Dear Editor,

Through your newspaper, may I say thanks to everyone who came to the Setanta Keating Gathering in Clogheen last Saturday. They day was wet and blustery. We shortened the day to the morning and the early afternoon. It was a privilege to have the pleasure of the company of Mary Bridget Keating and her friend John who came from Nottingham especially for the event. Also two of the Keating-Cunningham family, Eddie Cunningham and Anne Campbell originally from Cahir, who also travelled home from London for the event.

Two historic happenings took place last Saturday. It was the first time any of us have ever seen or held a WW1 medal for Bravery. The owner of the medal was my great-granduncle William Keating. William was held as a prisoner of war in Germany for two years before he came back home. He was a super hero. Also it was the first time any of us had seen the palatial interior of Shanbally Castel in Shanrahan Estate, Clogheen.

It was a very nice for all of us to come together and share this experience. For that I extend very sincere thanks to John Touhy from Clogheen and also Rose Cleary who assisted John in showing the wonderful photographs for this slide project. Go raibh míle maith agaimh.

I want to show my appreciation to the Community Hall Committee and the helpers who came to make tea for us. It was a day to stay indoors and drink tea. Let me not forget to say that, without the help of many local people during the time of my research into the Keating family, I know I would still be staring at the 1901 and 1911 census – especially the late Sean Flynn RIP of the Bella Road who navigated me to all of the important Keating family sites two years ago.

A special word of appreciation also to Paddy and Bridie Macken, Killeaton and the very many other local people I met over the past two years in the course of my family research who always made me feel so welcome you know who you are.

Lastly and very importantly I must commend the Hermitage Restaurant in Clogheen for a wonderful lunch – it was top class. Well done. I look forward to coming back to Clogheen – a place which was a very special part of the many happy summers of my childhood spent visiting my grandparents, Edmond and Johanna Keating, Shanrahan.

Yours sincerely,

Mary Cunningham-O’Donoghue,

Cahir and Killarney.