Delvin Friendship Club celebrate 30th anniversary
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Pupils from St Ernan’s National School who entertained on the afternoon with singing and dancing.Image 2 of 21
Fr Seamus Heaney said Mass to marke the Delvin Friendship Club’s 30th Anniversary.Image 3 of 21
Fr Seamus Heaney, Alice Reilly, Mary SmythImage 4 of 21
Mary Smyth, Alice Reilly cutting the 30th anniversary cake.Image 5 of 21
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Walter Keeny, John Duffey, Bridie Monaghan, Sean McCormack and Seamus McCormack.Image 7 of 21
Joe Clinton, Breda McHugh and Kay Gaffney INSET: Margaret Hughes and Josephine Moran.Image 8 of 21
Maria Gilmore and Claire Kenny.Image 9 of 21
Delvin Friendship Club committee members at their 30th birtday event last week. Photos: Jay G FordeImage 10 of 21
Margaret Hughes, Josephine MoranImage 11 of 21
Peggy Mainwaring, Dolores Moran and Sean O’Brien.Image 12 of 21
Mary Kiernan, Moyra O’Dare and Mary O’Reilly.Image 13 of 21
May Nash, who won a prize in the raffle, with Mary Shaw.Image 14 of 21
Eilish Gavagan, Mary Sheerin and Evelyn Reilly.Image 15 of 21
Patricia McGrath, Mary ShawImage 16 of 21
Des and Moira O’Brien.Image 17 of 21
Della Keogh, Mary SmythImage 18 of 21
Mary Shaw, Patricia McGrath, Margaret O’Shaughnessy, John Gaffney, Theresa FeeryImage 19 of 21
Fr Heaney with Mary McCormack, who won a raffle prize.Image 20 of 21
Mary Smyth, Fr Seamus HeaneyImage 21 of 21
Fr Heaney with the Delvin Friendship Club Committee.Members of Delvin Friendship Club gathered in St Patrick’s Hall last Thursday to celebrate their 30th anniversary and to reminisce. There was Mass, celebrated by Very Rev Seamus Heaney, PP, followed by a sit-down meal and entertainment provided by students of St Ernan’s NS, Delvin.
Three of the founders, Alice Reilly, Mary B Smyth and Therese Smyth, are still active members of the club, who have about 80 members in total. They meet on the last Thursday of the month for tea/coffee, an activity, lunch and then bingo and a raffle.
Trish McGrath, assistant chairperson of the club, explained that they also organise day trips and an annual holiday. This year they are heading to the Sligo Park Hotel. In addition, they arrange chiropody services and personal alarms for members, and deliver about 100 meals on wheels a week to the Delvin and Clonmellon areas.
During the festivities, several photograph albums were circulating among the members. They have been carefully compiled over the years by the club secretary Margaret O’Shaughnessy, and were eagerly perused by the patrons.
Alice Reilly took time out from the celebrations to explain how it all started 30 years ago. “We had our first meeting on February 15, 1996. The public health nurse, Mary Curran, called the meeting and spoke of all the people in the parish who were lonely and seldom got out,” she recalled.
Alice produced the minutes from that first meeting, which showed that in attendance were Mary Curran, Maureen Merriman, Geraldine Corroon, Imelda Gartland, Seamus Leonard, Liz Mullin, John Hartnett, Jenny McCormack, Rita Barrett, Eileen Morgan, Therese Smyth, Alice Reilly, Maureen Murtagh, Pauline Brady, Mary Moran, Mary Ivory and Betty Leonard.
The first committee were: chairman John Hartnett, vice chair Betty Leonard, secretary Maureen Murtagh, assistant secretary Pauline Brady, treasurer Mary Moran, and assistant treasurer Mary Ivory.
Alice took over as chairperson in 2001 and held the post for 18 years. “The first year we went on holidays was in 2004 when we went to Galway, and we have gone every year since, except during Covid,” Alice said.
Trish McGrath pointed out that a lot of planning goes into the holiday, particularly ensuring the venue is suitable for those with mobility issues. “In the beginning, we would have had 40 or 50 going on the holiday, but over the years the numbers have dwindled and this year there are 25 members going,” she said.
Kathleen Gilroy, who served as treasurer for many years, recalled travelling around the country, checking out the suitability of venues for the annual holiday. “We had to plan activities for the whole week, trips to the beach and tourist attractions and a day shopping,” she said. She and Alice would be up into the small hours, organising the week, sorting out rooms, she recalled.
Alice and Kathleen feel that the club activities are vital as, for a lot of members, the annual trip away might be their only holiday in the year and the monthly meetings might be their only break from sitting at home alone.
Mary B Smyth served as secretary of the club for 22 years, from 1997. She explained that members and non-members use the services the club co-ordinate, including the personal alarm service, and the chiropody service, which is provided by Dr Patrick Durcan once a month and is used by 60 to 70 members.
The current chairman of the club is John Gaffney, whose mother, the late Carmel Gaffney, was involved from the early days.
He thanked Fr Heaney for “the lovely Mass and sermon on friendship, very appropriate”. He said the committee members had been in the hall from 8.30am, getting everything ready. He thanked them for their hard work and dedication, which prompted a round of applause from those gathered.
Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner at the celebration event last Thursday, John said he was proud to be the current chairman, adding that he “wouldn’t manage without the help and support of the committee”.
Catherine Daly, principal of St Ernan’s NS, congratulated the club on their 30th anniversary and invited the guests to sit back and enjoy a selection of songs, dances and recitations performed by the students.
Other members of the current committee include assistant secretary Kay Gaffney, and treasurer Teresa Feery.