On This Day — May 17th
On this day, a number of youthful faces from the town participated in an AnCO course. AnCO was the government training body at the time. In the 1980s, youth unemployment was a huge problem, as third-level places were scarce and many people could not afford the exorbitant fees. For many, the alternative was London or New York. Looking at this picture, I believe the vast majority remained in Ireland, even if they have, let’s say, matured!
The Wild Geese Festival seems to have spanned ten years and a bit more. One of the entertaining events was the singing pubs competition — an X Factor before its time, but without Simon Cowell. I can’t say that I attended it, but I am sure John Joe Hurley was delighted with the Guinness sales at the time.
The picture, by the way, is from 1976. Jack Fennelly was the manager of Bank of Ireland in 1976.
