History of the Society
Coming soon! In the meantime, here’s an excerpt from an address given by Gwen Mackay, former President of the Society.
“In 1942, a group of local residents got together to form the Society, and among the earliest members were Mrs Lucy Crosbie, Miss Armstrong, Miss Kneavsey, and Messrs R. Beamish, Loughnane, Norman, Bassett, Nugent, McAllister, Williams, and Murray. They were helped by an enthusiastic band of helpers which included Pat Murtagh, J. McCreadie, T. Nugent, Joe Lambe, and Peter Murtagh. I should also like to mention the Misses Kirker and Mrs Hodges who gave so much time and energy to the Society. Some of our present members too have been with us for many years viz – Miss Maeve Cassidy – 1956, Mrs Mille – 1963, Mrs Turner – 1966, and Mrs Flanagan – 1967.
Over the years, the Society has had its shows in a number of different venues such as Malahide Castle, the Grand Hotel Riding School, Granite Lodge, and Saint Oliver Plunkett’s School, and now we are deeply grateful to Saint Andrew’s Committee for letting us have the use of their lovely hall and classrooms.
At the outset, the aim of the Society was to encourage people to take a greater interest in their gardens which at that time were on the whole much larger than today. This is still our aim with the addition that we are more community orientated and encourage members to take an interest in making their areas more attractive and in assisting the Tidy Towns Committee.
Fifty years of existence makes us one of if not the oldest Societies in Malahide and the enthusiasm of our members ensures that it will continue to flourish in the future."
