Yesterday Wednesday 9 September was a big day for Newry U3A when we finally got to meet our esteemed President, Her Excellency Mary McAleese.
We were treated as honoured guests – as indeed are all those invited to Aras an Uachtarain, the theme of President McAleese’s term being openness and reconciliation – but perhaps we were a little special being from her home constituency.
Indeed as your editor and two other Bridge players among our number pointed out to her, we regularly compete against her mother, the lovely Claire Lenighan at the card table.
Anyway she met with U3A members in the Drawing Room (with its priceless Louis XIV covered seat – a gift from the French nation to the Irish nation and originally decorating the Elyesee Palace.)
The following is a list of the members of U3A included in the photo above with President McAleese :
9 Sept 2009: U3A visit to
Nancy Smith
Kathleen Sheehan
Bridget Reilly
Gertie Flanagan
Alice Clifford
Kay Litter
Kathleen Carville
Eugene Campbell
John McCullagh
Clodagh Brady
Ann Bradley
Leontia Noleman
Bridget Convery
Phyllis Crawford
Bridie Crilly
Kathleen Duffy
Angela Finnerty
Eilish Hughes
Marie McGrath
Nancy McGreevey
Nora McKevitt
Concepta McMahon
Maureen McQuaide
Sally McSherry
Philmna O’Callaghan
Patricia Smylie
Mary McSweeney
Phyl Turley
Elizabeth Weir
Jo Gibbs
Sheila Mallon
Joan McConville
Jean Ferguson
Carrie Kane
Patricia Johnson
Claire Toal