In October Wicklow Federation hosted the Winter Conference
in Ashdown Park Hotel Gorey. There was a large attendance with members coming from all parts of the country.
Ballycoog Guild set dancers and Ashford Guild with their
School Around the Corner entertained the delegates on Friday night followed by music and dancing.
The business began on Saturday morning with National President Anne Maria Dennison, National Hon Secretary Liz Wall
and National Hon Treasurer Gwen Carter giving their reports.
There was a lovely display of arts and crafts from the Wicklow guilds
Some of the Wicklow members who helped during the conference
The Contest Committee were busy with many awards being
presented that day. Go to the 'Contest' page to see the full details.
Catherine Carey winner of the centenary brooch design competition was presented with the brooch.
The silver brooches were on sale.
It was a busy successful conference.
Well done to our federation president Liz
The 56th One Act Drama Festival took place on
Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th November in Glenealy Hall
On Saturday Kilmagig Players from Avoca
perfomed 'Walter' by Murray Schisgal and
Ashford ICA presented 'The Allotment' by Gillian Plowman.
On Sunday Camross Drama Group came to the festival
for the first time with their play 'Watchdog' by Tara Maria Lovett.
Arclight Theatre Company performed an extract from
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare and
Longwood ICA presented 'The Spinsters of Lavender Lane' by Lawrence du Garde Peach
The adjudicator was Imelda Mc Donagh and the adjudicator's award went to Sean Frayne from Arclight
Merit awards went to Hazel Archer from Kilmagis Players,Una Mc Gowran from Ashford ICA, Mary Brown from Camross Drama Group, Ciara Phelan and Avril Murphy-Allen from Arclight
and Jean Regan and Sheila Connolly from Longwood ICA.
Longwood also won the Condon Cup.
Paul Cullen from Arclight was runner up best actor
and winner of the Norah Ferns Trophy for most appropriate costume.
Joan Moules from Kilmagig was runner up best actress.
Best Actor award went to Paddy O'Gorman from Camross and Camross won Best Play by an Irish author.
Best Actress went to Sheila Sherlock from Ashford ICA.
Ashford also won Best Set by stage manager Margaret Stephens
Best producer Hilda Roche and were the overall winners
with best play of the festival.
Mary O'Reilly took lots of photos at the festival so watch this space.
Many ICA members entered and indeed won competitions
in various categories at the recent Tinahely Show,
once again showing that our members are very talented women.
The ICA tent was used to promote the ICA
and show a little of what goes on in our organaisation in Wicklow.
Back to the Future
Tuesday 11th February was a very special day for ICA in Donard.
They celebrated with members and friends the opening of an exhibition in baltinglass library of their intergenerational project 'Back to the Future': an experience of looking
back at the past as a way of learning how to go forward in the future.
Young and not so young members of the community were involved in the effort. Those who participated were ICA members and their friends in the community and the pupils of fifth and sixth class in Donard National School.
ICA members and friends told and wrote stories of school days and early adulthood. The young people were given a practical experience of some of the cooking skills and crafts of the past when ICA members went into the school on a number of occasions and made blackberry jam with them. Over a number of weeks the members also taught the young people the craft of patchwork and the very useful skill of sewing on buttons. The end results were beautiful patchwork lavender sachets and lovely pictures of sailing boats outlined in buttons all of which now hang on display in the library. One of the most enjoyable events was a day trip
into a local forest to take part in a 'fungal foray'.
The opening of the exhibition was hosted by Donard ICA.
The President, Ms Josephine Ryan welcomed
Federation President Liz Wall with her travelling companion
Betty Teahan of Ashford Guild whose mother Molly Moore who was a member of Grangecon Guild in 1954, gave the first craft demonstration to the members of the then
newly formed Donard Guild.
The project was the 'Brain Child' of Pauline Devine, the well known children's writer who was writer in residence for the duration.
The Principal of the school Ms Gemma Hanlon,
the class teacher Ms Betty Flynn and all the staff were
very supportive of the project and put a
substantial amount of effort into it.
The exhibition in Baltinglass Library consists of all the stories and craft work and a wonderful photographic record of the young people at work on the project. It will stay on display in the library until the end of February. Congratulations to everyone involved.
