Hello and welcome
to this week’s issue of Ireland’s Own.

In this week’s Autumn Special we bring you the story of Des Lynam, the County Clare boy who grew up to present Match of the Day, Grandstand and Countdown among many other programmes. Many of us will associate Des with great sporting moments down the years. Seán Creedon shares his life story with us.

Sinéad Brennan tells the tragic story of Miss Constance Tynan, an innocent casualty of the Irish Civil War, in Mayo, one hundred years ago while Martin Gleeson remembers Sr. Julia Canny, the Galway nun who survived Hiroshima.

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant were the songwriting husband-and-wife team that had songs recorded by famous names from Buddy Holly to Simon and Garfunkel, to Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
In all, their songs sold over half a billion records worldwide. Liam Nolan profiles the couple that gave us such gems as ‘All I Have to do is Dream’, ‘Raining in my Heart’ & ‘Love Hurts’ among more. Liam also brings us the next instalment in his Magic of the Musicals series, this week, ‘The Sound of Music’.

Steven Moore visits a now closed cemetery that 75 years ago held the bodies of 148 U.S. servicemen who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, while C.A. Sarsfield tells the story of Will Purvis, the man who escaped the gallows when the noose refused to tighten.

Whether you went to the cinema to view them or watched them at home on a wet Sunday afternoon, the films of Elvis Presley are fondly remembered for their fun and songs. Ivor Casey selects some of the most memorable in a new series for Ireland’s Own.

John Morris asks if the Duke of Wellington was really a British hero, Kathy Ryder celebrates Stonehenge in October and Dave Devereux brings us another of his ghostly tales, this week visting the ‘Shell of Ballyheigue’. Columnists Mary Kennedy, Michael Lyster return with more musings, while Maxi pays tribute to Larry Hagman, who made Dallas villain J.R. Ewing a household name around the world.

In his piece ‘Going to the Pictures’ Thomas Myler charts the history of the cinema in Ireland, Anthony F. Hughes features ‘Custer of the West’ in his Classic Westerns series; Denis J. Hickey visits Dún Laoghaire in his ‘History of the Irish Towns’ series and we have a special Philomena Begley songbook for you to enjoy.

We have all this for you to get stuck into, alongside regular favourites Cassidy Says, Dan Conway’s Corner, Kitty the Hare, Miss Flanagan Investigates, Marjorie’s Kitchen, Eddie Lenihan, Eddie Ryan’s Monthly Sports Column, Health Advice from Alex Dobbs, jokes, songs, puzzles, €200 Word Maze competition and much more. 

Enjoy the read, take care, and I will look forward to talking to you all again next week.

                                                                                                        Best wishes,

Seán Nolan, Editor, Ireland’s Own