A MOVING ceremony took place in Ballyhack at the weekend to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives at sea off the Wexford coast line.
Three different hand-crafted wood pieces were unveiled at Friday’s ceremony which took place in cold and wet conditions a few yards from where the ferry crosses between Ballyhack and Passage East.
In some ways the inclement weather was very apt as it served to remind everyone present of the ever-present danger for those who work at sea.
The event was opened by Sheena Bolger who is Wexford Local Development’s Tus co-ordinator.
The three hand-crafted pieces: a carved otter, a solid wooden bench and a large ornate bird table were created by 10 Tus programme participants.
Tus is a work-placement initiative that provides opportunities for people who are unemployed to enhance their existing skills or develop new talents.
Wexford Local Development set up its first three schemes in Enniscorthy and Wexford town in 2011.
By the middle of the following year there were eight schemes running and in the interim it expanded to urban and rural areas of New Ross.
At the unveiling Ms. Bolger introduced a number of guest speakers including Brian Kehoe who is Chief Executive Officer of Wexford Local Development.
He highlighted to those in attendance that the Wexford Tus programme is now the most comprehensive outside of the South County Dublin programme.
“The programme provides work placement opportunities for people who are a year or more unemployed,” said Mr. Kehoe.
“We have 340 participants involved in 17 work schemes,” he said.
Mr. Kehoe acknowledged the support and advice offered to the course participants by Tommy Kelly who tutored them in the art of bevel wood-craft.
“It was great to give the course participants the opportunity to work with someone like Tommy,” he said.
Mr. Kehoe thanked everyone who supported the initiative and said it was a great day for the people of Ballyhack and also the people of County Wexford who lost loved ones at sea.
Tommy Dalton:
Tommy Dalton, from the Ballyhack-Arthurstown Resident’s Association also addressed the crowd who were presented with the otter in memory of those lost at sea from the area.
“Tus workers have been involved in the villages for a number of years,” he said.
“They have done good work,” he added.
With regard to the pieces being unveiled Mr. Dalton said: “What they have done is fantastic.”
He also thanked Cllr. Martin Murphy for his support and “everyone who helps keep the villages tidy”.
Toddy Bohanna:
A hand-crafted wooden bench was presented to Grantstown Priory in memory of the late Toddy Bohanna who passed away suddenly in late 2013.
Tributes were paid to him as being a person sorely missed by everyone involved with the centre in Grantstown: “Toddy was a colleague and a good friend; we really miss him.”
The bench will be placed in the people’s garden at Grantstown Priory and an invitation was extended to people from throughout the community to visit the centre over the coming months and view the piece in its new location.
Irish Society for Autism:
The Irish Society for Autism was presented with the ornate bird table which will be located at the organisation’s branch in Sarshill, Kilmore.
Eileen Furlong accepted the piece on behalf of the organisation.
There was great applause as each of the three pieces were unveiled by the court participants.
While the motive behind the ceremony was inspiring people in attendance were visibly impressed by the quality of the craftsmanship in each piece.
Mons. Don Kenny blessed each of the pieces and offered a short prayer for those who were being remembered.
Board member, John Roche, told the crowd that when the course participants were first presented with the log from which the otter was to be carved they had their doubts.
“However, Tommy said the otter will jump of the log and that’s exactly what happened,” he said.
“From the beginning when I knew we were going to do this I wondered how it would work,” he added.
“It’s fantastic; well done.”
(For the full story see this week’s print edition of the New Ross Echo)
