The launch of Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter’s tenth anniversary commemorative booklet will take place at the local Dillons Hotel on Thursday, September 26.
The event promises to be something of a red-letter day for the group as it marks a remarkable first decade for the Cathedral Quarter committee.
Speaking this week one of the main driving forces behind the imitative, Donnan Harvey said he was ‘absolutely delighted’ that his committee were now at the stage where they could reflect on a lot of hard work, work that had proved successful. Their main objective, he proclaimed, had been achieved.
While making it clear they had no intention of resting on their laurels – ‘there was still a lot more to do’ -Donnan stated: “This booklet is both a celebration and reflection of the Cathedral Quarter’s achievements throughout the past decade. Anyone familiar with Letterkenny would have been aware that the Church Lane is the very heart of the old town that was old Letterkenny. For more than a century it was the spiritual centre of the town too. But about thirty years ago it started to decline rather rapidly as the old families moved out and a lot of the houses fell derelict. We decided we needed to do something to halt that decline. That was why we set up this committee.
“At the outset some people suggested what we were attempting was akin to tilting at windmills but after a lot of knock-backs we started to get some traction when we convinced people to re-do their houses – repair, paint etc. That was the key to getting things up and running. Now there is new life there with several new enterprises opening up, ensuing life is not only back on the street but that it is thriving. ”
The booklet, which charts all that has been achieved over the past decade, will be launched at 8pm on the 26th by Mr Eugene McKeever MBE, Managing Director of the McKeever Hotel Group.
Committee Member Martin Gallagher put the booklet together with finishing touches added by chair Sean Purser from Wild Atlantic Productions & Digital Content Marketing.
MC for the evening will be Brian Walsh from the Letterkenny Community and Heritage Group with music being provided by Evelyn Gallagher and Maria McCormick. The event is free and all are welcome. Speakers at the event will also included Mayor of Letterkenny Cllr Gerry McMonagle and Cathedral Quarter chairperson, Sean Purser.
Donnan concluded: “I would invite everyone to come along to this launch. What we have achieved is something we feel very proud of. The restoration of the historic Church Lane is wonderful and I hope will be appreciated by many generations to come.”
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