An exhibition of photographs chronicling the decade old history of the Letterkenny Community Heritage Group was launched in the fitting surroundings of the Donegal County Museum on Monday evening.
Marking the anniversary of an organisation that has done so much to preserve the past through a variety of events and publications, the launch involved a number of speakers and video footage of its first ever initiative – the unveiling of a plaque at Mac’s Mace on the High Road featuring the words of the love song to the urban community, ‘Letterkenny Town”.
The footage offered a particularly poignant sense of that past – capturing in one frame four individuals who had played their part, two of them with the Heritage Group, in promoting the town and local initiatives.
Officially unveiling the plaque was the then Mayor, Cllr Dessie Larkin and in the background, two other figures of note, Jim Lynch, and Eilis Sweeney, while in the foreground, Colm Ferry, all of them gone to their lasting rest but not before making their own respective contributions to Letterkenny.
In his role with the Heritage Group, Jim Lynch had, the launch was told, frequently advocated the provision of a permanent building to house artefacts connected to the town. It had not come to pass but the Heritage Group continued to organise events and enterprises depicting, as M.C. Brian Walsh pointed out, both the recent and distant past.
They had included tribute nights to Evelyn Gallagher, Hugh McLean, Eunan ‘Busty’ Blake and Charlie Collins; and the erection of memorials including the First World War monument at Cathedral Square where, at its unveiling, the ninety-one names of Letterkenny men who lost their lives in the ‘Great War’ had been read out.
Wall murals, including those by father and son team, Kevin senior and junior Gallagher at the Hugh Duffy car-park and other locations were also initiated as were Heritage Weekends, conferences, and debate events – was Wolfe Tone arrested in Letterkenny? – staged during Culture Night.
Publications were also produced including three volumes of ‘By the Way’, edited by Kieran Kelly and featuring articles and images of events and people from long and not so long ago.
Also on the production line was a special book highlighting the Summer Cups era “driven to fruition” by Johnny Joe McCollum and undoubtedly scoring in popularity amongst former players who assembled in large numbers in the Station House Hotel for its launch late last year.
Formally opening the Letterkenny Community Heritage Group’s exhibition this week, the Letterkenny Municipal Authority Mayor, Cllr Kevin Bradley said he was delighted to see the organisation flourishing in its ten years of existence and praised those involved for their hard work.
The town was changed beyond recognition and he reflected on a memory when he was residing in McClure’s Terrace and Patrick McKendrick leading a herd of cattle every day up and down the Back Road for milking purposes and back to the field in the Oldtown.
And herding the Group, Johnny Joe McCollum who, along with Gabriel Flood, had been the initiators of the heritage organisation.
“It’s great to see the amount of work going on here – it’s fantastic,” the Mayor acknowledged the Heritage Group members.
At the conclusion of proceedings, introduced earlier by Museum curator, Judith McCarthy, the M.C. for the night paid tribute to the Museum staff and to the local councillors and Donegal County Council for their support over the ten years.
The Heritage Group would, he added, be delighted to hear of any suggestions for forthcoming events. “And anyone with any interest in joining us we’d only be too delighted to have you.”
The exhibition at the County Museum runs until the 19th of the month.
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