IF YOU could bottle the atmosphere in the hall in Cappamore on bingo nights and sell it, you’d be a wealthy person!
The return of the Thursday night gathering – especially as it gets dark at 5pm – means that everybody is a winner. The delight in the room is palpable after a year and a half of no bingo due to Covid. The time changes to 8pm from this Thursday, November 11.
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One lady who encapsulates the essence of Cappamore bingo is 93-years-young Mary Murphy.
The Portnard lady has been a member of the hardworking bingo committee since it started in December 1973. Mary continues to sell lotto tickets each night. She, Pat Fogarty and Eddie Murphy have been stalwarts from the very start.
Tommie Ryan, of the bingo committee, said they will celebrate their 48th anniversary next month with over €10,000 up for grabs over the four Thursdays in December. But coming home with money in your pocket is secondary to the social aspect.
“People are delighted to come out and meet people again. We have all ages coming. All the patrons produce their vaccination certs which are checked on the way in and there is two metres social distancing,” said Tommie.
Outside in the cold and the rain are stewards patrolling the car-park to ensure nobody thinks about breaking into a vehicle. The night isn’t just for people from Cappamore.
“We’ve buses coming from Limerick city, Kilfinane, Killaloe and we are in the progress of organising a bus from Tipperary,” said Tommie.
The other big winner is Cappamore Development Association and local community through countless projects funded over the last 48 years.
Covid has taken so much away but it has given us a new found appreciation for events we took for granted like Cappamore bingo.
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