A group of 57 visitors from the French port town of Crozon are guests of Sligo Town Twinning this week, in the North West capital to honour the 35th anniversary of the union of the two towns.

35th anniversary celebrations of the Sligo/Crozon twinning began on Saturday, September 10 when they arrive and will continue until tomorrow evening, Friday, September 16.

The 57 visitors are staying in a mixture of rented accommodation and with a number of host families, many of whom were themselves accommodated by families in Crozon during visits to the town, located on the Finistere Peninsula in Brittany.

The visitors arrived on Saturday afternoon and were fittingly welcomed into the Crozon Inn for a meet and greet session.

On Sunday, there was an anniversary mass held in Sligo Cathedral at 12 noon and on Sunday night the Glasshouse Hotel echoed to the sound of traditional music and singing.

On Monday many of the visitors departed for a day-trip and tour of Dublin City. On Tuesday the touring was closer to home – a trip on the Rose of Innisfree pleasure cruiser around Lough Gill. This tour was opened up to host families as well, fostering the spirit of friendship further. They were then treated to lunch in the Riverside Hotel.

Yesterday, Wednesday, Town Twinning Committee member Marie Claude Ward took a group on a Walking Tour of Deerpark while a special concert from the Orpheus Choir was held in Calry Church on The Mall in Sligo.

This afternoon, Thursday, the visitors from Crozon will be offered a guided tour of Sligo Gaol before the dedication of a Sligo Town Twinning Plaque takes place at the Anniversary Garden in Doorly Park.

This will be followed by a Civic Reception and renewing of the Charter between Crozon and Sligo, in County Hall, Riverside, from 4pm.

Tonight, the Sligo Park Hotel will play host to the official 35th Anniversary Dinner at which a number of special guests, including some of the French visitors, will speak. That gets underway from 7.30pm.

On Friday, Committee member Michael Carty will lead the visitors on a walking tour of Sligo, starting at City hall.

And the visitors have also been made aware of Culture Night, which takes place on Friday, and all the free events which are open to them throughout the town centre.

The Crozon delegation will conclude with farewells from Carraroe Retail Park on Saturday morning at 8am.

The long-awaited adoption of the Sligo East City Cranmore and Environs Regeneration Masterplan finally took place on Monday, 12 years after work first began on it.

The plan was originally for just the Cranmore estate, but was later expanded to include surrounding areas, including St Anne’s, Doorly Park, Martin Savage Terrace, Garavogue Villas and Cleveragh.

The government has allocated a total of just over €16 million for a number of projects which are to be delivered over the next three to eight years.

However, a meeting of Sligo County Council on Monday was told that it was hoped more money could be got over the next few years to implement more parts of the plan.

Major changes have already taken place at the Cranmore estate in recent years, with a total of 73 houses demolished to create extra space. It still has 430 homes, making it the largest local authority estate in the North West with 14 drives/streets.

Councillors were told that the achievements to date have been “considerable”, with refurishments, landscape improvements, a regeneration office, community warden scheme, improved level of services, estate management, tenancy support, sports and art initiatives, community development, reduction in anti-social behaviour and growth in housing demand.

The overall plan is divided into Social, Economic and Physical plans and is aimed at addressing disadvantage in the area. The Regeneration Vision in the plan is: “To make the area a more attractive place to live with better, convenient connections to existing and new facilities, locally and in the rest of Sligo.

“To enable individuals and communities in the area to avail of emerging opportunities and access to employment, education, health and family support services.
“To secure the area as a location of choice for future generations in to live, work and visit.”

Director of Services with responsibility for the project Bartley Gavin acknowledged that the plan had been a long time in the making, having been initiated in 2004, but he suggested that maybe it would be much the better for the time taken with it.

Marian O’Callaghan, Acting Senior Exective Architect, also said “this day has been a long time coming”.

But she said that Cranmore was a “very different place from what it was 12 years ago”.

“We have come from a situation where there was a difficulty in letting houses in Cranmore to where there is now a demand for houses in the estate”, she said.

Referring to the various public consultations on the plan over the years, Council CEO Ciaran Hayes said that one of the strengths of the plan was the fact that it had “come about very strongly through consultation with the local community”.

Proposing the adoption of the plan, Councillor Sean MacManus recalled that the first proposal for a regeneration plan for Cranmore had been made by his son, former Sligo Borough Councillor Chris MacManus back in 2001.

The Sinn Fein councillor pointed out that at that stage Cranmore was the largest social housing estate in Connacht, with almost 500 houses and a population of around 2,500.

He said that a lot of work had been done but people sometimes felt that the pace of progress was not fast enough.

Cllr MacManus said that while nobody was going to be 100% happy with any plan he felt that overall the “vast majority of people” were supportive of the masterplan.

“But now it is time to see big gains and wins for the local community”, he added.

He also proposed, and it was agreed, that the plan should include the proviso that all public procurements relating to the regeneration of the area should include, where applicable, social clauses ensuring the mandatory employment of the long-term unemployed and apprentices from the area.

Councillors were unanimous in their support for the plan.

Cllr Rosaleen O’Grady said that what had already been achieved had been “life-changing for the community” and referring to the space created by the demolition of houses, she said: “Going into Cranmore you can now breathe”.

Cllr Marie Casserly praised everyone involved in the plan, while Cllr Tom MacSharry said that the community representatives were “the real heroes”.TextCranmore Community Co-operative has described the the adoption of the Masterplan as “very exciting”.

Co-op chairperson Ann Marie Snee said they were “delighted” that the council had adopted the plan and looked forward to working with the local community and the council to put the plan into action.

She said that the co-op acknowledged the significant work and resources that have been put into date by the local community, the council and the agencies.

“The adoption of this plan is very exciting and we look forward to the many great opportunities that will be developed in the near future as we all work towards the final implementation of Regeneration Masterplan”, she said.

O’Connell Street in Sligo closed to traffic on Monday and will remain so until November 30.

The closure is for Irish Water to carry out a €1.25m scheme which will include the replacement of approximately 510 metres of water main and the rehabilitation of 210 metres of Victorian culvert sewer.

The works will extend into some of the adjoining streets specifically the junctions of O’Connell Street/John Street/Grattan Street and O’Connell Street/Lower Knox Street/Wine Street.

The street will be open to pedestrians at all times and there will be access for deliveries between 8am and 12 noon from Monday to Saturday.

The junction with Grattan Street and John Street will also be closed from 7pm to 7am from September 5 to 16 and at the other end, Lower Knox Street will be closed from 7pm to 7am from September 19 to October 14.

The Summer Stars reading programme was run in public libraries throughout the country this summer.

Free and open to all children, the Summer Stars programme provides the whole family with an opportunity to explore the full range of events and facilities which are available in their local library, such as children’s activities, access to talking books and games, computers and Internet access, and of course children’s books for all ages.

“We’ve ran this reading challenge in its various guises throughout all the branch libraries for the last number of years and it seems to be getting bigger year on year which is a great sign,” said a spokesperson for Sligo Libraries.

Each child who registered for the programme at Tubbercurry Community library (or indeed any of the Sligo Libraries) joined in the fun of reading lots of exciting books during the summer.

Children received their own Summer Stars Reading Card to record their progress and the Summer Stars Reward Stamp was added to their card at the library for time they visited. Fun rewards were provided along the way.

This culminated with all the South Sligo participants visiting Tubbercurry Community Library at the end of the programme; to receive their award certificate and medal and enjoy a storytelling event afterwards with storyteller and illustrator Wayne O’Connor.

“The purpose of the reading challenge as well as the obvious one of promoting the library in the local community is also to keep the participants involved in reading during the summer school break. It’s well known that regular reading helps develop your vocabulary, aids memory improvement and improves your focus and concentration.

“It also helps to introduce the reluctant reader to the joys of reading, for example by;
– Promoting Comic books or graphic novels as a way of helping children to follow the story if they have difficulty reading.
– Encourage children to choose stories they are likely to really enjoy.
– Asking the parent to give lots of encouragement and praise for even the smallest accomplishment, this is reinforced by a small reward at every visit.
– Asking the parent to focus on the enjoyment and fun of reading. If you show an interest in reading and learning yourself, your child will be more likely to follow your lead and explore as well.”

Wednesday next, September 7, will see Sligo Rugby Club file into the Racecourse enclosure in Cleveragh.

It’s Rugby Day at Sligo Races and away from the Rugby Field the players and supporters of Sligo Rugby Club will witness tenacity, skill and courage of the Horses and Jockeys in the All Flat Card that gets underway at 4.40pm.

Sligo Rugby Club is one of the oldest clubs in Ireland, having been founded in 1890. The clubs home is at Hamilton Park in Strandhill with Knocknarea to one side and the Atlantic ocean to the other, In common with Sligo Races who boasts of being one of the most picturesque racecourses in Ireland, Sligo Rugby claims to be one of the most picturesque in the World of Rugby.

“The club has rugby teams at all age levels from U7 up to U18.5, these age levels are open to boys and girls,” explains Ross Mannion from the Sligo Rugby Club.

“Their season runs from September to April. We have a senior ladies team and two senior mens at present. Our senior men’s team 1xv play in the All Ireland League 2C and 2xv play in the Connacht Junior league. At present we have 3 of our senior men’s team involved with the Irish U20 team who have reached the u20 world cup final and we have numerous players involved with Connacht rugby representative teams at underage level to the Pro12 winning team. We are looking forward to a great evening of well-deserved relaxation at Sligo Races and hope to see you all there.”

Kathryn Foley County Sligo Races, Racecourse Manager added: “We look forward to welcoming Sligo Rugby Club to the Races on September 7.

“Uniting the sports of Rugby and Racing for one evening at the Racecourse is a great opportunity to showcase the many achievements of Sligo Rugby while at the same time enjoying the ferocious competitiveness of the racing world. Head Coach Ross Mannion has confirmed that the Pro 12 Trophy will also be making an appearance and we very much look forward to seeing that.”

Gates open at 2:30 pm and the feature race is The Sligo Park Hotel Handicap of €12,500

By Danny Keown

A pilot and a former hockey international will begin an epic five-and-a-half day trek around Ireland this Sunday, and are due in Sligo on Tuesday afternoon.

A Heritage Council funded conservation study is the first step in securing the future of the historic Elsinore House at Rosses Point.

Hidden behind a wall of ivy for over a decade, the future of Elsinore house at Rosses Point is suddenly much brighter with the awarding of a grant for the funding of a conservation report on the structure of this house, which the poet WB Yeats visited frequently in his youth and which featured in the painting of his brother, Jack Yeats.

Having only recently reacquired possession of the property, the timing was right for the descendents of William Middleton (1819-1882) when approached by representatives of An Taisce’s North West Local Association with the offer to work together to safeguard the ‘At Risk’ structure.

Built in the early 19th century and home to shipowner and alleged smuggler John Black, Elsinore later came into the ownership of William Middleton a senior partner in the highly successful 19th century firm of Middleton and Pollexfen which operated mills and traded far and wide with a fleet of barques and schooners.

William’s sister Elizabeth was grandmother to WB and Jack Yeats who, like their Middleton relatives, enjoyed many summers spent at Elsinore.

The poet Yeats wrote about Rosses Point and his time spent at the house in his ‘Reveries Over Childhood and Youth’: “There were great cellars under the house, for it had been a smugglers house a hundred years before, and sometimes three loud raps would come upon the drawing room window at sundown, setting all the dogs barking; some dead smuggler giving his accustomed signal.”

By the start of the 20th century, William Middleton’s offspring were still living at Elsinore during the summer months, however the history of the house in later years was marked by a succession of tenants and neglect that led to it falling into a ruinous state.

The 150th anniversary of the birth of Yeats in 2015 prompted renewed concern about the state of the property. This led to the Middleton Estate, comprised of William’s descendants, partnering with An Taisce North West in successfully applying for a Heritage Council grant that has enabled the commissioning of a conservation report on Elsinore house and its outbuildings.

It is hoped that this report will provide the basis for future interventions to safeguard and enhance this historic structure.

An Taisce North West is a Local Association of An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland, a charity working to preserve and protect Ireland’s natural and built heritage. For further information, see: www.facebook.com/AnTaisceNorthWest

By Alan Finn

The past year has been like a script from a Hollywood movie for a Sligo teenager who overcame a serious back injury to celebrating a sporting triumph.

Keelan Kilrehill, a 15-year-old Colaiste Iascaigh (Easkey) student, recounted the accident last August which resulted in him breaking bones, including a vertebra.

“I was going down to my cousin’s house on my bike when I met a car on the road, I hit the brake to avoid hitting the car but I went over the handlebars and hit a tree and was unconscious.

“I woke up at the house and didn’t know what to do, it was a few hours before I really realised what had happened.”

The Dromore West native runs with the Moy Valley Athletics Club and plays GAA with St. Farnan’s, but Keelan had to put all of his regular sporting activities on the back burner for a number of months as he went through the recovery process.

For more on this story, be sure to pick up a copy of this week’s Sligo Weekender newspaper. In shops now!