AGM at Iverk Show
8th February 2022
Members of the Iverk Show were delighted to hold the Annual General Meeting in person on the 7th February 2022. More members joined on zoom. The atmosphere was buzzing as we looked forward to and started serious planning for our show on August the 27th next.
Chairman Robert Dowley welcomed everyone especially some new members. Sympathies were expressed to members who passed away during the year. Many tributes were expressed to former President and Chairman Joe Malone. Joe was a wonderful ambassador for the Iverk Show and will be sorely missed.
Anne Marie Power, auditor for the Show presented the financial statements for the year. As there was no show for the past two years they were approved by the meeting without any difficulty. Like any business some minor expenses accrued during the year.
In his address, Robert Dowley said he was aware that we all have been through a difficult two years. Planning for this year’s show gets under way now and acknowledged it will be difficult to pick up the reins where we left off in 2019. He gave the apologies of outgoing president Jack Kearns as he could not attend. Robert thanked him, despite not have a show during his tenure for all his support and the planting of a tree in the show grounds to mark the date of the first cancelled show. It will be there for all visitors to see in years to come when hopefully Covid will be a forgotten memory.
Robert stressed that we are looking for new members and that they will always be welcome. “We are certainly not a closed shop as some people perceive”, he said as he encouraged everyone there to bring a new member along during the year.
Robert said he has been in touch with a number of our sponsors and everyone is very positive and looking forward to being back in Piltown again. Some sponsored have increased their commitment to the show anticipating a superb day. There is a lot of good will out there he said.
The chairman thanked Mary Kenny for all her work. “She keeps me straight and reminds me of my duties.”. A tradition that has developed during the past 20 or so years is for the chairman to nominate his “Man of the Match” to a member who goes the extra mile in duty to the show. Despite having no show Robert nominated Norman Storey for the work he is doing behind the scenes on the history of the show. Norman has trawled through so many archives held in newspapers, especially the Munster Express, the National Library among others, gathering and formulating as much information as he can. Norman has already put together 2 booklets on the history of the Iverk Show which is the oldest in the country and began in 1826.
The officers for 2022. Amid great excitement and anticipation Ned Walsh was elected the new president.
The committee are chairman, Robert Dowley; vice chair, Willie Kearns; hon sec, Jill Dowley; assistant sec, Thomas Dunne; treasurer, John Connolly; assistant treasurer, Bea Hickey; I T, Gerard Foster; safety officer, Liam Ryan; assistant safety officer, Ray Walker; social media, Fionnuala Malone and Sara Conlon; PRO, Norman Storey; assistant PRO, Robert Duggan. Jim Kinsella retired as a director.
John Flynn updated the meeting on the progress of the progress of the new building. One or two things to be clarified and everything else is ready to go.
Our new president has a long association with Iverk Show. “I was born and reared in Graigavine, Mooncoin until I was 12”, he said. His first involvement with the show came literally by accident. “I was driving to Kilkenny when a truck carrying horses to Iverk Show crashed into the side of the car. I had to leave the car and the driver took me on the show with him. When I arrived at the gate I was met by Jamie Norris, from Turkstown who said to me – here stand in for me while I go for a break. I’ve been up since 4am this morning”. And that is 70 years ago. Ned has been involved on the gate since, in latter years as chief steward.
Ned said he bought a truck many years ago and as we all know he delivered coal in the area for many years. As you know, he told me, he would not be busy during the summer so he brought the truck to the show field to use as a platform to stand on while we erected the lean-to stalls for the vegetable, fruit, baking and flower exhibits.
“Another thing”, he said, “a man told me many years ago that the house I now live in was the site of the very first Iverk Show way back in 1826 in Bessborough Park”. Amazing.
Congratulation Ned. Enjoy.
