By Paddy Walsh
ON a day when numerous names were mentioned in connection with their involvement in the Letterkenny Community Centre, one, of course, stood out above all.
A man who had community at his heart and who was at the centre of so much that went on. Someone who embraced the town and never forgot that it was its people first and foremost who mattered.
Jim Lynch passed away on September 30, 2022 but all he did for the town of his birth lives on and now his name will be prominent at a centre where he evoked its betterment for everyone.
And last Thursday evening they gathered together to officially open the Jim Lynch Community Building – the pronounced pride of his family was evident in the words of a sister and a daughter.
Before the formalities got underway, Breda Lynch summed up the feelings of those family members. “It’s just a wonderful day filled with nostalgia, very sad, thinking about Jim. It’s just a wonderful accolade to him and justifiably. He worked very hard in this Community Centre since its foundation.
“He was instrumental in setting up the Mayor’s fundraiser and he worked tirelessly here and put in so many months every year in putting together the Christmas Annual,”
Three of Jim’s cousins had travelled from Longford for the occasion – each of them having bought a brick in the ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign to help raise funds for the €1.4 million development. “We are all so proud of him as a member of our family,” Breda indicated.
That pride was echoed in the words and sentiments of his daughter, Riana, who, in an emotional address to the gathering, recalled her family connections with the Community Centre including she and her siblings and their children’s involvement in pantomimes, gymnastics, Irish dancing and the other ventures hosted by the venue.
Remarking that the Community Centre wasn’t simply a venue for classes and activities, Riana maintained: “There has always been a homely feel here, a safe place. Through childhood, teens and adulthood, we found our dad here. He had ‘his office’ where you might find dad and Gerry (McGinley) working hard on the Christmas Annual.
Riana went on: “The Community Centre was a big part of dad’s daily routine especially in later life, starting here, with the gym in the morning and weaving his way up the town, making more connections because that’s what he was all about. He loved this town and wanted it to thrive. He was a true townie who wanted to bump into his townie comrades and chat about the old Letterkenny, but he wasn’t stuck in the past.
“He loved meeting new people. He loved learning about new cultures and sounded genuinely proud sometimes that people would choose to move to Letterkenny from elsewhere.
“Sure, didn’t he himself marry a ‘blow in’ from Cork – couldn’t get much further south than that!”
Riana had seen her father in awe of other communities as they gathered for celebrations like Diwali. “The most important thing to dad was that we continue to connect, that we don’t become isolated. I see now how wise he was.
“As our society seems to be struggling with loneliness now more than ever, in this digital world, we need to turn back towards each other, connect with people in the flesh.”
That was why the honouring of their dad felt like the most incredibly appropriate choice. “We are so grateful for how you cared for our dad while he was alive and for how you are honouring him now in his death. Dad would be incredibly proud to see his name on the new Jim Lynch Community Building.”
Officially opening the Centre, Dara Calleary, Minister for Rural and Community Development, who provided €300,000 for the project, acknowledged the Lynch family who he had met on the day.
Referring to the passing of his own father, he said it was possible to have a broken heart while at the same time having your heart swelled with pride.
He spoke of Jim Lynch’s time as a member of Letterkenny Urban District Council, “It was a very bad and retrograde mistake to get rid of Town Councils,” he indicated, pointing out that Letterkenny had been served exceptionally well by the Urban Council and it was something they were keen to restore.
On the new community building, Minister Calleary said the bar had been raised for other towns to follow the development in Letterkenny, noting that it had been located in the very heart of the town.
“I know this evening is very special for everyone involved with the project and while it is a celebratory occasion I know that it is also tinged with sadness and particularly for the Lynch family as everyone remembers how committed the late Jim Lynch was to Letterkenny and the wider community.’
Mayor of the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District, Cllr Ciaran Brogan said he had the pleasure of serving with the late Jim Lynch from 1999 to 2014 and he had been very much part of the community.
The opening of the new centre represented a very special event for Letterkenny and apart from praising the contribution of his late colleague, Cllr Brogan spoke of the involvement of the manager of the Community Centre, Liam O’Donnell, and his team including Monica Grier, Lorraine McGettigan, and Jessie Purtell who he described as the “shining stars” of the development.
Also addressing the gathering, Mr O’Donnell said when they had first opened their state of the art 3G Astro pitch, it had become quickly clear that there was also a real need for modern changing facilities to support the players and officials using it.
“Our vision was to create changing areas that were bright, spacious, and functional – facilities that would set a standard we hoped others might aspire to.” In addition the idea of a multi-purpose community room on the first floor had been born out of a desire to provide a space for the people of Letterkenny – somewhere the whole community could call its own.
The Community Centre Manager lauded all who had been involved over the years from the first very committee set up in October 1970 under the chairmanship of Brian Walsh to the many agencies and individuals who had helped to make it happen.
“I have no doubt Jim would be deeply proud to see his name on this building and to know the impact it will have on the people of Letterkenny for generations to come.”
Representing the management body, Philip O’Kennedy spoke of the ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign which had raised €57,000 towards the project and the excellent work carried out by John McHugh Construction and the professional design team led by Gerard Gallagher.
“Above all it is fitting that this new building carries the name of the late Jim Lynch, Jim was a remarkable man, a tireless servant to this town, and to the Community Centre in particular. He was the driving force behind the Letterkenny Christmas Annual, an important part of the income earned by the Centre every year which he edited with great success from 1982 until his passing in 2022.”
Mr O’Kennedy also acknowledged Jim’s successor as editor of the Christmas Annual, Kieran Kelly.
Welcoming the Lynch family, he said the building was not only named in his honour but would stand as a daily reminder of his life, his work, and his enormous contribution to the people of Letterkenny,
As the footballers of Bonagee United continued a rigorous training session on the impressive pitch outside, M.C. Chris Ashmore said he doubted anywhere in the country boasted facilities such as this that were so central to the town.
Jim Lynch was, he said, a “real community man” – a view echoed by all in attendance at the official opening.
An official opening that may be followed in time by another as plans continue to add to the development.
