Cardinal to mark hundredth birthday of Kinnegad Church

June 7 marks the 100th Anniversary of the dedication of the Church of Assumption, Kinnegad, with the Lord primate of All Ireland, His Eminence Sean Cardinal Brady visiting the town.Cardinal Brady will be joined by Most Rev. Dr. Michael Smith, Bishop of Meath, who will preside at the Mass, Rev. Fr. Tom Gilroy (P.P. Kinnegad), Monsignor Eamon Marron, priests who have served in the parish, priests native to the parish of Kinnegad, the people of the parish and numerous guests.All parishioners are invited to a special reception in the Hilamar Hotel, Kinnegad afterwards, where the celebration will continue.Parishioners are expected to turn out in their hundreds to join in the celebrations, which have been in planning for the past year under the auspices of a hard working parish committee, led by Fr. Gilroy.The committee has engaged itself in a number of projects over the past twelve months, including the launch of a centenary year calendar in December.A banner was erected to mark the centenary celebrations, and a number of special liturgical ceremonies were planned throughout 2009, with guest speakers and celebrants invited to participate.There are also plans to erect a commemorative sculpture or plaque outside the church, to mark its one hundredth year in existence.Mass will be celebrated at the Church of the Assumption at 3pm on Sunday, and all parishioners from throughout this large parish are invited to attend.Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Fr. Tom Gilroy said that the organising committee are happy to be 'on the home strait' with regard to preparations.'This is an auspicious occasion in the history of the parish as our church is a defining feature of the landscape, taking centre stage in the village,' Fr. Gilroy said.'It is familiar to all who pass through Kinnegad, and it is a place of comfort and quiet prayer to many who drop in during the course of their busy lives.'He said that while the June 7 Mass will be the centrepiece event, there will be further centenary year activities taking place throughout the year.The committee overseeing centenary year celebrations in Kinnegad are: Fr. Tom Gilroy, Eddie Costello, Phil Flynn, Gertie Costello, Kenneth Flynn, local historian Michael Geraghty, Margaret Quinn, Joseph Maxwell, Marie McEwan, Dominic Brannock, Cora Powell, Angela McCabe, Claire Giles, Nigel Boardman, Jacqui Wiley, with input from local schools.DedicatedOn September 19, 1909, the new Kinnegad church was officially dedicated to the feast of the Assumption with a Solemn High Mass celebrated by the then Bishop of Meath, Most Rev. Laurence Gaughran.According to the September 25, 1909 edition of the Westmeath Examiner, the stone used in the construction of the Gothic-style building was drawn from local quarries, with the cut stone dressing on the walls, tower and spire coming from Tullamore.The architect contracted to design the church was Thomas F. McNamara of Dame Street, Dublin, and the main contractor involved in the building works was James Wynne of Dundalk. The foundation stone was laid in September 1906.The parish priest in Kinnegad at the time was Rev. Fr. William Bracken, and during the dedication Mass, a sermon was delivered after the First Gospel by Very Rev. Fr. Patrick Beecher, MA, DD, Maynooth, taking for his text the words 'And this is the victory which conquers the world, our Faith'.Choral music for the 1909 Mass was delivered by the parish choir, including local schoolchildren and their teachers, with Mr. Maurice Weymes on organ.Kinnegad native John Cardinal Glennon, the Archbishop of St. Louis, USA, contributed €200 towards the altar, and the High Altar itself was sculpted in marble by the father and brother of executed 1916 leader, Padraig Pearse.€15 million worth ofKinnegad worksWestmeath County Council should think about erecting a welcome sign outside Kinnegad, in the context of its plans for improved signage in the county, Cllr. Mick Dollard told the recent meeting of Westmeath County Council"s Mullingar Area Committee.Cllr. Dollard was informed that new Kinnegad signs, incorporating the county crest, were erected on all approaches to Kinnegad in 2008, as part of the Village Enhancement Programme.At the same meeting, Cllr. Dollard asked officials to furnish councillors with a rundown of works carried out in Kinnegad in recent years, and to indicate what plans it has to carry out infrastructural improvements in 2009.Officials listed all the works carried out in Kinnegad over the past eight years, and said that the entire programme of works - including the construction of the Boreen Bradach housing scheme - amounted to a total of €15 million being spent on Kinnegad.Councillors were told that plans to relocate the playground are progressing, and that future plans include the development of recreational amenity routes for walking and cycling along the Boreen Bradach and Kinnegad River as part of the 'Slí na Sláinte' initiative.The Council is endeavouring to finalise legalities for the transfer of a site for community purposes, while further monies will be spent on an upgrade to the Kinnegad Treatment Plant as soon as funding becomes available.Also, it was pointed out that appropriate land has been zoned for a secondary school in Kinnegad.McLoughlin raises surfacing concernsFine Gael"s Cllr. Pat McLoughlin has asked Westmeath County Council to carry out immediate repairs to both the Killucan Road junction at Kinnegad, and the exit from the Boreen Bradach into Main Street, Kinnegad.At the recent meeting of the Council"s Mullingar Area Committee, in both instances, he was informed that work would be carried out as soon as possible.Cllr. McLoughlin asked if the lights at the Riverside estate in Kinnegad would be repaired 'without undue delay'.George Lambden, Mullingar Area Director of Services, said that this is a private estate, and that the public lights have not been taken in charge by the Council.'Ongoing dialogue' over worksWestmeath County Council has activated its Legal and Enforcement Section to ensure the completion of works at the Tír Croghain estate in Kinnegad, it was reported at the Council"s recent Mullingar Area Committee meeting.Cllr. Mick Dollard (Labour) asked that in view of recent flooding/surface water problems at the entry/exit to the estate, if the Council could look at what technical measures could be carried out.He was told that the matter has been referred to the Legal and Enforcement Section, as the estate has not been taken in charge, making it a matter for the developer to carry out the necessary works.George Lambden, Mullingar Area Director of Services, said that there has been 'ongoing dialogue' and continued contact with the developer with regard to enforcement matters.