Kingscourt Had Talent... In 1986!

Kingscourt Had Talent is a fundraising night of nostalgia, likely to provoke both laughter and tears, in the Wishing Well Bar and Restaurant, Main Street, Kingscourt this Thursday, July 30, at 8pm. A recently rediscovered video of a 1986 variety show produced by the Mount Saint Joseph community in Kingscourt will be the focal point of the night, in a comical and poignant trip down '80s memory lane. "The video was made of the variety show 23 years ago, and it recently re-emerged from somewhere," explains co-organiser, Jackie McKenna. "There were up to 100 people involved in the show: young, old and all ages in between. We thought it would be a good idea to screen the video. "It'll be a throwback to the '80s, and a chance to see what we all looked like back then!" says Jackie adding that people might want to see themselves, a family member, or, poignantly, someone who has since passed away. "We think it'll be a wonderful opportunity to see how the children of that era have grown up, a chance for kids to see their parents when they were kids, or for people to see their partners having their moment of glory before they knew them!" Keenly aware that there might be some cringing involved, Jackie is game for a laugh too. "I had a part in the 1986 show... But I'm not telling you what it was!" Suffice to say that those who go along to the fundraiser will see her in a part alongside Martin Kerley, from Kingscourt. Any potential embarrassment will be in good spirit and for a good cause, with the purpose of the night being to raise funds for Niall Mellon Township Trust volunteer, Jackie's husband, Brendan McKenna. Jackie explains that she, their two children and their children's partners are fully supportive of Brendan's forthcoming charity work. "He saw a documentary a couple of years ago about the poverty in South Africa and was moved by the people living in difficult conditions in tin huts outside the township... He wanted to do his bit and has now been accepted as a volunteer." Brendan will be going out to South Africa in November and needs to raise a minimum of €5,000 in sponsorship. There will be no admission fee but donations of any size will be gratefully accepted. All proceeds will go to the cause. Food will be served. To make a donation, contact Brendan McKenna at 086-8332081, go to www.irishtownship.com and search for Brendan McKenna, Cavan, or simply make your donation on the night.