The boys are back in town

It's the 53rd anniversary of the Ballinamore Wren Boys' second All-Ireland win in 1970 and now the show is back in town as part of this year's Ballinamore Family Festival. 

Organised by Brendan Reynolds and Michael Fanning, the event will take place on Monday, August 14 and kicks off at 8.45pm at the Island Theatre before the crew will make their way through the town to the platform with original members from the 1970 winning group attending and participating in the celebration.

The lads won the All Ireland title in both 1969 and 1970 and continued to compete in the following years. In 1969, the Boys won the final of the Wren Boys' Championship in Listowel, Co. Kerry where the audience of 30,000 stood in the square from 9pm to 2am to enjoy the fifteen groups who had travelled from the four corners of Ireland for the competition. 

The scene on stage was a country kitchen, complete with the old type fireplace and here the dancers, four girls from Ballinamore danced the four-hand reel while Pat McDonnell gave an exhibition of step dancing and two singers performed; E. Canning, who sang 'Patrick Sheeran' and Sonny Murray who sang 'My own Leitrim Home'. 

The Ballinamore team were Captain, Seán Flaherty, N.T., Aughnasheelin; Bodach (male fool) Charlie McGirl, Aughavas; Oinseach (female fool) Pat Fanning, Ballinamore; Bean an Teach; Tommy Moran, N.T., Ballinamore; Fear an Teach Tommy McGoldrick, Ballinamore. 

The competition was held on the last weekend in September as part of the Horse Racing Festival in Listowel, Co. Kerry and reported in the Leitrim Observer in October 1970 with a reporter from the paper travelling with them to Kerry. He said: "The confidence of this batch of Wrenboys just has to be admired, as I had the privilege of travelling with them by bus to Listowel. The good humour and team spirit was marvellous from the time the bus left until they finished with a victory march in Ballinamore on Saturday night where a cavalcade of cars and all the townspeople turned out to meet them. One could only describe this trip as a mini-Fleadh with talent that would do justice to an All-Ireland Fleadh."