As Gaggin ICA celebrates its 60th anniversary, Kieran O’Mahony catches up with present members to chat about how the popular guild is still going strong after all those years
THE key to the longevity of Gaggin ICA, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, is down to its 16 dedicated members who fully embrace being part of this tight-knit group.
Founded on October 1st, 1964 by Bernie Walsh, she and the founding members probably didn’t think the guild would still be running 60 years on.
And while other guilds may have folded in recent years – due to the pandemic in some instances – Gaggin ICA, just outside Bandon, is bucking the trend and going from strength to strength.
It was only fitting that the guild marked this significant milestone by hosting a lunch in Copper Grove last month. Present and past members, as well as friends of Gaggin ICA, attended the celebratory lunch, which was also attended by Cork Federation president Deirdre Hickey and West Cork vice-president Catherine O’Brien. It was also poignant that two of the last surviving founding members, Mary Hales and Greta Moss, also attended on the day.
Gaggin ICA president Eileen Fitzgerald considers herself a ‘newbie’ having joined just 15 years ago, but is so glad she did.
‘It’s the camaraderie we have here and there is also a great sense of community, plus we all have so many shared interests. We are all of a similar age too, which helps,’ she told The Southern Star.
Gaggin ICA members celebrating their 25th anniversary in 1989.
‘My sister Margaret, who is the vice-president, was already a member and she told me about the arts and crafts that they used to get involved in. I was always dressmaking from a young age and had an interest in this so I joined up and never looked back. I absolutely love it.’
Eileen said that when the ICA was set up all those years ago, life was certainly difficult for women.
‘Life was very much harder for women, especially those living in rural areas so these meetings were vital for them for meeting neighbours and sharing ideas. It was a huge social event too. The role of women has evolved significantly too over the past 60 years and we have moved with the times but continue to stay true to our core principles and values.’
She quipped that these days people can look up YouTube to learn how to bake bread, but before the local ICA club was the first port of call for many women.
‘While we would love to have new members we will continue to focus on our charity work. We are also one of the lucky guilds because we have survived and our members have survived the pandemic, while other guilds were not so lucky and have closed since.’
Eileen added they had a fantastic 60th celebratory lunch in Coppe Grove in Bandon, with 63 people attending.
Mary Hales and Gretta Moss, founder members of Gaggin ICA cutting the 60th anniversary cake at their recent lunch
Gaggin ICA member Bergie O'Sullivan who celebrated her 100th birthday on November 1st
‘We weren’t sure how many would attend so it really exceeded our expectations and it was fantastic that friends of Gaggin ICA attended also,’ she said.
Her sister Margaret has been a member for 40 years and joined when her youngest daughter was small.
‘It got me out of the house too when I had five small children. I really love being a member.’
Julia Mary Slyne has been a member for 46 years and has been the secretary of Gaggin ICA for a number of years.
‘I really love being a member and love meeting friends here once a month,’ she said.
Gaggin ICA president Eileen Fitzgerald and Cork Federation president Deirdre Hickey, with founding members of Gaggin ICA Mary Hales and Greta Moss.
A special mention must also go to Nan Walsh from Killowen, who is the longest-serving member of Gaggin ICA with 53 years under her belt, while they are also keen to mention another member, Bergie O’Sullivan, who celebrated her 100th birthday on November 1st.
Gaggin ICA organise four afternoon tea dances every year in their community hall in Gaggin.
Some of the proceeds are donated to local charities, like the day room at Bandon Community Hospital and St Michael’s Centre in Bandon.
Thursday is Gaggin ICA day, as they meet once a month at Gaggin Community Hall and their annual outing is also on the first Thursday in July.
Recent improvements to Gaggin Community Hall, including the construction of a new car park five years ago, have been further welcome additions and the guild is very grateful for the support from the hall committee.
For its members, it’s almost a second home, and they are confident Gaggin ICA will go for many more years to come.
