Sr. Mary Bernard, Paddy Kelly, Liz Prendergast

Sr. Carmel O’Leary died last week.  A native of Inchicore Dublin she came to Athy in 1945 to join the local Convent of Mercy where 4 years later she was joined by her sister Marie.  On receiving the Holy Habit the young Dublin girl took the name Sr. Mary Bernard.  Her sister Marie took the name Sr. Mary Joseph in March 1950. 

The War of Independence and the Civil War were just a generation away and the strength of Irish Nationalism was in evidence when on the following Easter Sunday 1,000 old IRA volunteers marched to Mass in St. Michael’s Parish Church.  There the senior curate, Fr. John McLaughlin, himself an old IRA veteran, addressed the congregation.  The Annals of the Sisters of Mercy noted that ‘after a warm welcome to his former comrades Fr. McLaughlin upbraided them in no uncertain terms for not having handed onto their children the splendid tradition of faith and fatherland for which they had fought and in whose defence so much noble blood was shed.’

Sr. Bernard was professed on 4^th April 1951 and would spend the rest of her life teaching in the Sisters of Mercy Primary School.  The centenary of Athy Convent of Mercy was celebrated in 1952 and Sr. Bernard was actively involved, as were her colleagues in religion, in the ceremonies which marked the occasion.  The highlight was a pageant presented in St. Michael’s School on 20^th July 1952 involving a choir of 36 and 22 verse speakers.  The names of the young girls who were taught by Sr. Bernard in the Convent of Mercy Primary School and who participated in that pageant brings back memories of times past and of a generation many of us will remember.

‘The principal verse-speakers were Mary Webster (Offaly St.) and Eileen Mahon (Uppr. William St.).  The other speakers were Geraldine Stafford (Duke St.), Imelda Brennan (Ballitore), Sally Hughes (Leinster St.), Pam Brophy (Minch Tce.), Esther Hyland (Ballyadams), Mgt. Brennan (do.), and Maeve Stafford (Duke St.).  In the tableaux Our Lord was played by Sadie Corcoran (Stradbally), Our Lady by Kathleen Mahon (Uppr. William St.), St. Joseph by Helen Dallon (Ballitore), The Divine Child by Terry Bergin (Kildangan), St. Ann by Marie Kelly (Glasealy), St. Joacham by Peg Foley (Barrowhouse), Our Lady at the age of three by Maura Howard (Geraldine Rd.), the Three Shepherds by Sheila Cahill (Kilberry), Anne Hyland (Rosebran), and Susan Masterson (Boley); the Three Wise Kings by Moira McAnulty (Barrow Cottages), Frances Harris (Kilberry), and Pauline Rowan (St. Patrick’s Ave.); High Priest and Simeon by Anne Owens (Nicholastown), Prophetess Anna by Len Hayden (St. Patrick’s Ave.), Cherubs by Olive Keogh (Cardenton) and Gertrude Mullens (Leinster St.), Elizabeth by Collette Mulhare (Tankardstown), Angel Gabriel by Mary Townsend (Duke St.); the Four Doctors by Olive Smyth (Offaly St.), Sheila Millar (Larkfield), Rosie Byrne (Ballyadams) and Finola O’Flynn (Ballylinan); the Bride by Breda Pender (St. Patrick’s Ave.), and the ‘groom by Marie Kelly; St. John by Moira Kavanagh (Bleeding Horse), Mary Magdalen by Anna Ryan (Goulyduff); Two Guards by Angela Rowan (St. Patrick’s Ave.) and Margaret Foster (Kellyville);, Apostles by Betty Kelly (Cloney) Bridie Brennan (Kilcrow), Peg Curtis (do.), Joan Campbell (do.), Alice Finn (Ballindrum), May Bergin (Bray, Athy), Gretta Moore (Offaly St.), Carmel Brown (Ardreigh), Betty Moran (Cloney), and Mary Foster (Kellyville). 

Recalling these young girls of 64 years ago brings with it the memories of the young women who over the years entered the Convent in Athy and spent their lives serving the people of Athy as members of the Sisters of Mercy.  Sr. Bernard was part of that ministry for over 71 years and with her passing our local community loses another link with the religious order which came to Athy to establish a convent just four years after the end of the Great Famine.

Another death earlier in the week was that of Paddy Kelly, a relatively young married man whose funeral mass in St. Michael’s Parish Church was attended by perhaps the largest congregation I have seen for quite some time.  The attendance of neighbours and friends in such numbers bore testimony to the popularity of the deceased and of the wider Kelly family.

Liz Prendergast of St. Patrick’s Avenue died under tragic circumstances a few days after Paddy Kelly.  Her funeral mass and the graveside ceremonies at her burial in Old St. Michael’s Cemetery was marked by the beautiful uileann pipe playing of her son Joseph.  It was a moving tribute by a young man whose musical abilities have attracted the attention and the appreciation of those involved in the Irish music scene.

My sympathies are extended to the relatives of the late Sr. Carmel, the late Paddy Kelly and the late Liz Prendergast.

The Inner Relief Road controversy

The 1990s heralded the Celtic Tiger years and with it brought extra demands on Athy Urban District Council in terms of planning and development.  These demands were highlighted during the Council’s review of the Town Development Plan for 2000.  The Development Plan put on display for the statutory period was the subject of 484 submissions, the majority of which were described in the Council’s Minute Book as ‘a standard letter from individuals’ relating to the Inner Relief Road objective in the plan.  The Inner Relief Road first mooted in 1976 was under attack by many local people who felt that an Outer Relief Road offered greater possibilities for the industrial and commercial development of Athy. 

Consideration of the Development Plan and the various submissions received continued throughout April and May 1999.  At the Council meeting on 31^st May 1999 the Town Clerk informed the members that at 4.00 p.m. that day he was notified by fax that Mr. Justice Quirke of the High Court had granted an interim injunction to Michael Raggett Builders.  The Court Order restrained the Council from adopting the Town Development Plan without giving due consideration to the submission made on behalf of Messrs Raggetts.  Raggetts wanted certain lands zoned for housing which the Council officials were not prepared to recommend to the elected representatives.  They were apparently concerned that if they acceded to Raggetts’ request consideration of the Development Plan would have to be postponed while it was again put on public display.  If this happened the Plan could not be adopted by the outgoing Council members amongst whom there was a majority in favour of the Inner Relief Road objective.  The Restraining Order was later renewed by the High Court beyond the life of the Council which was replaced following elections in June on that year.

  The Inner Relief Road proposal was a major issue in those local elections and the result of the elections gave a 5:4 majority of newly elected Councillors opposed to the Inner Relief Road.  However, before the Council could meet, one of those Councillors changed his position, thereby ensuring a narrow majority for the pro Inner Relief Road side.  The newly elected Council eventually passed the Development Plan at its meeting on 10^th April 2000.  Attempts to withdraw the Inner Relief Road as an objective in the Development Plan were defeated by 5 votes to 4.  The victory was however short-lived as An Taisce pressed for an oral hearing which was granted by the Minister for Local Government.  The subsequent oral hearing which lasted for a week and a day in the Standhouse Hotel on the Curragh was followed by the Planning Board’s decision that permission for the Inner Relief Road for Athy was refused.  This is believed to have been the first time that the Planning Appeal Board rejected a road development proposal by a local authority.  The decision was the subject of an unsuccessful Judicial Review application by Kildare County Council in the High Court.

The defeat of the Inner Relief Road proposal did not go down well with the Council officials or the majority of the Councillors who had supported it.  Despite the Planning Appeal Board’s decision and that of the High Court the Inner Relief Road remained an objective in the Town Development Plan.  Indeed for some years after the events of 2000 the Inner Relief Road continued to be canvassed by Council officials as the solution not only to Athy’s traffic problems, but also the town’s declining retailing life.

It was only in very recent years that the merits of the Outer Relief Road came to be accepted by those who had previously canvassed for the Inner Relief Road.  Funding has now been promised for the Outer Relief Road and a recent public consultation process gave the local people an opportunity to review the three route options which are now under consideration.  To the original route has been added a route which skirts around local sports fields in Geraldine and leaves the playing pitches intact.  The third route is on the northern side of the town.

Rather strangely, the results of the recent traffic surveys conducted in and around Athy were not made known during the public consultation process.  One would have thought that such information was relevant and indeed a necessary consideration for any decision to be made on the best route option. However, given the County Council’s past history of furnishing misleading traffic survey results as confirmed at the oral hearing in the Stand House nothing surprises me.  Here’s hoping the County Council move quickly to get the Outer Relief Road in place and hopefully without infringing on the towns unique sporting complex which is enjoyed by the local GAA, Rugby, Tennis and Soccer Clubs.  

Athy's 1916 commemoration events

The period 1914-1923 was a defining period in Irish history with a series of events which changed the course of our history and led to the foundation of the State.  The First World War, the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War were events marked by heroism and blood sacrifice.  We are now well into what is referred to as the decade of commemoration and in this the centenary year of the 1916 Rising events will be held throughout the country to commemorate that rising. 

Commemoration is a well established practice in Ireland ever since the centenary commemoration of the 1798 Rebellion.  Such commemorations while focusing on the events of the past act as an encouragement to historical research and inevitably lead to reinterpretation of our shared history.  This is particularly true insofar as the 1916 Rising is concerned given the high volume of material which is now being made available both digitally and otherwise to the general public.  Added to the records of the Bureau of Military History made available some years ago are the huge volume of military pension applications which enormously increase our understanding of past armed struggles. 

The National Commemoration Programme is understandably centred on Dublin, which programme will be inclusive and non partisan, inclusive in the sense of acknowledging the various traditions which are part of Ireland’s history.  This requires not only the Irish national story to be told but also the key events affecting Northern Ireland such as the Ulster Volunteers, the Larne gun running and the Somme, all of which are part of the Irish historical experience.

Commemorative events give us an opportunity to reflect on the past and to broaden our understanding of those events which we commemorate and so better our understanding of their historical context.  On this island of Ireland we have a shared history, even if our understanding and appreciation of that complex history as between Northern Ireland and the Republic at times reflects divergent traditions.  However when we commemorate our historical past, whether at national or local level, we must take account of those divergent traditions, thereby ensuring that the commemoration itself does not create further tension and disagreement. 

Here in Athy the 1916 Rebellion will be remembered in a number of events planned to take place next March and April.  The town’s only links with the events in Dublin in 1916 is through Mark Wilson, a young man born in Russellstown just outside the town in 1891.  At 25 years of age he was a member of the First Battalion Dublin Brigade which under the command of Ned Daly fought in the area of the Four Courts during the Easter Rebellion.  Wilson and his comrades were subsequently captured and in a statement made by Maynooth volunteer Patrick Colgan, Wilson was described as ‘a source of great encouragement’ to other volunteers who like Wilson were imprisoned following the Easter Rising.  Athy man Mark Wilson who died in Dublin in 1971 will be honoured during the 1916 commemorations. 

The Athy commemorations will commence on Tuesday 22^nd March with the first of four lectures, all of which will be delivered in the town’s Arts Centre at Woodstock Street.  The opening lecture will be given by James Durney who was appointed last year as historian in residence to Kildare County Council.  His talk ‘Foremost and Ready - Kildare in the 1916 Rising’ will examine in detail the part played by Kildare men and women in the Rebellion of 1916.  On 21^st March Dr. Des Marnane who has written extensively on the history of County Tipperary will give his lecture under the intriguing title ‘Saving the Honour of Tipperary!! Tipperary in 1916’.

The following Tuesday, April 5^th, Dublin author and historian Padraig Yeates who has written a number of well received books on different aspects of Dublin history will give a talk under the title ‘Looters, deserters and crime in Dublin during 1916’.  The final lecture in the series will be given on Tuesday 12^th April by Francis Devine, Trade Unionist and author.  The subject will be James Connolly.  All lectures start at 8.00 p.m. in the Arts Centre and admission is free. 

As part of the 1916 commemoration a series of events will start in Athy on Saturday 9^th April and end on Sunday 17^th April.  These will include an ‘Athy in 1916’ exhibition in the Heritage Centre, as well as a drama presentation and a performance by Athy’s Music and Dramatic Society.  Other events still in the planning stage will be announced later.  The commemoration events will finish on Sunday 17^th April with the reading of the Proclamation and the raising of the Tricolour symbolising the birth of the nation state. 

Photographs of St. Michaels Boys Club 1962 and Athy's Boxign Club 1976

A photo of St. Michael’s Boys Club members taken in the Social Club in St. John’s Lane in 1962.

Another club photograph, this time Athy’s Boxing Club of 1976.  The photo was taken in the hall of the original Old St. Mary’s School.

The Inner Relief Road controversy

The 1990s heralded the Celtic Tiger years and with it brought extra demands on Athy Urban District Council in terms of planning and development.  These demands were highlighted during the Council’s review of the Town Development Plan for 2000.  The Development Plan put on display for the statutory period was the subject of 484 submissions, the majority of which were described in the Council’s Minute Book as ‘a standard letter from individuals’ relating to the Inner Relief Road objective in the plan.  The Inner Relief Road first mooted in 1976 was under attack by many local people who felt that an Outer Relief Road offered greater possibilities for the industrial and commercial development of Athy. 

Consideration of the Development Plan and the various submissions received continued throughout April and May 1999.  At the Council meeting on 31^st May 1999 the Town Clerk informed the members that at 4.00 p.m. that day he was notified by fax that Mr. Justice Quirke of the High Court had granted an interim injunction to Michael Raggett Builders.  The Court Order restrained the Council from adopting the Town Development Plan without giving due consideration to the submission made on behalf of Messrs Raggetts.  Raggetts wanted certain lands zoned for housing which the Council officials were not prepared to recommend to the elected representatives.  They were apparently concerned that if they acceded to Raggetts’ request consideration of the Development Plan would have to be postponed while it was again put on public display.  If this happened the Plan could not be adopted by the outgoing Council members amongst whom there was a majority in favour of the Inner Relief Road objective.  The Restraining Order was later renewed by the High Court beyond the life of the Council which was replaced following elections in June on that year.

  The Inner Relief Road proposal was a major issue in those local elections and the result of the elections gave a 5:4 majority of newly elected Councillors opposed to the Inner Relief Road.  However, before the Council could meet, one of those Councillors changed his position, thereby ensuring a narrow majority for the pro Inner Relief Road side.  The newly elected Council eventually passed the Development Plan at its meeting on 10^th April 2000.  Attempts to withdraw the Inner Relief Road as an objective in the Development Plan were defeated by 5 votes to 4.  The victory was however short-lived as An Taisce pressed for an oral hearing which was granted by the Minister for Local Government.  The subsequent oral hearing which lasted for a week and a day in the Standhouse Hotel on the Curragh was followed by the Planning Board’s decision that permission for the Inner Relief Road for Athy was refused.  This is believed to have been the first time that the Planning Appeal Board rejected a road development proposal by a local authority.  The decision was the subject of an unsuccessful Judicial Review application by Kildare County Council in the High Court.

The defeat of the Inner Relief Road proposal did not go down well with the Council officials or the majority of the Councillors who had supported it.  Despite the Planning Appeal Board’s decision and that of the High Court the Inner Relief Road remained an objective in the Town Development Plan.  Indeed for some years after the events of 2000 the Inner Relief Road continued to be canvassed by Council officials as the solution not only to Athy’s traffic problems, but also the town’s declining retailing life.

It was only in very recent years that the merits of the Outer Relief Road came to be accepted by those who had previously canvassed for the Inner Relief Road.  Funding has now been promised for the Outer Relief Road and a recent public consultation process gave the local people an opportunity to review the three route options which are now under consideration.  To the original route has been added a route which skirts around local sports fields in Geraldine and leaves the playing pitches intact.  The third route is on the northern side of the town.

Rather strangely, the results of the recent traffic surveys conducted in and around Athy were not made known during the public consultation process.  One would have thought that such information was relevant and indeed a necessary consideration for any decision to be made on the best route option. However, given the County Council’s past history of furnishing misleading traffic survey results as confirmed at the oral hearing in the Stand House nothing surprises me.  Here’s hoping the County Council move quickly to get the Outer Relief Road in place and hopefully without infringing on the towns unique sporting complex which is enjoyed by the local GAA, Rugby, Tennis and Soccer Clubs.  

Photographs of St. Michaels Boys Club 1962 and Athy's Boxing Club 1976

A photo of St. Michael’s Boys Club members taken in the Social Club in St. John’s Lane in 1962.

Another club photograph, this time Athy’s Boxing Club of 1976.  The photo was taken in the hall of the original Old St. Mary’s School.