A CENTURY of memories are at the centre of a new historical project being prepared ahead of Lisavaird Co-Op’s 100th anniversary, which is set to be celebrated this year.
Denis McSweeney, who himself has worked at the co-op for almost a quarter of that time – 24 years – is leading the project and is asking for anyone with photos or stories that may be of interest to send them in for inclusion in the project.
The goal is to create as comprehensive as possible a timeline of the business and the people who have been involved over the years, whether they be former employees or local farmers who have worked with the co-op – everything is welcome.
‘There is great care being taken of what comes in,’ Denis told The Southern Star, emphasising the careful nature of the work. ‘Photos will be scanned immediately and given back to people again. They will be returned almost immediately and they will be part of our local history then.
‘A lot of these photographs will be on display, in time sequence and while we have a lot of good material, we know there is a lot more out there and it would be a shame not to bring those into the project and to have them.’
From the archives – in 1986, then chairman Michael White making a presentation to Michael F O’Donovan on his retirement as general manager.
The project will be shown to Lisavaird committee members in March, but a big open day is planned for later in the year, where members of the public will be able to visit Lisavaird and browse through old photos and memories.
‘Material will be coming in in the coming weeks and months,’ said Denis. ‘But really we are building towards August to get those archives in place.’
While photos are one of the main parts of the historical project, Denis is also looking for old stories and documents to build the archive. ‘Absolutely anything that has relevance to the co-op is welcome, whatever format it takes,’ he said.
‘What might seem like nothing to someone at home might mean an awful lot to us, so really even if someone has an old milk book or an old churn or anything like that it is welcome. I’m sure there’s plenty out there it’s just about making sure people send it in to us.
‘It’s about giving people a reminder to have their mother or father part of the history of the co-op. They contributed to us in their own way over the years so we want people to feel a part of the centenary celebration, because without the people in the community, we’d be nowhere.’
Community members who have any images, documents or personal anecdotes related to Lisavaird are encouraged to contact Denis to contribute to this historic project.
For those who wish to share their photos or stories, please contact Denis McSweeney on 087 2615636 or by email to [email protected].
