Ruby jubilee celebrations in Fr McCullen Park

Forty years ago this week, 37 Kells families began moving into a brand new housing development on the outskirts of the town. Fr McCullen Park was a new local authority estate on a green field site on the Cavan Road and, with a large housing waiting list, the families were delighted to have been allocated these new homes. A strong local community grew here over the next 40 years, babies were born, families reared, there have been weddings, deaths and grandchildren, but most of the original families still live in those houses. Now those families and the newer residents have come together to celebrate the estate's 40th anniversary with a big party on Sunday. Every house in Fr McCullen Park will be contributing to the celebration and sons and daughters of the area are coming home from all over Ireland and indeed the world, including Jamaica, Australia, Sweden and London. A brass band will play on the hill at 2pm and there will also be music by James Maguire and some gospel singers, courtesy of some of the newest residents of the estate. There will also be an ecumenical prayer service. It will also be an extra special day for the Lee family, as baby Jamie Lee, whose father James grew up Fr McCullen Park, will be christened on Sunday before the festivites. His father, mother, Eva, and sister, Ruby will be there to celebrate along with grandmother, Elizabeth, who still lives in Fr McCullen Park and his aunt, Catherine and cousin, Saoirse, who will be travelling over from Sweden. Other members of the Lee family will also be present. There have in fact been four other babies born to Fr McCullen families in the past month or so, Katy Mae Rennicks, Lily Mae Needle, Jack Lynch and Pippa Lee. Among those travelling from abroad are Erin McGrane, who is coming over from Jamaica and Peter Maguire who is travelling from Australia. According to local resident Tommy Grimes: "Everybody is contributing to the party. People are doing sandwiches, apple tarts, chickens, hams, - every house is doing something. Kells Town Council and local businesses have also provided sponsorship." Tommy Grimes, who is now a town councillor, was was one of the first residents and still lives there now. He and his wife, Anne, were thrilled to get one of the houses as there was a big waiting list at the time and housing was scarce. "It was great news. We had three children at the time," he recalls. Before they moved, the late Monsignor McCullen and Cllr Paddy McKenna, then chairman of Kells Urban Council, performed the official opening. The families then started moving in over a two to three week period. "There have been changes, but 75 per cent of the families that moved in at that time are still here," said Cllr Grimes. "It was a great place to live and rear a family. We've had good neighbours and a great residents association. There were 40 or 50 children playing on the green at any times in those days," he recalled. Rosaleen Donegan who grew up in Fr McCullen Park is now secretary of the residents association. "It was great growing up here. The hill was always full of kids and now the grandkids are playing here. We still have a lot of the same friends, We grew up together and went to school together," she said. John Rennicks was actually born in Fr McCullen Park, grew up there and now lives just across the road and he remembers playing football on what they called the hill. "That is where we all learned to play." Packie Reilly moved into Fr McCullen Park with his parents as a small toddler and still lives there. "You couldn't meet nicer people. We all played together and stayed friends all our lives. They are lovely neighbours and we always stick together if anything happens," he said. Shortly after the first residents moved in, they set up a tenants association under the chairmanship of the late Joe Kellett. The late Michael Arkins was secretary and the treasurer was Tom Lynch. Today there is a very active residents association under the chairmanship of Cepta Lynch. Rosaleen Donegan is secretary and the joint treasurers are Moll McManus and Margaret Reilly. The committee, and indeed all the residents, have been working hard to clean up and improve the estate for Sunday's celebrations. Fr McCullen Park has had its fair share of political representaion over the years. Cllr John Caffrey was one of the first residents and his son, Peter was a councillor up unil the 2009 local elections. The late Cllr Noel Dardis was also a resident and now Cllr Grimes is one of Kells longest serving town councillors. There have been many well known sports personalities living in the estate including Dessie McGovern who represented Ireland in the 1967 World Handball Championship in Tornoto and Peter Reilly who won a number of All Ireland handball titles. Gerry McManus played in goal for the first Kells team to win a senior championship. That great community spirit which saw the setting up of the first tenants association is still very evident today. The very many old families of the estate, as well as the few new residents, are now gearing up for Sunday's celebrations. The event is the result of a huge community effort and residents say they will continue to be good neigbbours for generations to come.