On February 20th 1976, the first meeting of the present Oola ICA
Guild was held. There were 27 members at this meeting and 3
others joined later. Officers elected were: President: Kathleen
O’Donovan, Vice President: Nora Stapleton, Secretary: Maura
McGrath, Treasurer: Mary Godfrey. Other Committee members
were: Kathleen Fitzgibbon, Kathleen Ryan, Nora Mai Ryan, Nancy
Carr, Violet O’Grady, Mai Walsh and Bernadette English.
The Guild has been very active from the beginning. In the very early
years weekly classes were organized to keep members busy during
the Winter months, e.g. Dressmaking, Patchwork, Leather-work,
Rush-work, Fabric Printing, Keep-fit, Yoga, Home Budgeting, and
Cookery to mention but a few.
The skills of our members are always improving and in later years
ICA provided the facilities and expertise to develop the skills that
we modern women require to enrich our lives. Our more
progressive activities have included Assertiveness Courses, Health
and Fitness, Gardening, Interior Decorating, Flower Arranging,
Safety & First Aid, Aromatherapy, Hand and machine sewing of soft
toys, cushions, table cloths and curtains, Managing our Finances,
Making a Will, and many other subjects of interest to us women.
One of the aims of the ICA is the encouragement of local
development. The guild in Oola has always been involved in
helping the local community. It played a large part in the planning
of, and fund raising for Oola Community Centre, which was opened
in 1988. The ICA has helped with organizing and catering for
various functions held there over the years.
Oola Guild has always supported Limerick Federation activities,
and has hosted a few Federation Meetings over the years. Three
members of the Guild have held office at Federation level. Eileen
Holmes served as CDA for two three-year terms in the nineties.
Leslie O’Gorman served as Teachta and Produce Promoter in the
Federation. Nora Stapleton served as Federation Treasurer from
1990 to 1993 and as Federation President from 1995 to 1998.
We take part in quizzes and competitions and enjoy many social
occasions. Our members have entered competitions at Federation
and National level and have supported many Federation activities.
We attend the various shows and concerts at the University
Concert Hall, Limerick and the Excel Theatre in Tipperary and have
enjoyed many memorable nights on the town.
The work of the ICA is very well supported in our parish. We are
always looking out for new members and nearly every year some
new people join to replace those who leave for various reasons.
This means that we have a steady membership of twenty members
or over. We hope that the ICA will continue to be an active
organization in Oola for many years to come.
9.
10.
