Hacketstown
Encyclopedia
Hacketstown historically known as Ballydrohid , is a town
in County Carlow
, Ireland
.
It is located on the R747
regional road
at its junction with the R727. The River Derreen flows westwards just north of the town and the River Derry
rises just south of the town.
Hacketstown was the scene of a battle during the 1798 rebellion.
Hacketstown has a national school and secondary school, Colaiste Eoin, in it. There is a Roman Catholic church in the centre of town called St. Bridget's Church and a Church of Ireland church called St. John's church.
The committee would like to thank John Doyle for all his work over the years and also to say well done to everyone who helped and took part in anyway to make Hacketstown a success in tidy towns this year. With everyone’s help Hacketstown can go from strength to strength and do even better next year.
PRIDE OF PLACE by Paddy Blake (Snr.), July 2005
I gaze down on the land below from the slopes of Eagle Hill
And on the river Dereen the weir and the ageless mill
The fields spread out like a patchwork quilt some sowed, some left in sod
Designed by the master architect and a gift to us from God.
While all the shadows of the night they flee before the sun
And on each bush and fern tall some silver webs are spun
This morning is so beautiful and nature wears its crown
So I sit and pen the paper as I gaze on Hacketstown.
Our town it sailed on tranquil seas back some years ago.
There were all kinds of amenities and our town did grow
But in cruel winds of change progress it stood still
But people knew there’d be better days in the town near Eagle Hill.
Now in common bond the people stand and each they do agree
This town will be our pride and joy and live in harmony
So now as I walk down the town I see on every face
The excitement that this project brings and the words Pride of Place.
Now when people walk up the street they stand and look with pride
The tall trees spell out endless spring that grows on each side
The houses and shop fronts decorated now with flair
While the dawning of this new day I believe it rents the air.
Our town it has a college, on its merits now it stands
And the future of each student he holds in his own hands
The flower beds in their array each one deserves the crown
And this is the common bond that exists in Hacketstown.
There’s the National school, two churches and five halls now I can tell
Montessori and play schools, garages and meat stalls as well
Self Help! And there are pubs and clubs where all friends meet
A chemist! Post Office and Gift Shop there, all on Main Street.
And of course we have our F.A.S. boys; they’re always on their rounds
There’s no such thing as long grass or rubbish scattered round.
For Hacketstown is on the move and now is in the race
And it’s only the beginning in this project Pride of Place
The idea for a Community Centre started in 1983 when Gerry McCarney canvassed a number of local people with the idea to see would they be prepared to attend a meeting and to serve on a committee if one was to be formed. Having got a positive response he then asked Fr Gahan, the local curate, to announce a public meeting to get the feelings of the Hacketstown public and to try to get a committee formed.
At a very well attended meeting there was a wide ranging discussion about the pros and cons, about how big or small the centre should be and about where it should be built. It was finally agreed that a committee should be formed and the general feeling was that it was time Hacketstown ‘got up off its knees’ and started something for itself, and that a Community Centre would be the first step.
A committee was then formed and fundraising was started almost immediately. The first cheque written was £15 to buy goldfish for a fundraising event. This fundraising never stopped until the centre was built and paid for, almost 10 years later. The original committee, with one or two additions or withdrawals, stayed with the project until it was finished and the debt cleared. The amount of work put in by every member of the committee was unbelievable over such a long period. An example of the amount of work is that from 1984 to 1990 there were over 320 fund raising events and some of these events were week long festivals. Some of the raffles meant that committee members travelled over a 30 mile radius almost every night of the week to sell enough tickets to make a success of the event.
Although it was difficult to get more people on the committee there was always great support and help for the fundraising events and the people of Hacketstown were 100% behind the committee. There was over £9000 donated locally, and a number of people gave £1000 interest-free loans for 5 years. When the time came for these loans to be paid back many of the loans were made into donations. The Parish also donated £5000.
All those who donated funds and supported in any way just cannot be thanked enough.
After the first year of fundraising, and as the money was starting to come in, it was decided to start looking for a site for the centre. A number of sites, both inside and outside the town, were looked at before deciding to enquire if the old town hall on The Green could be purchased from the Parish. It was then discovered that the hall and carpark in front of the school was actually owned by the Jordan family of Water Street. The only surviving member of the Jordan family was Mrs O’Daly from Dublin and she was approached to see if she would sell the site. When she heard what was planned for the site she generously donated the whole lot to the committee, for which the town will be eternally grateful.
The next step was to remove the old hall and clear the site. The ‘old town hall’ as it was known, had a bit of history of its own. It was erected sometime around 1922 having been transported from the Glen of Imaal in the Wicklow Mountains, where it had been used as an army hut. As well as serving as a Parish Hall it was used continuously until the 60s as a cinema, and had also been used to hold weekly bingo sessions for the parish. It had served as temporary accommodation during the building of the Vocational School (now Colaiste Eoin) and was also used as a clothing factory in the 70s. It then fell into a poor state of structural repair and was really a bit of an eyesore at the time it was handed over. Before it was finally knocked down the committee held a Barn Dance in the hall and auctioned off anything that could be auctioned – the corrugated roof, timbers from the doors and ceilings, floors, door frames, lights etc. This auction, on 19 November 1985, raised £850.50 towards the community centre funds and paved the way to start the building.
The hall was then demolished and the site cleared. Early in 1986 the steel frame of the new building, complete with roof and sides, was erected. The foundations for the walls were then dug and the concrete poured. When the first section of the concrete floor was poured most of the Committee were involved, as well as any other voluntary labour they could round up. However this was such hard work that it was decided to get a contractor to do the rest of the floor. The walls were then erected and the toilets and kitchen area built but not installed. Then the money ran out, but at least at this stage people could see where their money was going, which made it a little easier to fundraise.
Even though there was only a concrete floor and block walls in the hall at this stage, with no doors, windows or toilets, the committee held some discos and dances in the hall. Indoor football was also played, making use of every opportunity to fundraise.
Work continued on the hall as much as fundraising allowed. Then, in the middle of 1988 the committee got word that there was a £50,000 lottery grant available to be spent throughout County Carlow but that it could only be used on projects which could be completed by the end of 1988. As Hacketstown Community Centre was the only project in the county at the right stage of development to be able to meet the conditions the committee applied for this grant and the full £50,000 was given to Hacketstown.
This boost enabled the committee to employ a local building contractor, Gerry Quinn, to fit doors and windows, to plaster walls, to get the kitchen and toilets finished and to install a maple floor.
The hall was officially opened in February 1989 by Junior Minister Liam Aylward, with special guest Mrs O’Daly who had donated the site. The cost of building the hall was £125,000, a significant amount in the Ireland of the 1980s.
With the hall now complete it was possible to start a weekly bingo. This started in September 1989 and has continued to run every Wednesday night to the present day (May 2005). This has provided funds to clear any debts and to pay the outgoings of the hall, such as electricity and insurance, and still be able to build up modest funds for future improvements.
Since the completion of the hall it has been used regularly by the local schools and clubs for indoor soccer, basketball, badminton, volleyball etc. It has also been used for dinner dances, Christmas parties for senior citizens and all types of events where a big indoor area is needed. For example, visitors to and participants in the annual Hacketstown Easter Parade are served tea and sandwiches in the hall on the afternoon of the parade, Easter Sunday.
Colaiste Eoin, the local secondary school, recently used the centre for the Leaving and Junior Cert exams while the school was being renovated.
In fact, there is such a huge demand for the use of the hall that it is very seldom that it is not in use.
Examples of some of the fundraising events held to build the centre were regular Christmas and Easter parties in Jacobs, Knockananna. The committee was first to bring Maureen Potter out of Dublin, when they booked Lawless’s Hotel in Aughrim and The Seven Oaks in Carlow to host her Cabaret. They also had a performance of ‘The Field’ and ‘Many Young Men of Twenty’ by the Kiltegan Players in Cullens Lounge, Hacketstown. From June 1984 to March 1991 a ‘Take Your Pick’ fundraiser was held in Cullens every Sunday evening.
The first Take Your Pick Jackpot (£400) was won on the 16th week by Filie Cullen in October 1984, and the final one by Michael Willoughby in March 1991 (£360).
One of the largest fundraising events was the Lord Mayor competition which was won by Andy Doyle and raised £5,310 for the community centre.
The Hacketstown Community Centre is an essential resource for the people of Hacketstown, and is testament to the generosity of the people of the area and the foresight and hard work of the committee members since that initial public meeting in 1983.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in County Carlow
County Carlow
County Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
It is located on the R747
R747 road
The R747 road is a regional road in Ireland running north-west/south-east from the M9 near Ballitore in County Kildare to Arklow in County Wicklow, a distance of .File:IMG_R747westward5075w.jpg|thumb|350px|left|The R747 road...
regional road
Regional road
A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...
at its junction with the R727. The River Derreen flows westwards just north of the town and the River Derry
River Derry
The Derry River rises just south of Hacketstown, County Carlow. It flows southeast to Tinahely, being accompanied by the R747 regional road for the distance....
rises just south of the town.
Hacketstown was the scene of a battle during the 1798 rebellion.
Hacketstown has a national school and secondary school, Colaiste Eoin, in it. There is a Roman Catholic church in the centre of town called St. Bridget's Church and a Church of Ireland church called St. John's church.
Tidy Town Competition
Hacketstown has just won its first award in the Tidy Town’s competition, the Endeavour Award. John Doyle has entered Hacketstown for the past 20 years without success until now. This year we were up 7 points, from 190 to 197. Committee members put success down to improvements made in the last year. The re-development of Water Street has had a major contributing factor as was Hacketstown being picked to take part in the Pride of Place competition, which we have great hopes for on the 26th of October and entering in the Golden Mile competition. The launch of our integrated area plan in July has also been a major factor and moral in the town has never been so high.The committee would like to thank John Doyle for all his work over the years and also to say well done to everyone who helped and took part in anyway to make Hacketstown a success in tidy towns this year. With everyone’s help Hacketstown can go from strength to strength and do even better next year.
PRIDE OF PLACE by Paddy Blake (Snr.), July 2005
I gaze down on the land below from the slopes of Eagle Hill
And on the river Dereen the weir and the ageless mill
The fields spread out like a patchwork quilt some sowed, some left in sod
Designed by the master architect and a gift to us from God.
While all the shadows of the night they flee before the sun
And on each bush and fern tall some silver webs are spun
This morning is so beautiful and nature wears its crown
So I sit and pen the paper as I gaze on Hacketstown.
Our town it sailed on tranquil seas back some years ago.
There were all kinds of amenities and our town did grow
But in cruel winds of change progress it stood still
But people knew there’d be better days in the town near Eagle Hill.
Now in common bond the people stand and each they do agree
This town will be our pride and joy and live in harmony
So now as I walk down the town I see on every face
The excitement that this project brings and the words Pride of Place.
Now when people walk up the street they stand and look with pride
The tall trees spell out endless spring that grows on each side
The houses and shop fronts decorated now with flair
While the dawning of this new day I believe it rents the air.
Our town it has a college, on its merits now it stands
And the future of each student he holds in his own hands
The flower beds in their array each one deserves the crown
And this is the common bond that exists in Hacketstown.
There’s the National school, two churches and five halls now I can tell
Montessori and play schools, garages and meat stalls as well
Self Help! And there are pubs and clubs where all friends meet
A chemist! Post Office and Gift Shop there, all on Main Street.
And of course we have our F.A.S. boys; they’re always on their rounds
There’s no such thing as long grass or rubbish scattered round.
For Hacketstown is on the move and now is in the race
And it’s only the beginning in this project Pride of Place
Hacketstown Community Centre
Hacketstown Community Centre, officially known as Hacketstown Community Sports Hall Limited, is situated on The Green, Hacketstown, just in front of St Joseph’s National School.The idea for a Community Centre started in 1983 when Gerry McCarney canvassed a number of local people with the idea to see would they be prepared to attend a meeting and to serve on a committee if one was to be formed. Having got a positive response he then asked Fr Gahan, the local curate, to announce a public meeting to get the feelings of the Hacketstown public and to try to get a committee formed.
At a very well attended meeting there was a wide ranging discussion about the pros and cons, about how big or small the centre should be and about where it should be built. It was finally agreed that a committee should be formed and the general feeling was that it was time Hacketstown ‘got up off its knees’ and started something for itself, and that a Community Centre would be the first step.
A committee was then formed and fundraising was started almost immediately. The first cheque written was £15 to buy goldfish for a fundraising event. This fundraising never stopped until the centre was built and paid for, almost 10 years later. The original committee, with one or two additions or withdrawals, stayed with the project until it was finished and the debt cleared. The amount of work put in by every member of the committee was unbelievable over such a long period. An example of the amount of work is that from 1984 to 1990 there were over 320 fund raising events and some of these events were week long festivals. Some of the raffles meant that committee members travelled over a 30 mile radius almost every night of the week to sell enough tickets to make a success of the event.
Although it was difficult to get more people on the committee there was always great support and help for the fundraising events and the people of Hacketstown were 100% behind the committee. There was over £9000 donated locally, and a number of people gave £1000 interest-free loans for 5 years. When the time came for these loans to be paid back many of the loans were made into donations. The Parish also donated £5000.
All those who donated funds and supported in any way just cannot be thanked enough.
After the first year of fundraising, and as the money was starting to come in, it was decided to start looking for a site for the centre. A number of sites, both inside and outside the town, were looked at before deciding to enquire if the old town hall on The Green could be purchased from the Parish. It was then discovered that the hall and carpark in front of the school was actually owned by the Jordan family of Water Street. The only surviving member of the Jordan family was Mrs O’Daly from Dublin and she was approached to see if she would sell the site. When she heard what was planned for the site she generously donated the whole lot to the committee, for which the town will be eternally grateful.
The next step was to remove the old hall and clear the site. The ‘old town hall’ as it was known, had a bit of history of its own. It was erected sometime around 1922 having been transported from the Glen of Imaal in the Wicklow Mountains, where it had been used as an army hut. As well as serving as a Parish Hall it was used continuously until the 60s as a cinema, and had also been used to hold weekly bingo sessions for the parish. It had served as temporary accommodation during the building of the Vocational School (now Colaiste Eoin) and was also used as a clothing factory in the 70s. It then fell into a poor state of structural repair and was really a bit of an eyesore at the time it was handed over. Before it was finally knocked down the committee held a Barn Dance in the hall and auctioned off anything that could be auctioned – the corrugated roof, timbers from the doors and ceilings, floors, door frames, lights etc. This auction, on 19 November 1985, raised £850.50 towards the community centre funds and paved the way to start the building.
The hall was then demolished and the site cleared. Early in 1986 the steel frame of the new building, complete with roof and sides, was erected. The foundations for the walls were then dug and the concrete poured. When the first section of the concrete floor was poured most of the Committee were involved, as well as any other voluntary labour they could round up. However this was such hard work that it was decided to get a contractor to do the rest of the floor. The walls were then erected and the toilets and kitchen area built but not installed. Then the money ran out, but at least at this stage people could see where their money was going, which made it a little easier to fundraise.
Even though there was only a concrete floor and block walls in the hall at this stage, with no doors, windows or toilets, the committee held some discos and dances in the hall. Indoor football was also played, making use of every opportunity to fundraise.
Work continued on the hall as much as fundraising allowed. Then, in the middle of 1988 the committee got word that there was a £50,000 lottery grant available to be spent throughout County Carlow but that it could only be used on projects which could be completed by the end of 1988. As Hacketstown Community Centre was the only project in the county at the right stage of development to be able to meet the conditions the committee applied for this grant and the full £50,000 was given to Hacketstown.
This boost enabled the committee to employ a local building contractor, Gerry Quinn, to fit doors and windows, to plaster walls, to get the kitchen and toilets finished and to install a maple floor.
The hall was officially opened in February 1989 by Junior Minister Liam Aylward, with special guest Mrs O’Daly who had donated the site. The cost of building the hall was £125,000, a significant amount in the Ireland of the 1980s.
With the hall now complete it was possible to start a weekly bingo. This started in September 1989 and has continued to run every Wednesday night to the present day (May 2005). This has provided funds to clear any debts and to pay the outgoings of the hall, such as electricity and insurance, and still be able to build up modest funds for future improvements.
Since the completion of the hall it has been used regularly by the local schools and clubs for indoor soccer, basketball, badminton, volleyball etc. It has also been used for dinner dances, Christmas parties for senior citizens and all types of events where a big indoor area is needed. For example, visitors to and participants in the annual Hacketstown Easter Parade are served tea and sandwiches in the hall on the afternoon of the parade, Easter Sunday.
Colaiste Eoin, the local secondary school, recently used the centre for the Leaving and Junior Cert exams while the school was being renovated.
In fact, there is such a huge demand for the use of the hall that it is very seldom that it is not in use.
Examples of some of the fundraising events held to build the centre were regular Christmas and Easter parties in Jacobs, Knockananna. The committee was first to bring Maureen Potter out of Dublin, when they booked Lawless’s Hotel in Aughrim and The Seven Oaks in Carlow to host her Cabaret. They also had a performance of ‘The Field’ and ‘Many Young Men of Twenty’ by the Kiltegan Players in Cullens Lounge, Hacketstown. From June 1984 to March 1991 a ‘Take Your Pick’ fundraiser was held in Cullens every Sunday evening.
The first Take Your Pick Jackpot (£400) was won on the 16th week by Filie Cullen in October 1984, and the final one by Michael Willoughby in March 1991 (£360).
One of the largest fundraising events was the Lord Mayor competition which was won by Andy Doyle and raised £5,310 for the community centre.
The Hacketstown Community Centre is an essential resource for the people of Hacketstown, and is testament to the generosity of the people of the area and the foresight and hard work of the committee members since that initial public meeting in 1983.