go to an odd gaelic football match and you enjoy it, don’t you?”
Colm had to agree with him on everything, but still he was doubtful.
But then the bossman shouted at him in a blue fashion, followed by the welcome words, “You’ll do!”
Colm was in stitches of laughter when he remembered that incident, when this writer interviewed him in 2005.
“That’s how I got the job that I’m in today and that’s what I was told, whether I liked it or not,” laughed Colm, eight years ago.
Colm Murray was the first man who had to set the plan for the presentation of television sport on RTE in ’89, and had to do it fast!  On his first day he had three or four minutes of television to fill and hadn’t a clue what to put on.  He needed pictures for his broadcast, and he found an interesting, albeit humorous sports story.
“The battle for me was to get pictures and I got pictures from Shelbourne Park of a great greyhound of the time called Randy,” laughed Colm.  “So the first picture I put on was Randy the Greyhound, running around for sixty or seventy seconds.”
Although it was a battle, it was also a dream job for the Moate born and bred horse racing lover. 
It wasn’t a road he had envisaged he’d travel when he was growing up in the family home, which was situated over their grocery shop in Church St., Moate.  His main hobby at the time was drama, but he inherited his sports passion for horse racing from his late father, Michael.  His first meeting was in Kilbeggan and he was enthralled by the carnival atmosphere at Westmeath’s popular race course.  He loved the scene of the bookies out on the course, and looking at the horses, and seeing the colours of the jockeys’ silks.
“When I got older I used to study the form and when I could get my hands on a half crown I’d place it on an outsider, hoping to win it, those are my earlier memories of Kilbeggan, and Roscommon Race Course, and of course Galway,” said Colm.
Moate was a great town to grow up in the 1960’s, Colm said, and he was proud of it being the near the centre of Ireland.
Finding himself too tall to be a jockey, Colm decided to go the more conventional route of employment, by studying at UCG and Maynooth College, eventually ending up as a secondary school teacher.  Before his RTE days he taught at the Athlone Vocational School and then in Tullamore Vocational School. 
It was at the Co. Offaly school that Colm met and fell in love with another teacher, Ann, who became his future wife, Ann.  The couple had two daughters Patricia and Kate.
Ar Dheis De Go Raibh Anam Dilis