|
Home
Our
Constitution
Youth
and Community Awards
Heritage
Trail
Twinning with Chanat La Mouteyre
Local Directory
|
Click
on link below for slideshow of
BOOK
LAUNCH
Cappoquin:
A Window on the Past
The
Cappoquin Civic Link Heritage Group has spent much time gathering local historical photographs and identifying
the people and occasions they deal with. We have published them
as a book of roughly 160 images and entitled Cappoquin: A Window
on the Past. Through the kindness of Thames and Hudson publishers
of London, and photographer David Shaw Smith, our cover photo
shows Thomas Lonergan, being watched from the outside
by two young hurlers, Alan Gilligan and Simon Uniake. In many
respects, we feel it is a picture which captures much of the essence
of Cappoquin.
Click
on the picture, right, to see some sample pics,
Inside,
you will find a treasure trove of pictures,
dealing with the Blackwater, the streetscape, work, trade and
other images. Our committee has managed not only to gather a quite
unique blend of photographs but also to get nearly a thousand
people in them identified. We believe this will be a valuable
asset in preserving the heritage of a place and its people which
deserves to be preserved and indeed celebrated. A huge number
of people have assisted the group, both in providing pictures
for the book and in identifying those in the pictures. We have
tried hard to keep the focus on older photographs, to ensure that
as much detail about them can be preserved before it is too late
to do so. If this book is a success, we will certainly turn our
attention to another book or two, to preserve more recent aspects
of our heritage for future generations.
|
The Cappoquin Civic Link Heritage Group launched a new book , Cappoquin : A Window on the Past, in the Parochial Hall, Cappoquin, on Friday 1st December last. On a cold winter’s night a large crowd were present to participate in a most enjoyable event. The book contains one hundred and sixty black and white photographs of river scenes and street scenes from bygone days, as well as many photographs of religious, sporting and work activities. It only costs €12 and is available in all the local shops.
Kevin McCarthy, chairperson of the Heritage Group introduced the book and spoke about the background to it and the work involved in it’s production. Kevin thanked the Group for their efforts in putting this fine book together, in such a short time. He also outlined the other work of the Heritage Group, including the heritage trail and information boards. Kevin and his Group were warmly and deservedly applauded by the audience for their great efforts.
The guest speaker to launch the book was Thomas McCarthy, poet, writer and member of Aosdana. Nowadays in this era of modern communication methods, it is a rarity to hear good oratory or a good speaker. For those present it was a real treat and privilege to hear such a speech. Thomas spoke about his “magical childhood “memories in Cappoquin, Shakespearean drama in the boathouse, Cardinal Brown’s visit, connections to James Joyce’s Ulysses and memories of early working days. He said Cappoquin creates value and richness and that he sees the tide turning favourably again for Cappoquin. He spoke about the cross section of people in Cappoquin and of the great opportunity that they have to lead with pride. It is difficult to summarise such an inspiring speech and impossible to do justice to the eloquence and poetic craft of this address. Just to say that those of us present were will long remember the occasion.
This was followed by some presentations. Angela Collender and Helen McGrath of the Heritage Group presented a set of twenty four books to Ann Devine, principal of Bun Scoil Gleann Sidhean and Sheena Wilkinson representing Blackwater Community School, respectively. Kevin McCarthy presented Thomas McCarthy with a beautiful photograph of the river and boathouse. Arthur Maderson, the renowned artist has recently painted a stunning portrayal of the bridge, river and boathouse and very kindly put it on view as a backdrop for the evening. The audience enjoyed the wine and refreshments kindly provided by Jack Cullinane, Tom Kelleher and the mince pies provided by Esther Barron. Many thanks to everybody who helped to make this such a memorable evening including the Hall committee, the people who prepared and tidied the venue and the large attendance. Only one thousand of the books have been printed, so between the large sales on the night and the huge interest shown in the book , it would be advisable to purchase your copy, for only €12, as soon as possible. For those who wish to post them abroad to family and friends, our local Post Office can arrange this. |
