Successful trio of Heritage Week events in Moore

Moore History Group held a trio of events on Saturday, August 19, as part of National Heritage Week.

The group unveiled a new information board and heritage map outside Moore Community Hall. detailing important historic locations in the parish.

The event also included a special tribute to the achievements over his 50-year career of the late John Flannery, a local cross country runner. His family presented a collection of his medals on loan to Moore Community Council.

The third part of the event involved the screening of an historic DVD made in Moore parish some years ago.

For the occasion, Moore Community Hall was decorated with banners depicting historical places in the parish, amnd contained a museum-quality display of the Peter Naughton Collection of vintage farm implements, a display of the unusual and yet historically-based bottles containing carved images by the very talented Eddie Hendericks, a collection of books and photographs on the sporting achievements of the late Moore runner John Flannery by Nigel Williams, the painting of Saint Caireac Dergain of Clonburren by Padraic Kilduff and bunting depicting the Heritage Week logo.

Organiser Xandra Kilduff, PRO of the history group, opened the proceedings by introducing Father Michael Molloy PP who launched the Heritage map board of Moore by graphic artist and historian Padraic Kilduff, which will be on public display outside Moore Hall.

As part of the tribute to the late John Flannery, from Falty, Moore, one of his many relatives who travelled to the event, his niece Patricia Williams, presented some of his medals framed on loan to Moore Hall where they will be on display as an inspiration to young athletes and runners. His fellow runners Padraic Killeen and Martin Mulvey were also present and a short film of John running with the Moore Athletic Club was shown as was a audio recording of an interview with James Dockery some years ago. Patricia, and other family members, spoke emotionally of John and their wonderful memories and a poem dedicated to him was read.

Frank Greally, a runner himself, a friend of the late John and retired editor of the Irish Runner magazine spoke of that era and all the wonderful friendships that built up in the world of field and track. He presented Patricia with a memorial candle inscribed in her uncle's memory and read a poem with heartfelt sincerity for his old comrade.

The final event was the showing of an excellent DVD on Glimpses of Moore in the old times, made in 2012, due to the inspiration of Padraig Egan, the then Chairman of the Moore Community Council. It showed the threshing, the neighbourliness when all came on tractors, cars, pony and trap and bicycles to help at the event and the wonder of the big threshing machine arriving. The film showcased local women making bread outdoors over an open fire and included many locals now gone to their heavenly rewards, in what is a precious memento of life in Moore preserved on film.

Roscommon Heritage Officer Nollaig Feeney was in attendance as were many who had attended an equally successful Heritage Week event organised by the Ballydangan Grouse Project.