Castleisland Rugby Club is delighted to confirm that the programme of events for the second Con Houlihan Memorial weekend has been finalised.
The club has teamed up with others in the area as well as with charities and business interests to organise what appears to be an action packed weekend in Castleisland.
The late, great Con Houlihan was not only a huge rugby fan but he also played with the local club in The Crageens.
This Thursday night, September 24th will see the launch of the weekend and the Kerry launch of Con Houlihan’s last book A Harvest.
This lot of the book of short stories, which is said to have been his personal favourite, was discovered after Con’s passing and will be for sale at all events over the weekend.
Intriguing Characters
The weekend will be launched by Jimmy Deenihan Minister for Diaspora affairs and will take place in the Poets Inn at 9pm.
The launch will be followed by Timothy Murphy’s specially adapted lecture and slide show A Time When our Town was Full of Intriguing Characters. The show is based on the resurrection of the characters and highly individual people who populated the town and the pages of Con’s acute observations for so many years in The Evening Press. Timothy brings them all back to life through a selection of Con’s inimitable comments and quips and a collection of caricatures from contemporary cartoonists.
On Friday and Saturday Golf enthusiasts are invited to ‘Play a round in Con’s Country.’
Castleisland Golf Club which is only a stone throw from the Houlihan family home is holding a two day classic for teams of four for just €60 per team. Bookings can be made by contacting the clubhouse on 066 71 41709.
Hospice Ball Returns
Friday night sees the return of the Castleisland Hospice Ball after a 10 year absence. ‘The Ball’ will be held in the festival Marquee at The Crageen’s.
A buffet dinner will be followed by music from Flog the Dog and the evening will finish with a disco courtesy of D.J. Joe Mac.
Dress is informal and tickets are available at €40 from Hospice branch members and money raised will go towards the construction and running of the Suimhneas in patient building at Kerry General Hospital.
There will also be traditional music session in Browne’s Bar on Friday night from 9pm.
It’s all about getting back to nature on Saturday morning. Those interested in clearing the cobwebs are invited to meet at the Country Market at 9.30am where a complimentary bus will transport them to the Glanageenty National Loop Walk.
Walkers will return to the Country Market afterwards for complimentary refreshments. A contribution of €10 per person will be collected for the Hospice fund.
Currow Concert
On Saturday afternoon, Castleisland R.F.C and Currow Coiste na nOg will present The John Browne Memorial Concert.
This is a tribute to The Rugby Legends of Currow and will be held in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Currow at 4pm.
The concert is set to be the highlight of the weekend and will feature The Dursley Male Voice Choir with special guest Mark Llewelyn Evans (Baratone).
A contribution of €20 will be collected. Tickets are available from Castleisland RFC. Currow Coiste na nOg for this event as seating is limited.
An English creative writing competition is being held for fifth and sixth class children in schools in the greater Castleisland area. Entrants have the choice of writing a recount of a local event that was of interest to them or to report on a sporting event.
Schools will submit two entries per class. The Prize-giving ceremony this competition will take place in the Festival Marquee at 7.30pm on Saturday evening September 26th.
Barbeques and Ballads
This will be followed by a barbeque during which the England V Wales game in the Rugby World Cup will be shown in The Marquee on a big screen and all are welcome. Later in the evening there will be a ballad session in Kearney’s Bar.
On Sunday 27th Castleisland AFC will host their Rusty after the Ring fundraising cycle and will start from the soccer field on Limerick Road at 10.30am. There is a choice of an 80 or 40k cycle and the event will be followed by a BBQ and disco at Tom McCarthy’s Bar at 6pm.
Meanwhile, Castleisland R.F.C. will play Abbeyfeale in the first round of the Munster Junior League at The Crageens at 2.30pm and this will be followed by the Ireland V Romania Rugby World Cup game on the big screen in The Marquee at 4.45pm. The weekend’s events will be concluded with a ballad session at Kearney’s Bar on Sunday night.
