NEW ROSS Old Folk’s Club will this year celebrate its 50th anniversary and the Echo recently went along to have a chat with some members during one of their meetings.
The club is now back in its traditional home in the Parish Hall in Robert Street.
That was where the story of the club began in 1963 when it was formed by Fr. McCormack and a dedicated and hard-working local committee.
The Chairperson of the current committee, Carmel McCormack, highlighted the fact that the original group had over 100 members.
“It was started by the ICA and there were over 100 members in the beginning,” she said.
“Fr. McCormack felt there was a need for it in the community,” she added.
Mrs. McCormack also highlighted the fact that in returning to the Parish Centre the club had effectively gone “full circle”.
“It started here in the first place and was in Barrack Lane for 20 years but that building was condemned,” she said.
“We were also in the Youth Centre, St. Mary’s School and the Augustinian Hall and now we’re back here,” she added.
The club ensures that all its members get to enjoy their regular weekly meetings.
It provides transport to-and-from the centre and usually holds two outings during the year.
One of the longest serving members of the club is Jimmy Martin who has been attending the weekly sessions for over 35 years.
Speaking to The Echo he said he enjoys meeting his friends every week.
Well known for his renditions of ‘Boolavogue’ and ‘Technicolour Dreamcoat’ he said the members and committee of the Old Folk’s Club are “a great bunch of people”.
“It’s the only time I go out during the week,” he said.
The 50th anniversary celebrations will be marked with a special event on June 26. Mass will be celebrated at 12 noon that day and the members will be treated to a lunch afterwards. (For full story see this week’s print edition of The Echo)
