Anglesboro/Kilbehenny Senior Citizens Christmas party

The headline quote was made by Fr. George Bourke, curate in the parish, to the members of the Kilbehenny/Anglesboro Pioneers Association. The year was 1972 and the party was for the senior citizens of the parish.

The party was organised and was held in the old school in Anglesboro. Facilities were non existent … no running water, no tables, no chairs. Trestles were got from the army camp in Kilworth, planks of timber from the Co-op in Mitchelstown, chairs from the Mayflower Dance Hall, Mitchelstown. While the cutlery was borrowed from the canteen in Mitchelstown Creamery.

Local farmers supplied churns of water and milk and a Burco Boiler was sourced. The ladies committee did the catering, consisting of sandwiches and cakes. Music, song and dancing followed to make a great and memorable first party. The party became an annual event and was eagerly awaited by many.

‘Sales of works’ were organised as fundraisers. As the funds increased, so too did the menu. A 4-course meal Christmas dinner was prepared, cooked and served by the hard-working Ladies Committee. The food was cooked in their own homes and transported to either the community centre in Anglesboro or Kilbehenny.

This format continued until the last party was held in Anglesboro in 1992. December 1993 saw the party move to a new venue, namely the Firgrove Hotel, Mitchelstown.

The Firgrove, Kingston Restaurant and The Ramble Inn have been the venues for the party for many, many years. The last party was held in The Ramble Inn in December 2019. Covid struck in 2020 and no social gatherings were allowed.

Sadly, the years 2020 and 2021 brought the deaths of the last surviving members of the Kilbehenny/Anglesboro Pioneers Association ladies committee – they were Sue Moloney, Adelene Whelan and Mary Mullins.

The committee worked tirelessly for many, many years to hold this party at Christmas. Their ‘Sales of works’, door to door and church gate collections earned them enough funds to hold an annual party – providing a meal, spot prizes, music, songs and dancing. They also organised an annual senior citizens outing in July. Some of the places visited were Kilkenny, Waterford, Killarney, Ennis, Youghal and many more. The day would end with an evening meal in The Ramble Inn, followed by music, songs and dance. The late, great Charlie Sweeney provided entertainment for many, many years.

In the last few weeks, a new committee (non Pioneers) was set up and it was decided to ‘revive’ the party. A church gate collection was held on the weekend of November 15th/16th… we are very thankful and grateful for the money received.

The party is on Sunday, December 7th in The Ramble Inn, Mitchelstown. Music on the day will be provided by Pat Daly. If interested please contact: Moss Fitzgerald 087-8214991, Marie Spillane 086-0787889, Carmel Quirke 086-0566178 or Patricia Moloney 087-9506056.

We salute the  deceased members of the now defunct Kilbehenny/Anglesboro Pioneer Association for having had the foresight, hard work ethic, ambition and dedication to organise two great days in the parish (Christmas party and summer outing) over the course of 47 years. May their souls rest in peace.