Local stalwarts remembered as Letterkenny hosts An Taisce visit

By Paddy Walsh

ON a field trip to Donegal that took in Glenveagh National Park, and an unexpected meeting with President Catherine Connolly, along with a tour of the Cathedral Quarter in Letterkenny, countrywide representatives of An Taisce also remembered two local stalwarts of the organisation.

The late Thomasina Kelly and May McClintock did so much to foster the objectives of the National Trust for Ireland up to their respective passings in 1997 and 2016 – each regarded as inspirational flag bearers for An Taisce.

There was praise, too, for the existing members for their contributions to the local environment and heritage.

Membership administrator, Annette McCaul, who hails from Laois, was among the party who made the trip to Donegal last week and spoke of the visit to Glenveagh and its “amazing” surroundings.

“We met President Connolly who was there in an unofficial capacity and enjoyed a chat with her. I had met her on a previous occasion and she remembered it,” Annette said.

That was followed up with a tour of the Cathedral Quarter where Donnan Harvey guided the group up from the Market Square to Castle Street and down Church Lane to the museum in his own home that outlines the history of the organisation that he helped establish.

There, too, to pause to reflect on the mural of the late Jim Lynch, another stalwart of the Letterkenny area.

Annette recalled an open evening in the Station House Hotel three years previously held to highlight the work of An Taisce in the hope of recruiting new members. And she lauded the unstinting efforts of local chairperson, Noel Foley, and his team.

“They do a massive amount of work and it’s great to see young people taking an interest in the environment and our heritage,” she said. Reflecting on the history of the Donegal branch, the administrator highlighted the influence of one of the founding members: “May McClintock did huge work both nationally and locally. We were very lucky to have someone of her calibre.”

CEO of An Taisce, Dubliner Gary Freemantle, said he had been in Donegal on many occasions and always loved his visits.

“We had a wonderful day in Glenveagh and were looked after so well by the staff of the OPW. It was great to visit the park and spend time with the local members,” he said.

“It’s important to support the local Association and to find ways to bring new blood in.”

Referring to Donnan and the Cathedral Quarter committee and their counterparts in An Taisce, he described them as “local heroes”.

“These people give a huge amount of their personal time and energy and have to be commended.”

Also stressing the importance of attracting new members, local An Taisce chairperson Noel Foley went on to express his credit for the work carried out by Donnan Harvey and his committee.

“He has stuck with it and puts so much effort in and we also have to remember the work the late Jim Lynch did in this regard,” he said.

The An Taisce chairperson acknowledged the contribution of both May McClintock and Thomasina Kelly, describing them as the guiding force of the organisation for years.

Echoing the tributes, Anne McGowan said the visit of the nationwide group enabled the local members to “share our habitat and impress how well we are doing on the bio-diversity front.”

Cathedral Quarter Secretary, Donnan Harvey said it had been great to show the An Taisce members what had been done in the local area.

Donnan said: “We can be a model for other towns and villages and for other parts of Letterkenny.

“Indeed, it’s great to see the work that’s taking place in some of the local properties in Lower Main Street.

“Twelve years ago the Church Lane was falling in on itself but now we’ve shown what can be done and what a community action group can do when it gets up and running.”

Noel Foley, chairperson of the local branch of An Taisce, addressing the gathering of representatives at a function in the Station House Hotel in Letterkenny.