Development of the Centre

In the world of hurling, there is nothing that can do more for a Club than winning a County Cup, and the great victory in 1985 of the Turloughmore Senior Team was the perfect launching pad for a badly needed monster development project within a parish where heretofore no real sporting facilities existed. Finding a field was the most difficult task, but in the end the Kearney Family of Lackagh came to the rescue of the Club in agreeing to sell seven acres to the Turloughmore Hurling Club - one of the noblest gestures ever made to this great Club. Arch hurling enthusiast - a great Turloughmore follower - Oliver Higgins was prepared to lend his expertise andd advice to the Club in formulating what was to become a monster plan.

The Development Committee was formed under the umbrella of the hurlingg Club with Fr. Michael Lyons as the esteemed Chairman and the now famed Monday night meetings at the Parochial House are about to start and through the entire period of five years they went on week in, week out relentlessly. Finance and Fund-Raising Schemes were always high on tire Monday night Agenda. The format of the work of the week gone by and Indeed for the coming week was also discussed in great detail. For many of the Committee, Monday nights became visiting nights, a great social occasion as well as a night in which alot of work was done. There was always a big scramble for the comfortable arm-chair under the window, and invaribly former great six-in-a-row hurler - Paddy Fahy always seemed to win the comfort of that chair. There were times of celebration also when the bottle and glasses were taken down, such as the celebration of our Treasurer Gerard Naughtons engagement and wedding. Diligent Secretaries, Breda McGrath and later Celia Delaney recorded the minutes for Posterity. Meanwhile, under the guidance of this Committee, work was to commence on the field, and local contractor Mattie Kavanagh was entrusted with the bulldozing and levelling of the field, the Committee adhering as much as possible to giving the work to local contractors. Soon the first of three great Social Employment Schemes was to fall into being, the first under the stewardship of Newbridge Man, Tom Crehan and the other two supervised by a member of the Turloughmore Hurling Club from Coolarne - Paddy O’Brien. All the workers coming from the local area took a special pride in their work. They made a tremendous contribution to the devvelopment project on behalf of the Committee and the parish. Our thanks is due to them in no small measure.

From the building itself the parish social centre was to bloom large on the horizon with the historic hill of Knockdoe in the background. Another hurling stalwart contractor Michael Holland, was entrusted with putting the roof in place and so week by week, year by year the Fund-Raising continued and the work continued with many local firms and many local individuals making great contributions. Of course the people responded generously to the pleas for essential finance to complete the task.

The Development Committee’s commitment to employment continues. It saw six of the Committee dedicatedly enter a community enterprise course in liasion with the Galway Regional Technical College Lecturer Hank O’Mahoney. He made the long journey from Spiddal for a full year on each and every Wednesday night for the marathon three hour sessions per week. The planning permission was sought and recently granted for two enterprise units on the Turloughmore complex site, and so the Turloughmore Development Committee entrusted in providing facilities for the future within our parish continued on it’s often difficult way. Many times a subject of praise, other times coming under skating attack. The Development Committee held together, guided by the steadfastness and coolness and his great love for the parish and it’s people by its Chairman, Fr. Michael Lyons, who’s magnificent contribution to this parish will only be fully realised and measured in time to come. The workings of Fr. Lyons and his Turloughmore Development Committee of the eighties will always find a place in the history of the great parish of Lackagh.

The Development Committee was formed under the umbrella of the Hurling Club—Fr. Michael Lyons, as the esteemed Chairman and the now famed Monday night meetings at the Parochial House are about to start and through the entire period of five years they went on week in, week out relentlessly. Finance and fund-raising schemes were always high on the Monday night agenda. The format of the work of the week gone by and indeed for the coming week was also discussed in great detail. For many of the Committee, Monday night became visiting nights, a great social occasion as well as a night in which a lot of work was done. There was always a big scramble for the comfortable armchair under the window and invariably former great six in-a-row hurler, Paddy Fahy always seemed to win the comfort of that chair. There were times of celebration also when the glasses were taken down, such as the celebration of our Treasurer Gerard Naughton’s engagement and wedding. Diligent secretaries, Breda McGrath and later Celia Delaney recorded the minutes for posterity. Meanwhile, under the guidance of this Committee, work was to commence on the field, and local contractor Mattie Kavanagh was entrusted with the bulldozing and levelling of the field, the Committee adhering as much as possible to giving the work to local contractors. Soon the first of three Social Employment Schemes was to fall into being, the first under stewardship of Newbridge man, Tom Crehan and the other two supervised by a member of the Turloughmore Hurling Club from Coolarne— Paddy O’Brien. All the workers coming from the local area took a special pride in their work. They made a tremendous contribution to the Development project. On behalf of the Committee and the parish— our thanks is due to them in no small measure.