Gainstown Party for senior citizens returns
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Maura Kelly, Noel Kelly and Christine Glennon at the party in Gainstown.Image 2 of 12
Nora and Frank Ryan from Gaybrook.Image 3 of 12
Enda Wynne (Gaybrook), David Corroon (Gaybrook) and Sean Naughton (Belvedere).Image 4 of 12
Mary Geraghty from Gainstown and Detty Cornally from Mullingar.Image 5 of 12
Paul and Anne O’Grady from Gaybrook,Image 6 of 12
Clare and Michael Dunne, Gaybrook.Image 7 of 12
Michael Glennon from Ballinabrackey and Dick Burke from Gaybrook.Image 8 of 12
Molly Feery and Mary Geoghegan from Tyrrellspass.Image 9 of 12
Anne Byrne, Mary Wynne and Catherine McDonnell.Image 10 of 12
Bernie Corroon, Cepta Earley and Tina Kellegher were on duty for the senior citizens’ party.Image 11 of 12
Peter and Mary Daly celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary on the Sunday of the Gainstown party.Image 12 of 12
Tony and Margaret Ryan from Gainstown.The seasonal party for senior citizens returned to Gainstown this year after a three-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. That enforced interruption broke what had been a continuous run of more than six decades, Nora Ryan told the Westmeath Examiner.
Speaking on the day of the party, Sunday week last, January 21, at the school in Gainstown, Nora said the first party might even have been more than 62 years ago, and it was one of the first such events in the area.
The party was organised under the direction of Fr O’Connor, and funding came via Muintir na Tíre and the ICA. “It continued till Covid came, and we had to stop then, for three years. Thanks be to God, we’ve started again this year and we have around 80 people here today.”
Nora expressed thanks on the part of the community to thank “Mary Wynn and the committee, who did all the work, and David Smyth Catering, and we’re grateful to him and his team for that and to Mary and the committee members.
"We also thank all the people that came – only for them, we’d have no party – Kit Loughrey for playing music for us, as he always does, and Westmeath County Council, North Midlands Credit Union and Mullingar Lions Club for giving us grants.
“We also received a number of donations; in other years we have gate collections, and that all helps to defray the costs.
“There is another lady I want to thank, Mary Nea, who organised this event for a good number of years. She’s in St Mary’s Hospital at the moment, Cluain Lir Community Nursing Unit, her 100th birthday is in February, and thank her very much for keeping the party going. Also Paul O’Grady and Tony Ryan, local people who were involved in this organisation over the 60 years.
“Everybody here had a great evening, we danced to our hearts’ content, and hopefully we’ll be back in another 62 years!”