'The centre is still going strong'

'The centre is still going strong'

Ita McClelland describes her involvement in her local community centre.

Ita McClelland

Trinity College Dublin

2000

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Ita McClelland

Reflections

Life Story

Co. Armagh

2000's

Another interest I had was our local community centre. A group of people got together to turn the oldest school building at Lislea into a community centre. Everyone worked together to clean and repaint it. The old stove which straddled the two classrooms was taken out and the wall demolished to make one large room. Another important job was to remove the javelins (the long nibbed pens) from the high ceiling, which had been shot into position by the big boys 20+ years earlier.I was on the committee along with my cousin Tony Reilly R.I.P., Eamon Mallon, Sean Gordon, Frank Delaney, Bobby Gamble, Imelda Dunleavy, Dermot McBride and Ita Gribben.Cardinal Tomas O'Fiach honoured us by officially opening it in 1980. A comedy sketch with the Cardinal and his chauffeur as the main characters was written and performed for the occasion and they both thoroughly enjoyed it.The centre is still going strong and hosts plays, concerts, Masses, Christmas parties for the older people and recently had a series of I.T. classes.One of the oldest stalwarts of the centre, Gerald Gordon died in June, 2011 just prior to his 96th birthday and will be sadly missed.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)