PICS: Gurranabraher Credit Union celebrates 60th anniversary

Gurranabraher Credit Union recently celebrated their 60th anniversary with a special mass in the Church of the Ascension.

Chairperson of Gurranabraher CU Michael O’Connell said it was a “great event”.

Fr Tomas Walsh presided over the ceremony with members, volunteers, and staff of the credit union taking part.

“We were also delighted to have the choir from St Vincent’s hurling and football club preforming at the mass,” Mr O’Connell said.

The credit union was founded in the basement of the church in back April 1963, and following the mass last weekend, a special meeting of the board was held in the basement to commemorate the first meeting of the credit union. At Sunday’s meeting, the minutes of that first meeting, including the names of all those present, were read, and adopted into the record of the meeting.

The chairman of Gurranabraher Credit Union Michael O’Connell welcomed everyone to the meeting, in particular the deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Damian Boylan.

The chairman said that it was a great day for everyone in attendance “to be standing in the very space where the credit union was founded in 1963”.

He paid tribute to the founding members and welcomed some of their family members who joined them for the special event. Meanwhile, Mr Boylan said that he was delighted to be there to represent the Lord Mayor Councillor Deirdre Forde.

Mr Boylan added that his family have been associated with the credit union for nearly all of the 60 years it has been in operation.

He congratulated the credit union for the voluntary work they are doing in the community, particularly through their sponsorship of local schools, sports clubs, community and residents associations, and wished the credit union every success for the future.