Focus on Belcoo: Community shines in gateway to the West

Despite it being a cold Thursday afternoon when The Impartial Reporter arrived, the village was busy with residents, many of them talking at the village’s lough-side green – ‘Cottage Meadow’ – something every person we spoke to referred to as one of the high points of the village.

Retired grocer, Gerald Timoney, summed locals’ views up as he surveyed the area around him and said: “It’s a lovely village.

“I know so many people are coming nowadays to it, so many strangers. I bet you it’s the Cottage Meadow; people seem to like it for walking.”

A life-long resident of the village, Mr. Timoney said it is a good place to live.

When asked if there are any issues in the village, he said: “It is hard to think of any off-hand, but the traffic coming through from Blacklion can be fast.”

Also admiring the views was Bernard Donelly, who turned around and pointed out his favourite parts of the village.

“It’s quite a nice little village; its scenic, look at the lake, we have the Cottage Meadow.”

When asked what is good about the Cottage Meadow, Mr. Donnelly said: “Well, I’ll tell you what’s bad about it – we have no lights around it, and people can’t walk round it at night.”

Explaining the benefits of the village’s geography, he said: “It’s a Border town, you get a good passing trade. It’s the gateway for to West.”

Noting that the village is following patterns of other small communities, he added: “There were big changes over the years.

“There were three or four pubs here at one time, and now we are down to one.

“That’s the way it’s going everywhere.”

While the stars of Hollywood are getting ready for the Oscars, members of Belcoo O'Rahillys are preparing for ‘the OsKaRs’, explained Phillip Corrigan, who was out walking in the village.

“We are doing our OsKaRs at the minute; we are starting filming this weekend.”

As part of the competition, groups have to put on scenes from famous films and TV programmes before a special screening event in the Great Northern Hotel, Bundoran on March 2.

Explaining his role, Mr. Corrigan said: “I am in ‘Forest Gump’, I am playing Coach Man.

“I have a son and he is acting as James from ‘Derry Girls’.

“We have been rehearsing for the past few weeks; we have seven films to record this weekend and next, all in different parts of the village.

“There is a great buzz around already; there are a lot of people getting involved with fundraising.”
Mr. Corrigan continued: “I must say, it’s a lovely area to live in. You have got lovely people and neighbours, you have Cottage Meadow, you have the scenery, you have the road leading from Belcoo into Blacklion.”

He complimented the local business offering in the area. “We have good restaurants, like the Customs House. We have Maguires Pub, Leo’s Off Licence, Kings of the Road – they are a truckers business, and they do very well.”

Summing up the attitudes of the people of the area, he said: “They’re all good people, very friendly and helpful, all great neighbours. If anything happens, everybody comes out to help each other.”

Many of the residents spread their life across the Border, with Camilla McNulty serving as one example of how seamlessly residents pass between both jurisdictions.

“I got married here about 30 years ago. I came from Blacklion and married a man from Belcoo,” she laughed.

As part of her cross-Border life, she works between the two villages. “I live in Belcoo and I work in Blacklion. Belcoo is lovely, and is a gorgeous wee village.”

She praised the calibre local businesses in the area, and also the local education provision: “Schools are great here. All my children went to the school in Belcoo, but children in Blacklion and Belcoo go to creches or play schools on either side [of the Border].

“We have children from the South over with my ones, and then, when they were older, they went back to the primary schools.”

Elsewhere, a tempting smell wafted out the door of the Customs House, which has been re-opened for just under a year under the ownership of Conall and Rachel Humston (née O’Dolan).

When asked about what is good about Belcoo, with a hearty laugh Mrs. Humston replied: “Everything!”

She continued: “I grew up in Belcoo, so I am a Belcoo person through and through.

“It was a brilliant place to grow up. We had the sports days, the GAA club, there was always something going on.

“Even now, there are mummies and babies’ groups, and it brings people from all over.

“It is a good village for young families. There is the Cottage Meadow, the playpark, and there is loads of stuff going on.”

Mrs. Humston added Belcoo is full of “very special people” and “characters”.

Business has been busy for the Humstons, and the food in the restaurant has become legendary in the local area.

Mrs. Humston added: “The Sunday carvery is famous, and we have a new chef, Leo. His food is excellent – his steaks are now famous around the local area.”

The village is home to a busy business community, with one of the local business hubs – and indeed, an entire community hub – being Belcoo Pharmacy.

Owner Joe McAleer complimented the “cross-Border hinterland”.

He said: “With us being the only healthcare [provider] in the village, we get called to a lot of things.

“If something goes wrong, people say, ‘Call the pharmacy’. In town, you would call the GP service or the ambulance, while in Belcoo, they call the pharmacy.

“We see a lot of the social side, a rural area, where sometimes the only social contact people will get is in the pharmacy, and sometimes they want to come to chat and see a friendly face.”

Mr. McAleer said a number of people have moved to the area in recent years due to its facilities on offer.

“A lot of people have moved to Belcoo from England, and also moved from here, there and everywhere.

“People are retiring to here because they have everything they need – a pharmacy, hotel, restaurants, a golf course, caravan parks, and the LCC [Lakeland Community Care].”

As well as offering care packages, LCC offers befriending services, a Men’s Shed, Woman As One, a Friday Fun Club, IT classes, exercise classes, parent-toddler groups and cook-it classes for the local community.

Some people expressed concerns about footpaths within the village, with Tony McGourty saying he thinks a footpath should be built to connect the village to the popular Rushin House Caravan Park.

He said: “The road up it past Holywell needs a footpath – it’s only about 500 or 600 metres to do it.”

In a separate footpath-related issue on footpaths outside the village, he said: “The people who walk below Belcoo, there is a footpath that you wouldn’t put a cat on, never mind a dog.

“We have been looking at these footpaths for 40 years – the Council does nothing for us.”

Also raising issues around speeding in the village, Mr. McGourty added: “To be quite honest, the road over to Blacklion is used just as a racetrack, really.”

Other residents have “no complaints”, with Sean McNulty saying: “I have to say, as a village, it’s pretty good.

“When you look around, you have the scenery, it’s well-equipped, it has its community centre, there is a health place, the LCC, and as a village it’s pretty good.”

When asked how the area could be improved, he said: “It’s a difficult question. Everything is good; it’s a good village. It’s clean, has two good shops; it has most things that a village should have.

“At the moment, I don’t think it needs much more; every place will always need a bit more employment,” he added.