Latest news with #HighChaparral
Irish Independent
06-08-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Former publican (92) to pull first pint in Mayo pub which is reopening having been burned to the ground
When it burned to the ground back in February, he and his family were heartbroken. The Munnellys mourned a business, the community mourned a much-loved meeting place. On Friday, six months and a day after it was reduced to a smouldering ruin, The High Chaparral will reopen. Just in time for the Geesala Festival – just as the Munnellys had promised. It seems only right and fitting that Eamonn Munnelly Snr, hail and hearty at the age of 92, should pull the first pint in the 'new' High Chaparral. That simple act will serve as an unofficial ribbon cutting for the Geesala Festival. Founded by John Munnelly, Gerry Coyle and some other locals 31 years ago, the festival is best-known for its horse racing in the unique setting of Doolough Beach. There's plenty more going on aside from the showpiece by the Atlantic. Everything from live music, 10ks, arm-wrestling, deep-sea fishing to boat racing. Without indoor venues like The High Chaparral and the Erris Coast Hotel, putting on something of this scale in a small, rural village would not be possible. 'The day it burned we said, 'We have to aim to get it back for the festival,' says John Munnelly, the third generation to run The High Chaparral. Six months later, from a blaze that spared only the stone walls, rose a new pub that's ready to welcome back old faces for the first time since early February. The Munnelly's association with The High Chaparral goes back much further, back to 1949 when John Munnelly Snr, purchased the pub. His son, Eamon Snr, took it over after he died roughly seven years later. John Munnelly Jnr has been involved since he returned home from college in 1977. During that time, he and his brother and business partner, Eamonn Munnelly Jnr, made great friends, lifelong memories and literally became synonymous with the pub that is known locally as 'Munnellys'. It has been both living and a labour of love for them. 'It was part of your life seven days a week,' John Munnelly tells the Irish Independent. 'We had to be there most nights; you'd be there 360 of the 365 days every year. It's just part of your life and when it changes it's a bit different, but it's going to be good to get back meeting your friends and people every night on the weekends. 'It's good for the community, and even for the youngsters it's some place for them to come and play pool and darts and enjoy themselves and there's a good family atmosphere in it all the time. They are all one big happy gang. So it's nice to get it back in the community.' Much like a death in the family, the fire in the pub upset John's daily and weekly routine. But this was something he'd experienced before. 'If Covid hadn't happened - and we'd have been closed down for 18 months - it would have been a terrible shock, but you were sort of hardened by Covid,' says John, who kept himself busy farming and rebuilding the pub with the help of friends and family. 'These pubs are the heart of communities in rural Ireland, and without them you'd have to maybe go six, seven, eight miles to the next nearest pub.' Rebuilding began on March 7. Today, the fireplace is gone, replaced with underfloor heating and solar panels. Apart from that, the pub the people knew is pretty much the same. 'It was a good local. It'd be quiet enough during the week but a good weekend business, it was a big focal point for the people and we'd have a lot of parties and things like that, a lot of 21sts and 18ths and different parties and occasions and funeral parties and different things, so it will be back to normal,' explains John. 'We are not going to change it much from what it was, it was going nice and smoothly and it was viable, let's put it that way.' The High Chaparral saw many great days and nights. It survived tough times in one of the most economically deprived parts of Ireland. It bestowed heroes' welcomes to local athletes and hosted christenings, card games, dos, functions, weddings and wakes. But Friday's fete will be up there with the most memorable of them all. 'It's going to be good to get back meeting your friends and people every night on the weekends,' says John. 'It's good for the community, and even for the youngsters. It's some place for them to come and play pool and darts and enjoy themselves and there's a good family atmosphere in it all the time. They are all one big happy gang. So it's nice to get it back in the community.'
Daily Mirror
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ryan Moore rates his ride in the £1.5m Derby race and picks out the main dangers
The world-renowned jockey has won the Derby four times and bids for a hat-trick in the historic race after victories on Auguste Rodin and City Of Troy Ryan Moore has rated his prospects of completing a hat-trick of wins in Britain's richest race, the £1.5 million Betfred Derby on Saturday. The world-renowned jockey has won the iconic race four times including the last two editions on Auguste Rodin and City Of Troy. As the retained jockey of the powerful Coolmore-Ballydoyle axis he has the pick of the best talent to come out of the Aidan O'Brien stable. Moore has the choice of three colts in the 19-runner Epsom Classic and while opting to partner Delacroix, he admitted there is little to choose between him and stablemates The Lion In Winter and Lambourn. Speaking on his World Pool blog, Moore said: 'Delacroix has form with give in the ground, so should handle a bit of ease, but we don't know how much we're going to get. The closer it is to good ground, the more it will suit everyone, while soft ground means some horses will struggle in it. 'He's had a very good preparation for this, having won nicely on both his starts this season and he has plenty of experience on his side. Everything has gone very smoothly with him, we think he's in good shape and we expect him to run a big race.' On O'Brien's other two runners, Lambourn and The Lion In Winter, Moore commented: 'Lambourn will stay well and he's an uncomplicated horse that can probably handle most types of going, while we're not sure about The Lion In Winter. 'He's never run on anything slower than good ground, but I don't see any reason why he wouldn't go on it, he's a good moving horse. At York, he was only just about ready to start back, so he should take a big step forward, and going up to a mile-and-a-half shouldn't be a problem based on his pedigree. 'There's very little to separate the three of them to be honest. They're all there to run their race and I just have to hope that it pans out well for me.' Delacroix heads the betting from Dante Stakes winner Pride Of Arras and Ruling Court, the Godolphin colt who captured the 2,000 Guineas. Moore went on: 'For me, the Guineas winner, Ruling Court, has the best form in the race. Stepping up markedly in trip does raise a big question mark, but he's by Justify out of a High Chaparral mare, so there's a chance he'll stay. If it got very wet, you wouldn't be sure if he'll handle that. 'Both of the Frankel horses for the Gosdens, Damysus and Nightwalker, look like improving for the step up in trip, while Pride Of Arras is an obvious challenger having won the Dante well and it looks like he'll stay. 'Midak is an interesting runner, having won a trial in France. The late Aga Khan has a good record in the race, and it would be fitting for him to run well with the race named in his honour this year.'
NZ Herald
10-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Tomodachi gives Matamata trainer Andrew Scott huge milestone in Rotorua mud
A stronger and better version of Tomodachi returned to racing as a 4-year-old this season, collecting back-to-back wins at Tauranga and Ellerslie before flashing home from the back of the field for a close third in last month's Listed City Of Napier Sprint (1200m). Saturday brought a deserved black-type breakthrough. 'What a mare,' Scott said. 'It doesn't matter if it's quick ground or wet ground – she's just a really good racehorse, and she can only get better from here. 'Our concern coming into today was that the pace might not be quick enough for her to relax, but fortunately she did and then she had that kick in the straight. 'To get the big black type and a Group 3 win today is so valuable for the team at Pencarrow, and we still think it's all in front of her. We can start to get really serious with her next season. 'Her sectional times at Trentham last start were just off the charts. She has an exceptional turn of foot when she's on quick ground and has the opportunity to let down.' A big part of Saturday's success was jockey Joe Doyle, who got Tomodachi to settle into a good rhythm in third-last before saving crucial ground around the home turn. Tomodachi snuck through the inside and burst to the lead at the top of the straight. Bedtime Story emerged from the pack and chased hard through the last 200m, but Tomodachi was able to hold her out and win by a length and three-quarters. 'She's all class,' Doyle said. 'The track is in bits now and it's tough wherever you go, so I didn't see much point in going wide and spending more petrol than I needed to. 'She was on the bridle a little bit today, but looking at her previous races, I've seen her pull a lot harder than that. 'Going into next season, when she gets on a good track, she can run some savage splits. She's very high-class. All credit to Lance, Andrew and the owners.' Tomodachi became the seventh individual stakes winner for Westbury Stud stallion Tarzino, who has also been in the black-type spotlight this season through the deeds of Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) hero Willydoit, Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m) winner Torranzino and Listed Christmas Cup (2400m) victor Kadavar. The dam of Tomodachi is the High Chaparral mare Quintessentially, who herself won three races. Second dam Uberalles placed in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m), while the third dam is the great Ethereal, whose four Group 1 wins included the Melbourne Cup (3200m) and Caulfield Cup (2400m). O'Sullivan and Scott have now won the Rotorua Stakes two years in a row, having taken out the 2024 edition with Karman Line. That mare was checked out of contention in the straight on Saturday, but stablemates Lux Libertas (third) and Kelly Coe (sixth) performed with plenty of merit. 'The team's run well,' Scott said. 'Lux Libertas was massive. She was held up behind them and just couldn't quite get to the right part of the track, but Warren [Kennedy] was really pleased with the way she just kept coming. Kelly Coe hit the line really well too.'
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Tucson, Ariz.: Western Skies and Competitive Home Prices
'Is Tucson in Arizona?' John Lennon asked Paul McCartney as they worked out a hometown for Jojo in 'The Beatles: Get Back' documentary. McCartney's answer: 'Yeah, it is, yeah — it's where they make 'High Chaparral.'' More than half a century later, Tucson's vintage TV-Western identity lingers in the public imagination, and to be fair, this is still the kind of place where you'll find working ranches, as many pickups as sedans, and citywide school closures during February's Rodeo Break. But some things have changed. Since Jojo's day, the metro area population that has more than tripled, to about 1,080,000. Roughly 547,000 live in the city proper, although locals consider themselves rightful Tucsonans inside or outside the city limits. Today, Tucson is also the kind of place that boasts the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation in the United States, enough optical sciences expertise at the University of Arizona to service sone of the largest telescopes in the world — and so many local observatories, an official astronomy trail launched this year. ARIZONA SANTA CATALINA MTS. Phoenix Tucson SABINO CANYON CATALINA FOOTHILLS 10 Rillito R. Sun Link Streetcar Santa Cruz R. University of Arizona Temple of Music and Art Tucson BARRIO VIEJO 19 10 4 mileS By The New York Times Location: Pima County in southern Arizona, about 70 miles north of the Mexican border and 110 miles southeast of Phoenix Population: 547,239 in the city and 1,080,000 in the metro area Area: About 240 square miles in the city and 500 square miles in the metro area Homeownership: 52 percent in the city and 65 percent in the metro area The vibe: Aerospace hub meets outdoorsy college town with a distinct Mexican flavor. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
