Algeria on our doorstep

10/16/2002 - By Denise Horan

I must confess - if a confession is needed - that I know very few Algerian people. None in fact. Up until a couple of days ago I only had a very vague idea of where it was. Like most people I knew it was somewhere in Africa. But, in truth, as far as my knowledge went, it could well have had a nomadic existence, moving to a different location every year.

Now I know for definite that it is a republic, situated on the Mediterranean Coast of North Africa. It has a population of approximately 30 million people, its capital city is Algiers, its currency is the dinar and the most widely spoken languages there are French and Arabic.

In addition, I am informed that it is the second largest country in Africa and it extends southwards from the coast into the Sahara Desert. It was once a large producer of oil and natural gas, but reserves are now dwindling. Those products still account for 90 per cent of the country’s exports though.

Now what has all this got to do with Ballinrobe, you might well ask? Quite a lot, given that next June ourselves and the good people of Clonbur will be jointly hosting Algeria’s delegation for the Special Olympics. The size of the group was initially expected to be about 15, but that has now risen to 25 and may increase further before the group arrives.

The athletes and their mentors/helpers will be staying in the area for four days, beginning in mid-June next year. It would be nice if we knew something about them and where they have come from when they arrive. Conversing in Arabic just might be beyond most of us, but striking up the odd conversation in broken French ought to be manageable.

After all, we may never again have the opportunity to host an international sporting delegation. We should endeavour to make their stay here as memorable as possible. It’s only a few days, hardly an enormous imposition on any of us.

Before you go off resolving to learn a few words of French next May, and feeling good about yourself for doing so, remember that a lot of preparation has to be done in advance of the visit. And since many hands make hard work a little lighter, prospective volunteers are now called upon to come out of hiding and declare their availability for work.

A committee of approximately 20 was established 12 months ago, when Ballinrobe made its bid to become a host town. Since host town status was attained that committee has continued to function, switching its focus to preparations for the Games. A number of positions of responsibility have been delegated to various people, including that of finance officer, accommodation and catering co-ordinator, volunteer co-ordinator, entertainment co-ordinator, fund-raising co-ordinator, education co-ordinator, exhibition co-ordinator and so on. The list goes on and on.

You see, it’s not just a matter of taking 25 people into the town, putting on a couple of ceilis for them and sending them away happy. Standards are required. High standards. And high standards equate to hard work. If you are interested in lending a hand, in whatever capacity, simply contact any of the committee members. Every little bit makes a difference.



Intermediate glory



Sunday was a great day for Ballinrobe. The footballers of the town recorded their second Intermediate final win in three years and the consensus was that this was the sweetest of all.

Robe folk turned out in their droves in Garrymore for the clash with local rivals Shrule/Glencorrib, who were widely tipped to continue their march up through the ranks to senior level.

It wasn’t to be for them though. While everyone else was busy writing Ballinrobe off, they were preparing themselves mentally and physically for what they would face. They were confident; the town was behind the team. The people believed in them.

And when they took to the field that confidence wasn’t long manifesting itself in their play. After a shaky opening few minutes, they found their rhythm and settled down. From then on they were never in any danger.

As always when a cup is won, there were heroes all over the place. It’s never down to one or two men, all must perform. And that happened. There were key players who were expected to do well; healthy contributions from them were deemed essential for victory. They delivered.

But few were expecting so many high level performances, particularly from the normally unspectacular - I use the word in the best possible sense - players. Some players do their work quietly and efficiently, week in, week out, without ever drawing a great degree of attention to themselves. Those were the players who made the difference for Ballinrobe on Sunday.

There’s no place to hide in a county final; thousands of eyes pierce each player’s every move and the critical faculties swing into overdrive. But no Ballinrobe player was seeking to hide. Each did his job to the best of his ability and that collection of impressive individual performances stifled the Shrule/Glencorrib threat.

There was little they could do. They weren’t given a chance to get into the game and though it may not stand out in the memory of the neutral as one of the finest county finals in living memory, it will linger in Ballinrobe folklore as a sweet win.

* In this column last week Garrymore was referred to as an ‘out of the way venue’, which offended some of the fine people there. It was not intended as an insult, it was simply an allusion to the geographical location, which is slightly off the beaten track. However, as always, the facilities there were superb on Sunday. Everything that was needed by players, management, media and spectators was provided. Parking, a potential problem with limited space, was carefully planned and well-executed by the stewards. All the people went out of their way to be helpful, so to speak. Congratulations to all concerned on a job well done.