VIDEO: Thousands turn out for Olympic flame relay

Rodney Edwards • Published 5 Jun 2012 17:00

THE Olympic torch relay has been greeted by huge crowds in Fermanagh.

Thousands turned out to greet the torch relay in Irvinestown and Enniskillen.

The torch relay arrived in Fermanagh slightly ahead of schedule and was greeted by an ecstatic crowd in Irvinestown.

The weather was wet but it did not appear to deter the well-wishers who showed their approval.

In Enniskillen, it took a route along the Irvinestown Road, through the town centre where it was greeted by huge crowds, via Queen Street to Enniskillen Castle.

Enniskillen's Derek Bowles passed the flame on to his wife Yvonne who had the honour of bringing the flame to the Castle. The flame remained at Enniskillen Castle over lunchtime. Young Angus Keys from Kesh was the torch bearer to bring it along the Wellington Road, where it left Enniskillen after stopping at Celtic Park.

The torch, which will be used to light the Olympic Cauldron, marking the beginning of the Olympic Games on July 27, is currently on a 8,000 mile journey around the UK.

Locally, a number of torch bearers were chosen for their service to the community or as ambassadors for youth and sport; Donella Meade from Lisbellaw and Rohan Mukherjee from Enniskillen. Glenda McElwaine from Maguiresbridge will be carrying the torch in Gilford and Marty McQuaid from Irvinestown carried the torch in Strabane. Last week they attended a reception in the Townhall given in their honour to mark the special occasion and once in a lifetime opportunity.

A convoy of sponsor and other official vehicles travelled some 30 to 60 minutes in advance of the Olympic Flame while the BBC will be provided live pictures on line, showcasing the county to the world.

Fermanagh District Council held family fun events; featuring face painters and balloon modellers.

The torch later passed through Fivemiletown, Clogher and Augher.

If you have been watching the relay, tweet your comments and pictures to @impartialrep using the hashtag: #TorchRelayFermanagh

We will have full photo and editorial coverage of its Fermanagh journey in this week's newspaper, out on June 7.

Watch Ashlin Hagan's video highlights of the torch relay in Enniskillen below.

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This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 05 Jun 12

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