The piece focuses on a tradition which used to run in Castleisland throughout the 70’s and 80’s called the Tops of the Town (TOTT). This arts and drama competition used to take place nationally and was extremely competitive in the county during the 70’s. At this time the Castleisland TOTT winner was always a favourite to win the county competition, meaning the local competition was incredibly competitive and the more local the act the higher the points. The stories and lore of the craic from the TOTT are legendary. In 1974, Limerick Road & Desmonds Avenue ran home to victory in the Tops of the towns. Included in their act on their way to glory was a story from the previous April, when a suspicious package was found in a phone box, by the local postman Jackie Browne. At the time the troubles in the North were at their height and a fear of bombs was felt across the country. As it transpired, the “bomb” in Castleisland was a hoax and the event led to local woman Gabie Keane writing a song called “The day the box was seen by Jackie Browne”. This short feature explores the events surrounding the day, the creation of the song and its role in bringing home the TOTT title to Limerick Road & Desmonds Avenue in 1974
