Giant balloon lands near Bohola
8 May 1996
By MICHAEL COMMINS
WHO WOULD have ever thought that the small village of Tooromin near Bohola would witness a major traffic jam! It was heartening to see that there is still a sense of wonderment left in the world. And the huge hot-air balloon that gently landed in Michael McNicholas's field around 9.00 p.m. last Thursday evening certainly brought a stir to the area.
The giant balloon, emblazoned with the Panasonic emblem and designed in the shape of a battery, had commenced its journey in Enniskillen that morning and had drifted lazily across the Irish sky throughout the day. As night time approached, the balloon and crew of three found themselves hovering in over the Kiltimagh and Bohola area and decided to put down.Many people who had observed the strange sight in the sky decided to follow in their cars and the narrow roads around the area became congested for a while. The balloon came down in the vicinity of Ann May Coen's house.
Jim Campbell and his son John from near Kiltimagh spotted the balloon and decided to follow. "It appeared to be coming down a few miles over so we had not far to travel. You don't expect to see such excitement around these parts on a Thursday evening!".
Local man, Kevin Fanning, who lives close by, did not see it come in to land at all. "I just heard all the commotion and cars arriving in the village and that was the first I knew about it."
Treenagleragh man, Tom McNicholas, had the most humorous observation on the
evening's drama. "That balloon would come in very handy for me when I want
to get into Kiltimagh and visit Julia McTigue's pub"!
Connaught Telegraph - News - May 1996
Connaught Telegraph - Sports - May 1996
