Monday Club

Formed back in 1985 by the then curate in Durrow by Fr. Robinson and some local ladies in the community, the Monday Club has been a fantastic outlet for the senior citizens of Durrow. They meet on a weekly basis in the Castle Arms Hotel where the owner Seosamh and his staff take very good care of them. The group started with eight members and has grown in numbers to about thirty.

Each Monday afternoon the members gather to play cards and bingo, have a chat and a cup of tea and catch up on each other’s news. Since 2006, in addition to this weekly get together; the following are some other activities that the club have engaged in:

• The club arrange an annual 5-day break to a hotel in a different part of Ireland each year. A group of about fifty men and women made up of members and non-members of The Monday Club mount a bus and take off for five days of eating, drinking, touring, singing, dancing and a lot of laughs. The cost of the trip is kept to a minimum with members being subsidised to the tune of €100, which is assisted by membership contributions and a grant aid from Laois County Council.
• They also do two or three-day trips each year to Tramore.
• They have done trips to see films in the Dunamaise Arts Centre in Portlaoise, County Laois.
• They have a free Christmas and Easter dinner for members.
• They celebrate landmark birthdays for members.
• They continue to fundraise with their annual raffle for the Val Newton Charity, which aids poor families in Moldova.

All in all, this group provides a lovely meeting point for its members who look forward to their weekly get-together which some would say is the highlight of their week which forces them to get out and meet friends. They will continue to flourish over the years to come.

Contact Details:
Phone: Anne Conroy (086) 6479069.
Address: Mary Street, Durrow, Co. Laois.
Website: None
Email: anniecreagh@eircom.net
Facebook: None