Fluidr / Ballyfermot & St Marks Heritage Photos, Ken Larkin's "Mary Farrell Community Worker in Ballyfermot" set

Celebrating Women In Ballyfermot and Ireland International Woman's Day Thursday 8th March 2018

A Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 — 1/26s ƒ/4.3 ISO 800 at 8.9 mm

N 0 B 11.2K C 0 E Mar 8, 2018 F Mar 9, 2018

G Ireland > Dublin > > Dublin > Ballyfermot

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Thanks to Mary Farrell for taking time out to share her memories of Growing up in Ballyfermot and her involvement in her voluntary Community Work down the years. Thanks to Sean Brennan Ballyfermot Heritage Group for recording Mary's memories

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tSZZR-tWHk&feature=share

Celebration of Women in Ballyfermot and Ireland 8th March 2018 cwww.youtube.com/watch?v=ymZ2Lb1fy4c&feature=share

Celebrating women in Ballyfermot and Ireland
Tá athas orm cúpla focal a rá faoin tionscamh iontach seo atá curtha le chéile le Serbhís na hóige Baile Formaid. Táimid anseo inniu chun buíochas a gabháil do mná Baile Formaide a glacadh páirt sna heagraíochtaí pobail i rith na seachtú bliain atà caite. Is cosúil iad le na mná stairiúl a rinne Liz cur síos iontu inniu.
I love the way that Gerry and his team of young people have linked the revolutionary women described by Liz and the women of Ballyfermot who have been to the forefront in campaigns for community resources in Ballyfermot and Cherry Orchard over the 70 year period since the building of the houses commenced. The adjective revolutionary means causing a complete or dramatic change and that is exactly what happened as a result of the persistent campaigning, vision, work and courage of a very large group of local women some of whom are featured in this exhibition.
It is indeed fitting that by linking our Ballyfermot women with such powerful women in history we are acknowledging for the first time the role they played in building this community, transforming it from a massive housing estate with few facilities, into a mature community that has grappled successfully with all sorts of issues and challenges through the years. You achieved this whilst caring for your growing families, some very large ones, on low incomes, sewing, knitting, baking and helping each other out in a true community spirit.
The inside pages of the brochure that accompanies this exhibition highlights the generations of women who have continued to work with an amazing range of community organisations. It is well worth reading. Indeed it is another bit of local history in the making. Whilst I will be mentioning some names as I continue it is not possible to include all. There are just too many involved! The age range of the featured women is fifteen to ninety five years. Extraordinary really. No doubt you will know many. Just to mention a few Pam O'Reilly, Nellie Weldon, Statia O' Connor, Annie Creag, Muriel Montaine, Nancy Kavanagh, Leon Kelly, Janice Mc Garry and Teresa Mc Gowran.
It is very encouraging to see so many young women featured who continue to be involved, a great testament to the older women whose work and vision you maintain. It is a great tribute to the Ballyfermot Youth Service that they have designed and led this project.
I was 17 and in fifth year in Caritas College when I first became aware of the issues facing this area as a community. The RTE seven days programme about Ballyfermot in the early 1970's really angered many people, including me. This programme showed Ballyfermot in a very poor light. I wrote a letter to the Ballyfermot People, the community newspaper objecting to the programme and before I knew what had happened I joined the Ballyfermot Youth group and became involved in canvassing on each street to organise a street commitee, the foundation stone of the Ballyfermot Community Association. 26 street committees in total were set up. I know that many of the women featured in this project were on those street committees. This was the platform that initially provided local women with the means to organise, work together and make demands to improve life for all in the area. To name but a few of these great women, some of whom, sadly, have passed on - Maureen Kelleher, Phylsis Hennessey, Marie Jago, Mary Kohrs, Eileen Robinson, Nancy Baker, Marie Byrne, Marie Dodrill, Maureen Hodgins and Monica Murray
In the early days we were busy women as we campaigned for community centres, a swimming pool, better post office facilities and improved public transport. We ran social outings and summer projects. There are many here who will remember the Chicken in the Rough outings to Red Island in Skerries and to the Hitching Post in Leixlip. Not to mention the packed double decker buses that brought hundreds to the beaches in summer. The first community playgroup and old folks clubs were set up and a food coop operated in the community centre.
We also campaigned for the senior college and tackled the lack of facilities for sports and children in the parks. The proposed motorway through the lower end of Ballyfermot was rerouted and the closing of the dump on the Californian Hills was forced through a constant picket. Anyone living in that area will nver forget the smells we had to put up with. We couldn't open our windows in the summertime. The first smoke free zone in Ireland was also achieved here after a long battle, remember how bad the air pollution was here at that time. We could hardly see each other through the dense fog that covered Ballyfermot.
As local women we also highlighted and worked to improve the problems facing our young people in education, in unemployment and later in the drugs problem through working with the local partnership and Drugs Task Force.
During the 1990's a new generation of local women took up the struggle for additional resources in Cherry Orchard which led to the Equine Centre, The Bungalow, The Orchard Centre, St Ultans School and a number of childcare centres being built. Again a lot of these women are featured in the brochure and include Marian Doyle, Anne O'Brien, Linda O' Reilly, Margaret O' She, Phil Withrow, Betty Murphy, Bernie Lawless, Eileen Waters and Loretto Verdon.

Over the years there has been many victories that resulted in top class social, sporting and educational centres being built including this library. These facilities have improved the quality of life for all residents. No doubt the young people present are very excited about and looking forward to the building of the first skate park in the Lawns in the next few years. Well done to all involved for your imagination and participation in the design of the skate park.

It is true to say that a lot of the projects started on a voluntary basis in the 1970's in Ballyfermot eg after school activities, summer projects, the citizens advice centre, community tv and the Ballyfermot people, the community newspaper were judged to be very good models of community participation and activity. These were adopted by communities all over Ireland and in many cases became mainstreamed projects funded by the government, particularly in the area of childcare, after school activities and youth services due to the positive outcomes achieved here.
We are proud of the fine facilities and community that we now have. It is very important to highlight that all of this was made possible by the collective and cooperative efforts of the different groups and individuals involved. Many thanks to the women of Ballyfermot who, over the years, rolled up their sleeves and challenged the State to provide decent facilities for all the people living here. This was done in good humour(we always had a good laugh) and with great determination(you never took no for an answer) To finish, well done to you all. You were and still are a force to be reckoned with.
Obviously the men were involved too but today being International Women's Day this night belongs to mná Baile Formaide, the women of Ballyfermot.
As Michelle Obama said, "There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.
Go raibh maith agaibh, bain taitneamh as an oíche.

Mary Farrell
March 2018

Tags: Ken Larkin

Mary Farrell Ballyfermot TV Thanks to Martin Coffey for the Paper Clipping May 1975

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Caritas College Girls Thanks to Marian McCarty for the Photo

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Caritas College Class of 1969 Thanks to Marian Dowling Gardner Spiddal Rd for the Photo

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Mary Farrell and Fr John Wall Thanks to Gerard Byrne for these Photos

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G Ireland > Dublin > > Dublin > Ballyfermot

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