Brian gives back

Brian Nerney is a familiar face to church goers in Streete and Rathowen, but how many know that the genial grandfather made the beautiful processional cross that was carried by the late Pope John Paul II during his visit to Galway in 1979?Brian's was commissioned to make the piece thanks to the growing reputation of his then fledgling metalwork firm, Longford Brass (now Architectural and Metalwork Limited), which had just started doing brass work in churches. His firm was also commissioned to do brass work in Clonmacnoise and Knock for the late pontiff's visits to both sites and he can remember the excitement of the period vividly."I had an invitation to go to Clonmacnoise and was very close to him. I took a whole load of pictures and brought the film in but it hadn't wound around (laughs).At Knock I had permission to bring vans in, when the visit was over that they tore the carpets to ribbons to get souvenirs to bring home. It was amazing to see. It was very emotional."A firm believer that people should, if possible, work at something that they are passionate about - if you're not doing something you like don't do it - Brian, who had a love of restoring antiques and working with metal, left his then job with Allied Irish Bank in 1974 to set up the firm that is now run by his eldest son Tony.The firm has grown from strength to strength over the years and Brian attributes this to the quality of the craftsman that worked for him. Although it has scaled back its work force in recent times (it currently employees 30 people), he is confident that it will ride out the current economic storm. Brian and has worked all over Ireland and the UK in the past four decades and the firm's distinctive bespoke work can be seen in such illustrious locations as the National Gallery and Dublin Airport's recently opened second terminal.Although he retired three years ago at the age of 70, the day before our interview he had been in Cork on a delivery and had been in Dublin the day before. A self-confessed doer, he believes that his work ethic kept going following the untimely death of his first wife Angela in 1978 at the age of 36."If you were working for yourself you were able to go out and work after dinner. Maybe if you are working in a bank and make the dinner, what do you do then? I could go out and work. I could work until bedtime if I wanted."Another constant in the Roscommon town native's life is his religious faith."I wouldn't have got through lots of things if it wasn't for my religion. If you haven't got the religion, you haven't got anything."Like the vast majority of men and women of his generation, Brian was educated by the religious orders. First with the Christian brothers in his home town where his father was the County Surveyor for 36 years and then in Roscrea's Cistercian College, which is also the alma mater of former Taoiseach Brian Cowen. While much has been written about the abuses of the church before and after this period, he encountered nothing negative during the many years he was taught by the clergy."I spent four years there (in Roscrea) and have nothing but the best of memories from the day I entered to the day I left. I might have seen physical violence but I never saw wrong doing. Reading about it in the last few years, you'd think that there was nothing but wrong doing. Whenever I'm going down the country that I would go out of my way to visit the school. It's a very peaceful place."Brian was lucky enough to get a second chance at love and it was thanks to his second wife Alice who has a farm in Streete, that Longford's loss was Westmeath's gain. In the 20 or so years that Brian has lived in Westmeath he has devoted a lot of his time to community based organisations such as the Pastoral Council, The Streete Parish Park Vintage Club, The Boherquill Ramblers and the local community development body amongst others.A firm believer in the importance of community, Brian says that there a number of reasons why he feels its important for him to do his bit."I would try and put something back in because I have got lots. There was sadness but whose life is there not sadness in."He also believes that he probably got his strong sense of community from his late father, who went beyond the call of duty to help people in his role with Roscommon County Council. A true team player, he is eager to point out that the continued success of organisations such as The Streete Parish Park Vintage Club and Boherquill Ramblers is down to the collective effort of a lot of people."I'm very involved in community and wish that more people got involved. I can't, or don't ever let on that I can do everything. The most important thing for a chairman in my opinion is being able to bring people with you. I have never asked someone to do something that they didn't willingly do. I'll do my bit as best I can. I would always have a dread that people would think it was just my way."With summer just around the corner, a lot of Brian's time will be spent organising the Streete Parish Park Vintage Festival, which takes place on July 11.Hundreds of vintage enthusiasts from across Ireland will descend on the village for the event, which is one of the highlights of the touring season. Brian owns a 1982 Bedford commercial truck, which he drives to events across the country promoting the festival, and a Massey Ferguson.Over his years with the club, Brian and the rest of the members have forged friendships with enthusiasts from across Ireland and he believes it is this social dimension that is the most important thing.For the past two decades Brian has also supplying the newspapers of Westmeath and Longford with the local notes from the village. Renowned for their thoroughness, Brian feels that the importance of local notes in giving a community an identity should not be underestimated.Seventy three years young and showing no sign of slowing down, the people of Streete and surrounding will be pleased to hear that Brian Nerney looks like he will be contributing to the community for some time to come.