ICA ‘depending on the next generation’ - Cavan President

The future of the ICA depends on the next generation joining, admits the association’s Cavan president, writes Emma Okolo...

Kathleen Farrelly was speaking to the Celt after attending a ‘Flipped Council’ event hosted on International Women’s Day.

While the ICA’s history stretches back over a century, the Mullagh woman admits its future is less certain given its memberships’ age profile. She believes the public has a false image of the association.

“They tend to think we’re old fuddy duddies drinking tea and making buns,” says Margaret of how they are perceived by the younger generation. “But there is an awful lot more: there’s drama, there’s music, there’s singing, there’s painting, there’s all kind of things. And if you’re not interested, or you don’t have any inclination to that, you have the social element to it.”

Kathleen recalls when she joined there was very few alternatives as social outlets in rural Ireland but now young women have much better options vying for their limited time.

“I’m afraid our membership tends to be elderly ladies, there’s very few younger, because there’s too much out there for them now.”

Kathleen nevertheless is a strong advocate that the association retains relevance to its membership. In a nurturing and supportive environment, they offer a variety of activities ranging from knitting to embroidery to public speaking and poetry reading.

As such Kathleen credits the ICA with keeping “old traditional crafts alive”, which is something dear to her heart. She suspects crafts like rush basket making and crocheting would have died off long ago if not for the ICA running classes.

She retains hope for a new generation to replenish the guilds’ ranks across Ireland.

“I would hope that we have a younger generation that would carry on,” she says, while accepting time is pressurised for many women in their 20s rearing babies.

“It’s not easy, but as they get older, I hope that they would join and they would keep it on. I’m not going to live forever, and that someone like my daughter for instance, that she had joined and she is a member and she would keep the tradition going.

“It’s depending on the next generation to keep it going.”

The Cavan Federation President stresses the ICA is non-denominational, open to all cultures and ethnicities.

“Everybody’s welcome,” she says.

Joining couldn’t be easier - simply approach an ICA member in the guild closest to your home.

“You say to them I’d love to join, and that’s it, you just go, you’re invited to a meeting.”