Well-known Tipperary man's 50 years of community activity for 'Little Village' honoured

A GATHERING FOR RICKY

On Saturday night last, April 13, a presentation was held in the Community Centre to celebrate over 50 years of one of the community’s longest serving volunteers, Ricky Sheehan.

Ricky was one of the first members of the community council in Mullinahone and since then as well as serving as an officer on the Community Council, Ricky was also heavily involved in juvenile GAA, Scór and quizzes, he even made an appearance on national television with a group of like minded quiz enthusiasts on “Where in the World” a television quiz back in the early 1990’s presented by Theresa Lowe. Ricky even at one stage unwittingly ended up representing Kilkenny in a soccer quiz.
Anything that one would need to know about the history of the parish, GAA, etc Ricky is the go to person. If he didn’t have the answer for you there and then, well you could be rest assured you would have verse and rhyme and possibly a full family tree within the following 24 hours.

In or around 1984/1985 Ricky took over from the late Paddy Croke, Ballydonnell as Mullinahone correspondent in The Nationalist newspaper, bringing all who lived near and those that had emigrated further afield all the news from “The Little Village” every week. He was very truthful each week in the notes, whether it was bringing the rainfall amounts for the past week, weekly mass times, deaths, births and marriages and also all the GAA results.

Although, as I mentioned earlier of his truthfulness, you also had to be prepared if you had made a mess of a shot on goal or messed up a pass to a team-mate that could have ultimately been the decider of the final result, you and everyone that read the Mullinahone notes were well aware that it may have possibly been your fault. But, there was never any malice and no falling out afterwards, it was said, over and done with and move on.

On a personal note, I have pretty big boots to fill and will do my best, but with Ricky as my mentor I’m sure I won’t go too far wrong!

On Saturday night last, April 13, a presentation was held in the Mullinahone Community Centre to celebrate over 50 years of one of Mullinahone community’s longest serving volunteers, Ricky Sheehan. Pictured above are Mullinahone Community Council members making a presentation to Ricky in appreciation of his outstanding work as a volunteer in the local community over half a century. From left: Dick Egan, Eugene O’Meara, Ricky Sheehan, Kevin Keating

The parishioners and those living away from Mullinahone thank you Ricky, for giving over 50 years to volunteering in various roles and for nearly 40 years of giving those who had to leave our village, a weekly lifeline to their home and families, that were so very far away.

Thank you Ricky, enjoy your retirement with your lovely wife Nora, daughter Deirdre, sons Kevin and Brendan and grandchildren Ellie, Aoibhe and Sadhbh. Wishing you many years of health and happiness.

“For the Credit of the Little Village.”