Pictures: Holly Bough makes its way around the world

Tue, 09 Dec, 2025 - 09:27

To say we were inundated with photographs for this year’s Holly Bough picture gallery would be an understatement, to say the least.

Copies of the 2024 edition had barely hit the shelves when the first envelopes hit the Holly Bough desk, and the email began to ping with readers sharing pictures of themselves with their prized copies.

Una, Sarah, Rita, Mary and Stephanie on a walk in Lanzarote.

In fact, such was the volume of submissions that we increased the size of our picture gallery section, and we still couldn’t include all the photos we received.

Over the coming weeks, we'll be sharing some of these pictures right here on Echolive.ie.

Michael and Karen Reardon (from Cobh and Mallow) visiting their son Carl working in Perth.

Behind each and every photograph of course is a story. Some tell tales of adventures and travel to far-off places, some tell of milestones and memories, and many tell stories of family and belonging.

Tadhg and Mary Ó Scannáil from Ballinlough taking in the ancient views of Machu Picchu, during their three-month backpacking trip to South America.

Chris Bowles sent us a picture of what just could be our youngest Holly Bough reader! The photo captures the moment that he sat down to read the Holly Bough with his daughter Abbie when she was just two weeks old.

Carmel Flynn sent us pictures of 15 friends on a somewhat delayed Leaving Cert holiday.

“We started junior infants in St Patrick’s School, Gardiners Hill in 1968, and left in 1981...we finally got to go on their Leaving Cert Holiday to Greece in May 2025. One class member even flew from New York. We’d love to make it into Holly Bough to complete what was a really great trip with friendships that were formed in 1968!” she said.

Carmel Fynn was one of 15 friends who started junior infants in St Patrick’s School, Gardiners Hill in 1968 and left in 1981. They travelled to Greece together this summer.

Another school-related picture came from Coláiste Éamann Rís in Cork city. Students from the school travelled all the way to Curacao as part of an Erasmus project, and introduced the students there to our Cork publication.

Students from Coláiste Éamann Rís with the Principal of Radulphus College Willemstad, Curacao who were involved with an Erasmus project with the school.

Claire Sheehan sent us a picture of her family in Bali and showed us how sometimes the world is a small place.

Claire Sheehan celebrating Christmas in Bali with her family. Claire and her family travelled there from Glanmire, while her sister and her family travelled from Australia

“My family spent Christmas in Bali last year with my sister, her adult children and their children. They had travelled from Sydney, Australia while we travelled from Glanmire. We met there to celebrate my sister’s 70th birthday”. Claire said they grew up with the Holly Bough at home and continue to read it.