Cobh

Fr Liam Kelleher says thanks A very sincere thanks to all the various groups and clubs as well as individuals, who sent messages of goodwill in various ways, including social media in particular on the occasion of my retirement from parish ministry last September after 52 years in various parishes. Much of that time was in East Cork and my first appointment after coming back from Treforest Pontypridd in South Wales, in January 1970, was chaplain to the Presentation Convent in Midleton. In January 1977 I was transferred to Tullylease in North Cork and that was a huge change with just 39 pupils in the local National school. The building of an all weather running track attracting some of the top athletes in the world kept my interest in athletics going after the many successes in that sport in Midleton and East Cork. Olympic champions, John Walker New Zealand and Steve Ovett England graced the track as well as world champions Eamonn Coghlan, Frank O'Mara and John Treacy. Add to those Ray Flynn who still holds the Irish mile record, East Cork and Midleton's own Liam O'Brien who won 11 National steeplechase titles and reached the Semi final of the event at the Los Angeles in 1984 and the Scottish pair Frank Clement and Nat Muir. I returned to East Cork in 1988 to Inch in the parish of Killeagh. Again athletics played a huge part in my life after helping to set up Glenbower ac and which in a short time became the top Juvenile cross country and track and field club in Ireland. There was another period of exile from East Cork spending 6 years in Whitechurch and 12 years as Parish Priest In Grenagh. There my sporting interest turned to ladies football and in 21 years did the fitness programme for 21  Cork underage teams who won All-Ireland titles. I'm In Cobh since 2013 and I am staying on here in retirement. I'm still very much involved in photography and journalism. I produce a calendar for charity each year and I want to thank all those who have supported the various charities, this year the enclosed order of Benedictine nuns. I wish all the readers of the East Cork advertiser every good wish and blessing and hopefully 2021 will bring us to a new normal.

Thank You

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