Fifty years of community centre in Offaly area celebrated

Mountbolus was a hive of activity on Saturday, 29 of August as preparation were under way for the celebration of 50 years of Killoughey Community Centre, the heart of Killoughey parish. Cllr Neil Feighery, Ian Feighery, and Luke Bracken were busy giving the Community Centre marquee its first outing, with the help of the inside team, Mary Cotter, Jackie Masefield Hall, Des and Geraldine Murphy, Judy Cooney, Tommy Phelan and Michele Mitchell.

Celine and Jerry Sheehan delivered the treats for the tables and Andy Johnson and Calvin Farrell fired up the barbecue to cook hamburgers and giant sausages.

At 7 p.m. the band, accordions, Mervyn Thomas, Jim Rigney, Johnny Butterfield, Dan Lawless, later joined by Eamonn Doolan, tin whistle, Billy Gleeson and Pat Mooney, banjo Danny Guinan, fiddle Kieran Guinan, and drums Johnny Mahon, Tommy Egan struck up the music. A queue of early arrivers lined up at the barbecue to gather their food and bring it into the Community Centre to eat. More and more community members arrived to fill the tables in the Community Centre, the band continued to play, and Paddy Keating, “Rock on Paddy,” set up his music system. Cllr. Neil Feighery, Chairperson of Killoughey Community Centre, welcomed everyone to the celebration, and the band continued to play. When they broke for food, “Rock on Paddy” took over to entertain.

Cllr Feighery took the microphone and called Michael Mahon, the Chairman of the committee when the Community Centre was first mooted, to be interviewed by Paddy Keating. Mick spoke on the trials and tribulations the committee experienced when getting the Centre started. He and Ronnie Bryant, secretary, went to a supplier to get materials to start the job. The supplier wanted money. They didn’t have enough. They went back to the Committee officers, Michael Healion Vice chairman, Paddy Murphy, asst. Secretary, and Hugh Mullen, co-treasurer with Michael Healion.

Hugh put up £500 of his own money, and the material arrived. Jim Daly was the chief builder, supervising a small army of local volunteers. As the building went up, another problem arose. Even though the local C.C. Rev. C. McGreevy, approved of building the Centre on the site and gifted the land, the site needed to be legally transferred from the Meath Diocese to the Committee. Mick himself, and Ronnie Bryant, spent many meetings with the hierarchy before the transfer was finally accomplished. As the building was nearing completion, funds ran out, so a community meeting was called and a collection was started.

Frank “The Yank” Feighery who was home from New York stepped up with a sizeable sum of money for the time. Ronnie Bryant was next with a contribution, sizable for a small farmer, and Johnny Butterfield matched it. This was followed by everyone present giving what they felt they could afford. The fundraising that followed raised over, £3,000. The new Killoughey Community Centre officially opened on Easter Sunday, 29 March 1976. Billy Gleeson and others finished the floor on the night of the 28th, only hours before the opening. The completed Hall cost about £12,500. Clergy Blessing the Hall were Rev. C McGreevy, Rev. Canon R. H. Boyle, Cof I, Rev A. Shaw, Parish Priest, and Rev. A. Rispin, Kilcormac.

Following Michael Mahon’s presentation, Deputy John Clendennen, TD, spoke, congratulating the community for the Community Centre, and about grants available for community projects. This was followed by Cathaoirelach of Tullamore Municipal District, Cllr Shane Murray who spoke about the roof which was recently replaced. Finally, Judy Bryant spoke about badminton in Killoughey, the only organisation to have used the Hall all 50 years, and how the Community Centre has evolved down through those years. She recalled the stage, which was opened to a dirt floor under the stage where the tables and chairs were stored and how, if the badminton club wanted to use the Hall for badminton on Mondays, they had to set up tables and chairs for Whist, which might include

25 or more tables, often 2 per table, and how on Wednesdays, they had to take the tables down, store them away, and sweep the floor. She reminded people about the mural painted by Triona Daly that graced the back of the stage for several years, but was covered up when the stage was removed, a new floor added, and a new colour scheme applied over the mural. She also reminded parishioners about the storage room that was converted into toilets and the outside container that replaced it. She went on to talk about the successes of the badminton club, the 12 All-Irelands including two 3-in-a-row sets of victories and Eoghan Phelan, the All-Ireland Junior Volunteer of the Year in 2012. She finished by inviting everyone to the 50th anniversary celebration of Killoughey Badminton Club in the Tullamore Court Hotel on 24 October this year.

Following the speeches, Cllr Neil Feighery invited everyone out to the front of the Hall for the unveiling of the 50th anniversary commemorative plaque. Neil and Michael Mahon removed the cover from the plaque and presented it to the audience following a blessing from Father Michael Meade. Pictures were taken of the plaque and various groups of people including early members of the first Committee, the current Committee and members of the audience. The plaque will be erected on the Community Centre.

The party continued with music from the band and from three special quests, the Young sisters, Clíodhna, Clodaigh and Katie. Community members were invited to sing their party piece, accompanied by the band. The evening finished at 10 p.m. with a rousing rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann.