Because he was surely good enough to play Senior for Laois back then.
The Celebrity Spotting Thread Part Twee (or help Flatty identify the celeb he just spotted) (Part 1)
He didnât pull up too many trees at U21 iirc
Who: Commentator and man who scored a pointless goal Ronnie Whelan
Where: Security queue, San Francisco airport
Attire: polo shirt and jeans
Entourage: wife
Other notes: Ronnie walked straight up to the âfrequent flyer/big knobâ end and skipped the whole queue. He looked in good spirits. The TSA officer didnât recognise him
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Spot.
Did you bump into RĂłisĂn when you were over there? She had a cracker of a spot?
RĂłisĂn Ingle: I asked two young men at a window seat if I could join their pub quiz team
On our trip to San Francisco we also discovered that the youthful looking John-Boy from the Waltons was in fact 71
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RĂłisĂn Ingle meets Richard Thomas, best known as John-Boy from The Waltons. Photograph: Twitter
Wed Oct 12 2022 - 05:00
I was standing in Marin County, looking out at the shimmering San Francisco bay, waiting to board a ferry. Myself and two friends had cycled from San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, freewheeled down to Sausalito and were now headed back across the bay to the town full of hills and pretty houses and in common with our own fair city, too many homeless people. It was my first time in this incredible city; I remember standing there feeling stupidly lucky. And then D said: âThereâs John-Boyâ.
âWhere?â I said. âThere,â she said, pointing at a man standing a couple of metres away, a man who looked exactly like John-Boy Walton. For those under the age of 40, John-Boy was a character in The Waltons, an American TV series from the 1970s that used to be on RTĂ. They lived on Waltonâs Mountain in Virginia, and there were loads of them. There were loads of us in my family too and we never missed the programme, which was full of gentle family happenings, wry comic moments, life lessons and always, at the end, a bedtime routine where the family â we only heard their voices and saw the lights in their windows during these scenes â would say a lengthy goodnight to each other. âGoodnight everybody.â âGoodnight John-Boy.â âGoodnight Ben.â âGoodnight Mary-Ellen.â âGoodnight Elizabeth.â âGoodnight Jim-Bob.â I looked over to where D was pointing. It was John-Boy all right. A face as familiar to me as that of my own brothers. âHold my bike,â I said.
I reckoned John-Boy must be plagued by people shouting âGoodnight John-Boyâ at him every day of his life since he left the series, but if he did he showed no signs of fatigue. I tapped him on the shoulder. I told John-Boy I was grateful for the years of joy The Waltons had given my family. I said he should be very proud of himself; that I was sure heâd been in lots of other things since then but really, The Waltons was important. He told me his name was Richard and that, yes, heâd been in âa few other thingsâ but all things considered The Waltons was marvellous.
Richard Thomas in his Emmy-winning role of John-Boy Walton, from the 1970s CBS drama series, The Waltons.
âYou still look exactly like John-Boy,â I told John-Boy. âWell, thank you,â he said. I asked for a selfie and he obliged. I could have stood there talking about The Waltons all day, but I thanked him again and dragged myself back to the bike. On the ferry, my new friends and I googled John-Boy and realised his real name was Richard Thomas. Heâd been in âa few other thingsâ all right, Ozark and The Americans to name two. And he was currently starring as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mocking Bird in a San Francisco theatre. I thought about booking a ticket but the only ones I could find were $270 (âŹ278) and I loved John-Boy but not that much. I thought heâd understand. We also discovered that the youthful looking John-Boy was in fact 71. There must have been something magic in that Waltonâs Mountain water.
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[ RĂłisĂn Ingle: Iâm not an office person. I know that now ]
I was in San Francisco for a holiday and for Hinterland West, the American iteration of the Hinterland festival of writers and artists held annually in Kells, Co Meath. Our gigs were held in the United Irish Cultural Centre near the zoo. There were events featuring crime writer Liz Nugent, Fintan OâToole of this parish and archivist Catriona Crowe who received a standing ovation for her powerful presentation about the Mother and Baby Home Commissionâs report. At the centreâs Irish library and second-hand book shop I picked up a battered copy of Down All The Days by Christy Brown and a book about Mary Lavin. By Monday, all my festival friends had returned to Ireland but I had two more days to explore.
Back to Golden Gate Rides to rent another electric bike. (It had to be electric, to cope with the hills.) I cycled to the Mission district, passing people in tents and countless completely legal cannabis emporiums and locked my bike outside a bar called The Sycamore. Francis Ford Coppolaâs 1974 movie The Conversation was being projected on a wall outside on the patio. There was a pub quiz about to start. It was my kind of place.
[ RĂłisĂn Ingle: A family holiday to Orlando became a magical dream come true ]
I thought about doing the pub quiz alone but then thought that was a bit sad so I asked two young men at a window seat if I could join their team. There was an uncomfortable silence before one of them said âuh, weâre all setâ which was American for âno thanks, please go away and leave us aloneâ. Outside on the patio, I approached a team of two men and two women and asked could I join. They could not have been more welcoming. Witty and smart B sat beside effortlessly cool H who had just returned from a trip to Europe and walking the camino. Kind J and smiley A sat so close together, that I asked were they a couple. It turned out to be complicated. âIf you are asking me do I love this person,â said J. âThen yes, I do.â You can bond amazingly quickly at a pub quiz with strangers it turns out. When I told them about the âuh, weâre all setâ guys, they were outraged on my behalf. âItâs not in the spirit of The Sycamore,â they insisted as Barberella began playing on the wall. Being geriatric millennials they had not heard of John-Boy and were way more impressed by my Bono stories. We came fourth in the quiz, then to celebrate they brought me for tacos in their favourite place and for a stroll down beautiful Balmy Lane, where the original San Francisco murals were painted.
[ RĂłisĂn Ingle: Elizabeth worked hard at being queen. But did she get hot flashes at banquets? ]
There were many other new friends made. There were cable cars and Alcatraz and the ghosts of Haight Ashburyâs music legends Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin as glimpsed from the upper deck of an open-top bus. There was dim sum in Chinatown and illuminating chats with a Derry boy far from home. There were foggy walks on Fishermanâs Wharf, long conversations with brilliant women over crudo and crustaceans in Samâs Bar and Grill, Old Fashioneds at the bar of The Olympic Club, late night singsongs and morning pastries in Boudin and Tartine.
I was not sad to return to my own city by the bay, but I left at least a little bit of my heart in San Francisco. Good night Jimi. Good night Janis. Good night John-Boy.
Roisin Ingle on the cusp of a nomination for the Roaster thread. Strange times weâre in.
A grand fit for the Roasted thread anyway.
No
So Wendy Byrdeâs auld fella was a Walton. One for the things I learned today thread.
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Who: well-known author and Facebook aficionado Roddy Doyle
Where:. Liberty Hall Theatre
When: tonight, just before 9pm.
Detail: Roddy, of Barrytown trilogy and Facebook fame, was waiting for a pint before heading into the Cass McCombs gig. He had a big white scarf. Iâd attempt a more eloquent post @Fagan_ODowd but Iâve five hours + tipping into pints before the last train home
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Spot.
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John Maughan and Aidan Tierney (Tierney Talks) having breakfast/brunch together at cafe in Castlebar prior to Co. Semi Finals in McHale Park today.
It was Maughanâs treat as the average mimic Tierney proceeded to exit for a cigarette.
Not a spot.
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Who - Brian Kerr
When - Friday night approx 1030pm
Where - âThe Saintâ pub in Inchicore
Brian had been at St Pats -v-Bohs hand and still had his red and white scarf on
He was sharply dressed with a very stylish coat topping off his well presented appearance
Brian posed for a few selfies and was drinking a bottle of 7uo (not sure it it was a mixer or on its own).
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Spot.
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Who? Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville.
Famous For? Being part of the greatest English Club side of all time, the 1999 Treble winning team.
Where? Hotel Football, Manchester.
When? Today, circa 3pm.
Other notes. Gaz and Giggsy were having a spot of lunch and catch up after what must have been a busy weekend. Salford may or may not have been up for discussion but Chris Casper and Karen Baird were at a separate table in deep consultation. Gaz drove off quickly enough in a White Porshe while Giggsy was in a Black Range Rover.
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Spot.
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Thatâll drive a few lads demented
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Informative. Giggsy must be out on bail.
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The lack of likes speaks a thousand words.
Lads at their place of business?
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