The time: sunset to sunrise. The place: Ballinrobe, Co Mayo. The date: New Year's Eve, 1999, and January 1st, 2000, two days marked by wine and poetry on Cushlough pier, a pageant in St Mary's Church, and partying into the small hours at a house on the Kilmaine road . . .
Such is the substance of A Day in the Life - not an advertisement for a Sunday newspaper, but the title of a book just published by the GAA club in Ballinrobe. "A book by the people, of the people and for the people," is how the club describes the collection of photographs recording the dying millennium in the lake district town.
Pat McGovern was among the photographers who spent two days capturing some of the images, even climbing up the Eircom "tower" for aerial views. He gathered the parish together for an official New Year's Day shot, and his many images include "singers, footballers and royalty" - these being the sisters Sinead, Caitriona and Siobhan Costello, who have represented the town and county on pitch and stage.
The collection stretches geographical limits, with images of Ballinrobe natives marking the date on the other side of the world.
South Lebanon sent one of the "postcards" - Fergal Costello, Mayo senior footballer and resident of Glebe Street, is photographed with his colleagues in the 86th Infantry Battalion of UNIFIL, just before sundown on December 31st last.
The book is sponsored by Aer Lingus, thanks to Ballinrobe native and director of corporate affairs Mr Dan Loughrey, and the Mayo News.
Liam Horan, "sporting icon" and former Irish Independent GAA correspondent, was a member of the publication committee. He recently returned to Ballinrobe to take up a job with Lake District Enterprises and has "no regrets" about the move.
One of his main challenges in his new development role is to expand the employment base in the town before it turns into a dormitory for workers commuting to nearby Castlebar, Westport and Galway.
A Day in the Life is available at £9.99 from Mayo bookshops, or by contacting e-mail address lakedistrict@eircom.net or telephone (092) 42244.