Askea celebrates golden jubilee in glorious sunshine
There were fun and games for children all afternoon, including a sack race!
SUNBURN, the Sam McGuire and community spirit were the order of the day on Sunday 21 June when the Church of the Holy Family in Askea celebrated its golden jubilee with a special Mass and field day.
Bernard Horahan, chairman of the organising committee, said there was a “full house” for the Mass, which was led by bishop Denis Nulty and attended by 12 celebrants. The Askea, Bennekerry and Tinryland choir also sang at the Mass.
The parish includes 95 estates, five national schools, two secondary schools and Askea Day Care Centre. “It’s a great community and great parish to be involved in,” said Bernard.
After the ceremony, they played a video of Bishop Patrick Lennon opening the church in 1976 where there were photos of the building of the church displayed in the building, too “which went down really well with the parishioners,” said Bernard. He said there were around 50 people in the congregation who were there on the day it opened, 50 years ago.
The crowd of over 1,000 people then spilled out onto the lawns around Askea church for a field day in the 25 degree weather.
Fr Tommy Dylan, who roped Bernard into a committee role, had “one job” on the day, said Bernard, which was to look after the weather. “He did a good job,” he said.
For children and adults alike, there were refreshments, bouncy castles, loads of games, face painting, a science show, and prizes and hampers to be won, said Bernard. For nearly two hours, the Horahan Brothers and Helter Skelter provided musical entertainment and people got up dancing. Carlow Vintage Club brought 20 cars down and “people had a great interest in that,” said Bernard.
Local parish priest Fr Tom Little and Bishop Nulty acted as stewards for the kids’ sack race and the Sam McGuire cup made a special appearance for an hour or so.
Bernard thanked all those who gave up their time to make the event happen in the weeks leading up to the day and the 30 or so volunteers who helped on the day. “There was a great sense of community in the weeks leading up to it, with people helping each other,” reflected Bernard.
“It was an extraordinary day, it was a great celebration.”
