Tipperary stories that demonstrate love, respect, and caring in a meaningful way

Clonmel Applefest in conjunction with The Nationalist are delighted to share the stories from its Families of Clonmel book launched last September.

Ten families from or who have lived in Clonmel for at least 10 years are included in the book for which nominations were sought in the Spring 2025.

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After a lengthy process, a list of ten families was secured and the head(s) of family were interviewed in their homes with the final photograph by John D. Kelly, including a wider multigenerational selection.

Families come from a wide spectrum of candidates, from well-established Clonmel natives to more recently arrived families.

Included in the book are: The Burkes, Caseys, Dempseys, Gleesons, Hacketts, Hewitts, Mcnamaras, Molloys, Purcells, and Sheikhs. All shared their passions and what they enjoy doing together.

This project follows on previous highly successful writing projects in collaboration with a vibrant cohort of locally-based committed community writers who in previous years have interviewed and written about local artisans, elders, and/or incomers into the area.

The festival secured the services of Sean O’Connor, an accomplished writer and editor from Nenagh, who acted as writing mentor and edited the book in conjunction with the festival director.

This ambitious project was made possible with a grant from the Arts Council of Ireland and additional support from Tipperary County Council, Age-Friendly Tipperary and The Museum of Hidden Histories.

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The festival theme in 2025 was ‘The Ties that Bind’ and these stories demonstrate love, humour and caring in a very real and meaningful way.