Roosky

:"There are several other Irish settlements named Roosky: in Mayo and Donegal."

Infobox Irish Place
name = Rooskey
gaeilge = Rúscaigh
crest

motto =
map

pin coords = left: 80px; top: 43px
north coord = 53.8333 | west coord = 7.9167 | irish grid = N055870
area = | elevation = 75 m
province = Connacht
county = County Roscommon
population = | town pop = 198 | rural pop = 505
census yr = 2002
web = |

Rooskey ( _ga. Rúscaigh) is a village on the River Shannon in County Roscommon, Ireland in the northern midlands of Ireland, near the point where counties Leitrim, Longford, and Roscommon meet. The N4 road from Dublin to Sligo passes by the Leitrim side of the village.

The village is noted for being the birthplace of the 8th Taoiseach Albert Reynolds. It is also the birthplace of Michael Whelahan, who co-founded and captained Hibernian F.C. in 1878.

History

and this was the case in 1798 when the local rebels defeated the army of General Lake on the shores of Lough Bofin.

There was also a 'Pleasure House' on the shores of the same lake. This included a man-made beach, and was only accessible to people from the Anglo-Irish Protestant class. This was later burned down by over-agitated locals. The same mob then proceeded to plunder and pilfer the Protestant Church in the centre of the village.

The village was a lively market village in the mid 20th Century. The bridge was an important focal point for the NFA (IFA) farmers strike in 1963.

Culture

There is an embarrassingly distinct lack of Irish culture in Rooskey today. This is could be down to the harsh treatment of locals who used Irish customs by the British Army during the struggle for Irish Independence. There is now a large Polish quarter, Watervale, also known as Lech Walesa Square.

Popular drinking spots include The Crews Inn, Cox's and Reynolds'. A 2001 survey showed that more alcohol is consumed in Rooskey than in Luxembourg each year.

The Shannon Key West Hotel has replaced Cloudlands as the main entertainment venue.

Every second year the village stages the annual Spraoi Festival, usually during the August Bank Holiday weekend. In recent years the Lough Rynn Harvest Festival was also staged in the village.

See top photo, left: the buildings across the River Shannon are in County Leitrim and the picture is taken from the County Roscommon side.

Education

Rooskey has quickly gained a reputation for having some of the cleverest people in Ireland. The villages average I.Q. is 115. The village is served by the local National School. The same school was made famous by an infamous teacher who cannot be named for legal reasons. The 'new' new National School was opened in 1997. It replaced the new school, aka old school, which was in desperate disrepair.

Industry

On May 8th 2002, a fire at the Glanbia Factory brought an end to the era of bacon production, which was the heartbeat of the village for over 50 years. The factory will not be rebuilt, dealing a big blow to Rooskey.

port

Rooskey is represented in both GAA and soccer by Kilglass Gaels and Dynamo Rooskey, respectively. The village's GAA team was formally known as Pat Molloy's during the 1910-1950's. This club then amalgamated with Slatta Parnellites, Tarmonbarry and Kilmore to form St. Barry's Ruskey. The Kilglass Gaels Club was founded in 1983 and is celebrating its silver anniversary in 2008. 2007 was a great year for the club, winning 7 county titles at various levels. The club has won championships at every grade, except senior, including the Intermediate Championship in 1999. Dynamo Rooskey F.C. was founded in 1978. The club was known previously as Rooskey Rangers. 'The Ger's' had a fierce rivalry with Longford Town F.C., before the later was admitted to the Football League of Ireland. Rooskey clubs have historically punched above their weight. The club's finest hour came when they shocked the famed Drumcondra F.C. 3-1 in the 1958 FAI Cup 2nd Round. In the next round Rangers were soundly beaten 4-0 by Cork Hibernians at Quinn's Field. Other notable cup scalps include Portlaoise, Tullamore Town and Castlebar Celtic. In 1987 Dynamo lost the League on goal difference to Clones Town, after having what would've been a late winner ruled out for offside against Cavan Town on the final day. In 2000, Dynamo controversially lost 2 cup finals, to Longford Wanderers at Dalymount Park and to Connolly Celtic. There are also basketball and tennis facilities available.

Pubs

There are currently 4 pubs in business in Rooskey. These are The Weir Lodge, Reynolds, The Rooskey Inn (which is a part of the hotel) and Cox's. There are also 2 pubs which are not currently in business, The Cruise Inn and The Dark Horse (which was formerly known as Faoi Driaocht (Irish for 'Under a Spell')).

Trivia

*St. Patrick visited the area between 438 and 440.
*Soviet rock band Mashina Vremeni or Машина времени released the song Marionetki after spending a week in the area.
*A rare panther terrorized the village during the summer of 2005. The animal was never caught.
*Rooskey or Rúscaigh means 'swamp' or 'bog'
*Oasis (band) guitarist Noel Gallagher compared his trip to Rooskey with Alton Towers. He quoted to The Observer "T'was like being on a f%"$@&!g rollercoaster in Derbyshire, while high on cocaine" [ [ [ [] ] ] ]

ee also

*List of towns in the Republic of Ireland"