Castleisland Camera Club AGM at the Carnegie Building Tonight

The Charity Aspect: Castleisland Camera Club members making a presentation to Castleisland Day Care Centre representatives at the centre after the November 30th exhibition and sale of work. Included are, front from left: Breda McGaley, club PRO presenting the €300 cheque to Martina O’Donoghue and Marcella Finn, Castleisland Day Care Centre with club members: Sheila Hanrahan and Nora Fealey. Back from left: Denis Fitzgerald, Maureen McAdam, Timothy Murphy whose historic slide show was a greatly appreciated feature of the club’s fundraising night and club member, Pat Hartnett. Photograph: Annette O’Donoghue

Wall-to-Wall photography. The scene at the Ivy Leaf Art Centre as the crowd gathered before the opening of the third annual Castleisland Camera Club Exhibition and Sale on Saturday night, November 30th. ©Photograph: John Reidy

The now, almost three-year-old Castleisland Camera Club will hold its annual general meeting tonight, Wednesday, February 5^th. at 8.15pm in the Carnegie Building.

The club was formed in March 2017 through a meeting of minds and the surfacing of interest in the fascinating and useful hobby in the general Castleisland area.

Exhibitions and Sales of Work

In its short history, the club has been really up and at it and has organised three winter-time exhibitions and sales of work with a sharp focus on community involvement and an altruistic eye on the needs of local charities.

The first of these was held at The Market House in 2017; the second in the former Esmay boutique at Lower Main Street in 2018.

Community Engaging Event

Last November 30^th. the members moved to the Ivy Leaf Art Centre for their third and, probably, most successful and community engaging event. On this occasion Timothy Murphy was invited to present one of his always interesting historical slide shows.

Apart from the encouragement and sense of satisfaction these events provided for the members, they were followed by cheque presentations to local charities.

From all that you can add worthwhile to the list of reasons the club would face into 2020 as another year which promises excitement, outings, opportunities and a welcome for new members.

Offered a Platform

In the run-up to last November’s exhibition and sale of work, The Maine Valley Post offered the camera club a platform to showcase the work of its members.

Part of the ‘deal’ was that the participating members would also supply a couple of paragraphs on the extent of their involvement with the club and their interests in photography.

That too was enthusiastically taken up and it revealed that involvement in the club provides an ideal and creative outlet.

Sense of Camaraderie

These mini-autobiographies unveiled a sense of camaraderie, encouragement and friendship and a universal feeling that their camera skills and general photography was improving as a direct result of club involvement.

Club PRO, Breda McGaley said that another exciting year awaits the club membership and the planning can get underway as soon as tonight’s AGM puts its 2020 officers in place.

New members are being invited to get involved in the journey from here to the end-of-year exhibition.