4 Front wheels and The Bally Film Festival

Last night my friend Mickey rang. He lives in a place that locals call ‘Bally’ whilst non-locals add a ‘poreen’ to the end of it. Former US President Ronald Regan once visited and the locals still manage to get the odd free pint out of the visiting tourists in return for a tale about the day ‘the Pres’ called by, although Henry Healy in Moneygall has taken over much of that business now. Gillian Quinn was there for the Celebrity Bainisteoir competition and managed to draw the largest gathering of male Bally supporters the club had ever seen. Singer Gemma Hayes is from there and inspired The Counting Crows to refer to her as the Songbird of Ballyporeen in their song ‘Washington Square’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTahMUT4E_w&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL45639F3F20C06063

Mickey was telling me about the new night cycling scene in Bally where a few of the lads meet up at ‘Fridgys’ house at the weekend for a few bottles and all cycle home between 2 and 4 am. He says we’re all soft going out cycling in daylight .

Whilst we were chatting Mickey said ‘Cameer an I tell ya’ a phrase that usually leads on to a request. His Brother Eamon was once driving from Bally into the neighbouring village of Clogheen when another local with a beard flagged him down. The bearded one is a great supporter of local jobs, especially those in the Bulmers factory on that particular day. As he was uninvitedly sitting into the passenger seat he uttered the immortal phrase ‘Cameer an I tell ya’ to which was added ‘Seeing as you’re going my way I’ll take a lift in as far as Bally with ya ‘. Eamon had no choice other than to turn the car around and drive back as far as Bally.

But, getting back to Mickey. The request was for four front bicycle wheels and an aero helmet for the Bally film festival incorporating the Bally go-cart race. The four roads leading from the crossroads in Bally each enter a team in the festival. The main event is the film festival which has been timed for the June Bank holiday weekend so as not to coincide with Cannes. Mickeys’ road, which sits between the Bally Hi pub and the Bally fry chipper, has been given the task of performing a play based upon ‘The Hangover part 2’. Rehearsals are coming along nicely with a 20 stone farmer volunteering to play the part of the hooker and a tiger suit being found so that the ‘Tiger’ can sit at the bar for a few pints when not needed up on stage.

Rumor has it that one of the teams has been working on an aeronautical theme for their go-cart but Mickey and his cohorts have come up with a design based upon a Garda car. I dont think either Aer lingus or Dublin Castle need be too concerned about them being an exact replica but they will all be ready to fly down the main street in Bally next Saturday evening.

Barry

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