The word meitheal describes the old Irish tradition where people in rural communities gathered together on a neighbour’s farm to help save the hay or some other crop. Each person would help their neighbour who would in turn reciprocate. They acted as a team and everybody benefited in some way. This built up strong friendships and respect among those involved in the meitheal.
Askamore Community Council needs your support to maintain services to the Askamore community. The Council has set up a new community-based plan to invite you and everyone in the community to help maintain and develop community activities and events.
This project will be called Meitheal Easca Mór (Askamore Working Together). You and everyone in the community are being asked to volunteer four hours IN THE YEAR to your local community. No meetings, no long-term commitments being sought, other than a commitment to give a small amount of your time and energy to keep your local community going in a coherent, vibrant, new way.
Members of Askamore Community Council and Community Centre groups will be asking you, their friends and neighbours, to choose an area of work in which you would be comfortable giving some voluntary hours.
The main areas requiring volunteers on a regular basis are the Community Centre, Le Chéile Park and Tidy Towns. A detailed list of works needed will be available to volunteers.
When you volunteer for your particular area or areas of interest, your name will be included on a rota. You will receive a call seeking your help as the need arises. If you are not available at that time, you will be asked to volunteer at a more convenient time for you.
Meitheal Easca Mór is an attempt to have a simple system to continue the outstanding voluntary work of the past forty years. The future sustainability of community within the Askamore half-parish area is now dependent on your help.
If you would like to volunteer or would like more details, please call or text Geraldine in the Community Council office (Monday – Thursday mornings, 9.30 – 1pm) on 087 11 666 34. Alternatively a member of one of the local community groups will be in touch in the near future.
Askamore Community Council is registered as a Charitable status company under the name Askamore Muintir na Tíre Community Project Ltd. The following are the 18 voluntary members:
Paddy Byrne, Brian Buttle, Helen Kearney, Davy Donohoe, Margaret Nolan, Pádraic O’Connor, Larry Butler, Ann Butler, Mairéad Kinsella, Stacy Gilbert, Jackie Christian, Paula Mulroe, Seán Byrne, Alyson Bayne, Noeleen Deegan, Peter Cooper, Ann Potignano, Ger Blackbyrne
Askamore Community Website 