On Thursday, December 5th, the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Mr. Jimmy Deenihan visited the Patrick Kavanagh Centre accompanied by Heather Humphries TD and local councillors. Representatives from all of the local organizations were present. The welcoming address was given by Larry McDermott, Chairman of Inniskeen Enterprise Development Group. The Minister then enjoyed a guided tour, followed by a short film presented by Mary McGrath and Dave Phelan. It was made some twenty years ago and features local children and the late Gene Carroll talking about Patrick Kavanagh and Inniskeen. There was then a presentation of gifts from the Centre by Art Agnew and Rosaleen Kearney. Minister Deenihan expressed a particular interest in the poem ‘Raglan Road’, which is based of course on Kavanagh’s romance with Hilda Moriarty, who was from the Minister’s home County of Kerry.
In the photograph are from left – right, Cllr. Matt Carthy, Cllr. Aidan Murray, Denis Durkan, Art Agnew, Cllr. Noel Keelan, Larry McDermott, Rosaleen Kearney Centre Director, Jimmy Deenihan TD and Minister for Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, and Heather Humphreys TD.
