Half the parish on Templeport calendar

Charity calendars featuring burly firemen and farmers or delicately covered ladies of various ages are common enough these days, but nobody has tried a fundraising calendar with photos of 500 or more people from the same parish. Not till now that is... Saturday of next week (November 14) will be special in the lives of the people of Templeport as that's when Fair City actress Orlaith Rafter comes to the Keepers Arms in Bawnboy for the official launch of the Templeport Development Association's (TDA) 14-month calendar (from this December to January, 2011). It features the faces of at least 500 people from the parish, where community spirit and contentment, laced with a fine sense of place are interwoven with great flair. Hundreds are expected in the Keepers Arms to see if their photographs appear and have a yarn with TV star Orlaith. It is something of a public relations coup to have persuaded Orlaith Rafter to perform the launch and meet the locals, and Isabel Rofe has to take the credit for that. Apparently Orlaith is community aware and was willing to go to Bawnboy for the launch. She'll be staying in the Slieve Russell Hotel while in Cavan. The TDA secretary Sean Coll told The Anglo-Celt they had been examining ways to raise funds and came across a calendar idea from a parish in a different county: "We adapted it to suit our criteria. We wanted it to be a community calendar, which features pictures of hundreds of local people and characters," said Sean. The finished product features 500 faces from the Templeport parish, which has a total population of around 1,150... so almost half of them make it to the pages of this first calendar. Sean says the project had a community focus from start to finish and once the appeal went out for photographs, they started to filter in slowly - then there was an avalanche as word spread. It is a superb historical record, a pictorial record of life over the decades in Templeport. "The level of interest in the project has been exceptional and great credit is due to all those who helped to put it together," said Sean. "All our work is designed to enhance Templeport and put the parish on the map. There's a great gra by Templeport people to remain in the area and raise their families here. That's a positive reflection of the spirit and contentment that prevails in the parish," he said. Sean says the calendar harnessed many skills in the community and the four calendar girls, as they have become affectionately known, were busy with the laptops for months, compiling the contents. They are Isabel Rofe, Jan Alexander, Eimear Crowe and Sheila McKiernan and of course Nigel Rofe was an active member of a sub-committee; his skills on the computer are reported to be amazing. Isabel Rofe says that the calendar has been produced by a sub-committee of the TDA to raise funds for the continued work of the Association, which is non-profit making and exists to develop and promote the community. So what has it been doing in recent years? Quite a lot, it seems: Participating in the Golden Mile Competition, improving road safety in Bawnboy by lobbying for the adjustment of the existing speed limits, lobbying for improved street lighting in Bawnboy, development of looped walks in the area, control of jet-ski and power boats on Brackley lake, the development of access facilities at St. Mogue's Island, lobbying for the provision of adequate broadband services in the area, the preservation and development of Bawnboy Workhouse. They are also formulating ideas and discussion on how developments and activities being undertaken in the area by the TDA fit into the geopark initiative. The TDA liaises with local authorities, central government and non-governmental organisations to progress the various projects. All the money that will be generated from the sale of the calendar will go back into community projects. Isabel, who returned to live in the area about two years ago and recommends it at a place to live, believes the future is bright for the TDA and is proud of that Templeport lake is now a game sanctuary. "There are a lot objectives we hope to achieve in the years ahead and ensure this remains a vibrant community. This calendar has been about the community from start to finish," she pointed out. Sheila McKiernan says they have many ambitious long term aims for the area. The hope to work closely with Cavan County Council and the geopark people with a view to accessing funding, to promote Bawnboy Workhouse and stop it falling into further disrepair. It is the finest example of a workhouse building in Ireland and there are ideas to have it developed into a heritage centre. Sheila revealed that they had great fun compiling the calendar and picking the photographs. "We've made lots of new friends and got to know numerous people who have come to reside in the area," she added. Sheila and her husband Brian will host the launch of the calendar in their premises, the Keepers Arms. Jan Alexander, who is from Australia and has been living in the area for some time, was delighted to be asked to join the TDA. "It's a great way for me to be involved with the community and get to know people better," is how she sees it. The calendar is also an excellent way to put names on faces in the area. Jan had strong views from the outset that the calendar should not evolve into a landscape pictorial. "We live in a beautiful landscape, which can never be captured in a still shot and the richness of the area is also inherent in the people. I feel really proud to be part of this community and they are fun loving people who are there for you when your require help." The calendar (printed by Black's in Cavan) costs €10 and has gained generous support from many businesses - every month has been sponsored. The TDA: chairman Paula Fahy; vice-chairman Thomas Doonan; secretary Sean Coll; joint treasurers Aidan Brady and Derrick Bailey; committee Jan Alexander, Nigel Rofe, Oliver Brady, Tony Byrne, Eimear Crowe, Caimin Dolan, Jan Dolman, Veronica Edwards, Dympna Hayden, Martina Leech, Michael Leech, Paddy Maguire, Kevin McCaffrey, Seamus McGovern, Sheila McKiernan, Joe O'Reilly, Isabel Rofe and Sean Smith. If you want to know more about the people in Templeport and the work of the TDA see templeport.ie.