Maisie was a powerhouse in her community
The late Maisie Candy
That was the opening paragraph to an Eye on the Past which I wrote in July 2008. I went on to praise the Castlemitchell and Churchtown community’s strength which developed and sustained over the years, had made it one of the premier rural communities in Co Kildare. One of the community leaders in Castlemitchell and Churchtown during her time as principal of Churchtown National School and later in retirement, was Maisie Candy whose death was announced last week.
Maisie was an extraordinary, energetic and kind woman who more than anyone else personified the community spirit of Castlemitchell/Churchtown. She always highlighted the importance of community involvement and helped maintain by her leadership and involvement the community spirit which gave recognition to Castlemitchell/Churchtown as an active and vibrant community.
That involvement saw Maisie initiating two important projects for the Castlemitchell area. The unveiling of the 1798 monument during the bicentenary of the 1798 Rebellion was one such initiative of hers. Another which I know was very close to her heart was the revival of the annual pilgrimage to the Holy Well at Toberara.
In 1979, Maisie and the children of Churchtown NS compiled a detailed account of local brickyards in the south Kildare area and wrote a detailed description of the handmade brickmaking techniques of the late 19th century. That work was reproduced in the recently published book , written by the retired conservation architect, Susan Rowantree and published by Wordwell.
Another very important project initiated by Maisie and completed by the children of Churchtown National School was an investigation and listing of local field names in and around Castlemitchell.
Local history and local folklore were the abiding interests of Maisie and as a native daughter of Castlemitchell she was always willing to share her knowledge with others. In that regard she was most generous.
An Irish language enthusiast, she was a member of the committee set up by Athy’s Chamber of Commerce in 1994 to help restore interest in the everyday use of the Irish language.
Athy’s ‘Glor na nGael’ was in its time one of the most successful organisations in the town. Seachtain na nGailge was organised annually to encourage local shopkeepers to make use of the Irish language by advertising in Irish and speaking Irish during that one week in the year.
All of this was a revival of the Gaelic League of ninety years or more earlier which had flourished for a few years under the guidance of Bridget Darby who like Maisie was principal of Churchtown National School and Michael Dooley, shopkeeper of Duke Street and one time president of Athy’s Sinn Féin Club.
The later revived Gaelic League of the early 1960s was headed up by Paddy Walsh, a native speaker from Ring, with the help of Kevin Meaney, Mick Kelleher, Peadar O’Murchu, Maisie Candy and others.
Athy’s Chamber of Commerce Irish language initiative led to the setting up of the first Gaelscoil in December 2004. The following November the Gaelscoil moved from the Aontas Ogra premises adjoining the former Dreamland Ballroom to Athy’s soccer clubhouse.
There it remained until the Gaelscoil at Rathstewart was built. All of this stemmed from the work of many people, including Kathleen Robinson, David Murphy and Maisie Candy.
Maisie was also to the forefront in promoting concerts and drama in the local Castlemitchell hall.
She was a renaissance woman whose allegiance to Castlemitchell/Churchtown was forged by ties of birth but whose lifelong efforts to encourage a strong community spirit was the hallmark of a generous person who could truly be described as a passionate community activist.
Our sympathies on Maisie’s passing go to her daughters Brid, Catherine, Eilis, her son Sean and her extended family and friends.
