Mayo ICA guild is celebrating 70 years
WESTPORT ICA is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
The milestone will be celebrated on Tuesday, May 16, with a special dinner at the Westport Country Hotel.
The first meeting of the Westport Guild of the Irish Countrywomen's Association was held in the Lecture Hall on June 25, 1953. Among the officers elected that evening was the president, Mrs. Reece, honorary secretary, Mrs. Golden, and treasurer Miss F. Hughes.
Throughout the history of the guild, fundraising and educational events have been part of the activities, including an annual whist drive and dinner, as well as trips to An Grianan, the ICA educational centre in Co. Louth, maintaining close links with other guilds in the county and around Ireland.
Members have always been part of the Mayo Federation executive, and attend national meetings whenever they can, always supporting both national and federation events and campaigns.
Westport is twinned with Limavaddy and the ICA have close links with the Women’s Institute there.
The guild were also glad to be involved when Westport was award the 'best place to live in Ireland’ title by the Irish Times.
One of the most popular and active members of the guild, Mary McGreal, was used as an example in the Women in Coaching Survey during lockdown, the first of its kind undertaken by Sport Ireland. Mary has been a fierce and solid support as a Community Games volunteer over many years.
Westport guild has always supported the Pennies for Friendship project, and one of the members was privileged to meet some of the women supported by this project at the Europe Area conference of the ACWW in Dublin. The ACWW empowers women worldwide to be encouraged, educated and enriched.
The guild also mounted a beautiful exhibition of crafts in Westport Library in the Cabinet of Curiosities.
They regularly enjoy sport and leisure activities, drama, music, dancing, arts and crafts, and some of members have represented the county in the national finals of competitions for make and model, quiz and Flower arranging. Arts and crafts are an important guild activity, including beaded jewellery, crochet, decoupage, flower arranging, knitting, embroidery, patchwork, rug work and painting in oils and water colour. A truly inspiring guild.
Ongoing projects include the knitted ‘Fish and Chip’ jumpers for newborn babies in Africa, knit chicks for ‘Faith and Light’ and Calico dolls for the Temple Street Children's Hospital, as well as items for the neo natal unit in Mayo University Hospital. One of the members assembles the knitted or crocheted squares, produced by other Mayo members, which are then forwarded to the Bumblance service for transporting sick children. Each child is given one of these colourful blankets.
This Tuesday the guild will be celebrating their 70th anniversary with dinner, singing and dancing.
The guild meets on Tuesday evenings at 8.30 p.m. in the Order of Malta Hall, Westport. For further information, please contact Mary McGreal, the Mayo liaison officer, on (086) 3899795, who will delighted to welcome you and share some information about the guild meetings and current activities.
Further information about the ICA can be found on the national website, www.ica.ie.