The famous Ulster and Donegal GAA star, Seamus Hoare, grew up there in the 1950s. New Zealand’s richest man, Hugh Greene’s mother lived there in the 1960s. The renowned author Jane Austin’s niece is buried in the cemetery there. And here’s the really big question: do you have any connection with Letterkenny’s historic Church Lane?
If you do the Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter committee would be very interested in hearing from you.
To mark the recent announcement of €200,000 funding from the Historic Towns Initiative, the Cathedral Quarter committee will be hosting a special event during Heritage Week in August celebrating all the former residents of the Church Lane.
Research has shown that in the 1901 and 1911 census that there were more than 100 people living on the Church Lane when it was a once vibrant community.
A spokesperson said: “This project is much more than just buildings and we are striving to recreate that sense of community. With that objective in mind, we want to not only celebrate the Historic Towns Initiative Funding and the future structural regeneration but also to host a special Reunion event, a reunion of people, during Heritage Week in August.
“We want to contact former residents and their families or anyone else who has a connection with Church Lane including those who lodged in the houses whilst working nearby. We are now making a special appeal so that invitations can be issued for this special event in August.”
The funding allocation is a major breakthrough for the Cathedral Quarter organisation as it is recognition from the Dept of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht of their objectives.
“It has been a struggle to get official recognition from government for what we regard as vital work in preserving Letterkenny’s rich heritage so this funding, most certainly, has given the committee more enthusiasm to carry on with its good work. We are delighted to receive it,” the spokesperson said.
The objective of Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter is to regenerate the historical Church Lane street and surrounding areas to create a vibrant cultural, historical quarter in the heart of the town. Much work has been done, he observed but added ‘so much more is needed to be done’.
“We want to contact former residents and their families or anyone else who has a connection with Church Lane including those who lodged in the houses whilst working nearby. We are now making a special appeal so that invitations can be issued for this special event in August.”
The committee would deeply appreciate if anyone who has any old memorabilia – photos, books, newspaper articles etc – could loan them to the committee to stage an exhibition during the reunion.
“For more information we would ask people to contact Jim Lynch on 086 3413 446 or Letterkenny Cathedral Quarter Facebook and Twitter Social Media pages. Any help would be gratefully appreciated.”
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