Rathkenny Hall at 75: 'The people who built it, improved it, kept it open and filled it with life’

For Larry Mongey, the story of Rathkenny Hall is about the people who gave their time and skills to make it all possible, particularly those no longer here to tell their stories. Larry was just 11 when Rathkenny Hall officially opened in 1951. He remembers coming down with John Mongey, hoping to catch a glimpse of visiting Minister Seán MacBride.

“There were only the two pillars there then, with a bank on either side,” he recalls. “I remember standing up on the bank trying to get a better look at him.”

Larry later became closely involved with the hall, serving for many years as chairman of the Rathkenny Revels and working alongside the hall committee.

“There was no kitchen attached to the hall in those days,” he explains. “The toilets were outside at the back, and then the extension was built with the shop and everything else.”

Before central heating, the hall relied on blow heaters. When the old church was renovated, Paddy Doherty and Peter Crosbie helped bring its radiators and piping across to Rathkenny Hall.

“Imagine the difference that made,” Larry recalls.

He also remembers the familiar Céad Míle Fáilte sign above the stage, which originally came from Rathkenny School.

Larry had been vice-chairman of Stackallen Dramatic Society, established in 1959. With Fr Michael Murchan's encouragement in the 1960s, the dramatic society developed into variety entertainment, and the Rathkenny Revels became a parish tradition.

The shows ran on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights over three weekends during Lent. Rehearsals and committee meetings took place in the old national school in Stackallen, while Rathkenny Hall provided the stage.

Fr Murchan wrote scripts, gathered props and sourced sound and lighting equipment. Local people built scenery, created special effects and played in the orchestra. The ICA ladies provided the teas, while others handled bookings and the box office.

The Revels soon travelled beyond the parish, performing in Navan, Tullyallen and Dublin. In 1968, they were invited to take part in an AIMS concert at the Olympia Theatre.

As productions grew, larger shows eventually moved to Solstice Arts Centre, but Rathkenny Hall remained their rehearsal home. By 2014, the children's chorus had grown to more than 90 members.

Among all those involved, Jimmy Carry holds a special place in Larry's heart. His sudden death was a devastating loss.

“We never thought we could continue on when Jimmy died,” Larry recalls.

Even now, Larry finds it difficult to speak about his great friend without becoming emotional. The countless hours they spent working together mattered as much as anything that happened on stage.

As Rathkenny Hall celebrates 75 years, Larry wants those who built it, improved it and kept it going to be remembered, especially those no longer here to tell their stories.