By Dan Walsh
Wally O’Neill of Red Books and Eclectic Avenue launched The Journal of the Taghmon History Society Volume No 14, edited by Liz Wickham and published by the Taghmon History Society at Camross Hall.
There is a wonderful variety of stories here. Kay Doyle goes back to pre-Famine times to write about St Garvan’s Church, Caroreigh and the celebration of the 180th Anniversary of its founding. The current church replaced a smaller thatched Chapel of before 1845.
There is a fine tribute to great actor and director Des Waters written by his fellow actor Michael Stafford, The Benemerenti Medals by Kay Doyle and Marie O’Rourke, and the Cheltenham career of jockey Sean O’Keeffe all make up the column inches.
The recipients of the Benemerenti medals are named as Michael Waters of Chapel Street, Taghmon, honoured by Pope Benedict, Michael Walsh from Taghmon and Jack Stafford from Clonerane. Bishop Denis Brennan (now retired) presented the medals to them.
Progressively, the editors give Tom and Teresa Wickham space to stray outside the parish to put on the public record in the Journal, some of their collection of rare photographs of the development of the Killurin-Deeps bridge spanning Crossabeg and Glynn parishes across the River Slaney.
In another section, nineteen pages of black and white photographs give a wide-angle picture of the life and times of the entire community. The excellent photographs speak for themselves.
This is a heavy book in weight, in content and in substance. Within two years, the voluntary 20-member history society committee have presented in 200 pages a valuable feast of fascinating pieces from the past and the present of the area and beyond.
Adding to the previous thirteen volumes, conveniently listed in the book, the entire collection forms a library of rich content and achievements written by some of the best writers in the county.
Michael Doyle is committee chairman, President is Paddy O’Reilly, May Buttimer is vice-chairman, Kay Doyle is secretary and public relations officer, Catherine Seery and Tom Wickham are joint treasurers, Liz Wickham is editor, Philip Devereux is photographer and Paul Codd is Taghmon Town Council rep.
The Journal of the Taghmon History Society Volume No 14, edited by Liz Wickham and published by the Taghmon History Society. The book is available in good bookshops.
WexfordLocal.com 