The launch of the 2023 Letterkenny & District Christmas Annual will take place tomorrow at 7.30pm in the Station House Hotel.
First published in 1982 as a fundraising initiative for the newly built Community Centre, this will be the 42nd edition of the popular yearly treat for all ‘Townies’, both home and abroad.
Stepping into the shoes of Editor once again this year is Kieran Kelly, who has taken over the reins of steering the annual to publication following the sad passing of former editor Jim Lynch last year.
“I am honoured to have been asked to be Editor once again this year”, says Kieran, who says he knows only too well that Jim’s shoes are hard to fill.
“We all miss him and I hope that he is smiling down on us, knowing that the seasonal townie tradition of the annual is still going strong in his absence.”
This year, once again the annual is full to the brim of interesting articles, short stories, poems and old photos of Letterkenny that will bring a warm smile to many faces this Christmas season.
“In total, we have contributions from over forty different writers, local historians and poets that maintain the high standards of annuals past, which provide the reader with a rich tapestry of Letterkenny life both in the past and indeed in the present,” says Kieran. “On top of that, we have over 300 photos of the town and of popular characters over the years that were so kindly donated by so many people; it really is a community effort putting this all together.”
As well as articles on various aspects of local history, the 2023 Annual provides the usual mix of interesting sports articles, reviews of the year past, Christmas stories and poems, humourous memories and anecdotes, and this year, features new writing from students of Loreto Secondary School.
It also has the traditional Townies Teasers Crossword and a quiz to keep you entertained over the brussel sprouts!
For anybody wishing to send the book to relatives living abroad, the team made a big effort to ensure that the Christmas post deadline would be met.
And so, the 2023 Letterkenny & District Annual will be out earlier than usual this year, available in local shops from Monday, November 20.
However, advanced copies of the annual can be purchased by those in attendance at Friday night’s launch in the Station House Hotel from 7.30pm.
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided also and the evening promises to be a great opportunity to not only bring people together for a catch up over a ‘cuppa’ but also to continue keeping the Letterkenny community spirit going.
“It’s what the annual is all about, really,” Kieran says. “At the end of the day, it was originally launched as a way of providing a centre for the community to meet and socialize. And it continues to do so. But at the heart of it, after 43 years of publication, the annual continues to be a symbol for the community of Letterkenny coming together each year. Remembering the past, cherishing the present and looking forward to the years ahead, together, as a community.”
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