Athy's Aontas Ogra make the trek to Inis Oirr

THE Austrian Composer Gustav Mahler once said that ‘tradition is the handing down of the flame and not the worshipping of ashes’, by this he meant that tradition is not static; it adapts to new contexts while maintaining the intrinsic value of the past.

When Athy's Billy Browne passed last July, I wrote in this paper ‘By his actions, he taught us about responsibility and integrity and fairness. He gave more than he ever expected back. For more than sixty years Billy Browne made sure that ‘The Light Never Went Out.’  Shine on, shine on, adieu!’.

I was therefore delighted to receive correspondence from Ciarán Laverty, Aontas Ógra Public Relations Officer informing me that the annual club trip to Inis Oirr had taken place over the Easter Holiday break. A tradition going back many years and one I went on 50 years ago, three days that will be forever treasured for the life-long friendships formed in that sweltering summer of 1976.

Ciarán brought back memories of the trip when he told me of the early morning assembly at the club house. Sandwiches made and sleeping bags and rucksacks ready at half four in the morning, waiting for the bus to arrive before sunrise for the trip across the midlands, through Laois and Offaly crossing the majestic Shannon at Athlone and into the west as the day broke across the stone walled fields of County Galway.

The four-day trip saw 14 members embark on the annual trip to Inis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands and a place so very dear in the hearts and minds of hundreds of past members of the Athy club. Aontas Ogra is one of the oldest and longest continually operating youth clubs in the country, something of which the members are very proud.

‘The Inis Oirr ferry was sitting at the quay side in Rossaveel when we arrived at about ten o’clock and it was not long before we were all aboard and heading out into the Atlantic. The morning was clear and soon our destination came into sight and in less than an hour we had landed on the Island. The Brú Radharc na Mara hostel is just about a hundred yards from the quay and countless numbers of club members have stayed here over the years, we were welcomed back with open arms by Linda and the team with scones and a welcome cup of tea.

‘Over the next few days, all 14 trip goers (6 members and 8 leaders) immersed themselves in everything the island had to offer from cycling or hiking to the sites like the shipwrecked Plassey, the lighthouse, and the ancient sunken church, to the sweet treats on offer from the Man of Aran fudge stall right by the beach. Some of the members even took to the island's football pitch for a kick about.

‘On the third day over breakfast, the group were treated to the sight of a pod of dolphins swimming right by the hostel, though in the excitement of the moment nobody thought to take a picture! Evenings at the hostel were spent playing card and board games like gin rummy and Chameleon, while meals were prepped by the club’s own Lizzie Fenlon, and it was all hands-on-deck when it came to washing up and putting the place back in order after dinner, too. Though on the last day dinner was handled by the good folks at the Inis Oírr Hotel.

‘It was also the club’s great pleasure to deliver a gift to Linda at the hostel: a framed photograph of our former chairman and club founder Billy Browne, following his passing last summer.

‘Billy had always enjoyed the Inis Oírr trips, and his fondness for the place and the annual trip to the beautiful island have certainly had their impact on the current crop of leaders and members alike.

‘As the ferry pulled away from the quay wall on the return trip and the gulls screeched overhead, we knew we had been somewhere special, we had carried on a tradition and kept the flame alight and created memories that would last a lifetime.’ Aontas Ogra; the Light That Never Went Out.