CLONAKILTY stalwart Noreen Minihan is the ambassador for this year’s Darkness into Light walk in the town.

The 95-year-old retired school principal will lead the annual dawn walk this Saturday to support Pieta House.

Often described as an institution in Clonakilty, if you see her on the street, more than likely she is stopped having a catch up with a friend.

A volunteering constant, Noreen has been involved with countless organisations, committees and clubs over the past number of decades.

She still organises and guides the altar servers in Clonakilty. She’s also involved in the Clonakilty Tidy Towns, and various other committees around the area.

This year, she has had the special honour of being named as Clonakilty’s Darkness into Light ambassador.

Noreen has been volunteering since she was 17, so after nearly eight decades, the list of organisations she has been a part of is long.

So long, in fact, that she has diligently written out a list of every organisation and committee that she has been involved in, so that she would not forget anything during our chat. 

The list is two pages long, and we barely cover half of them in our conversation. As we talk, I take in the photographs and memorabilia covering the sun room in Noreen’s home. 

It is a house full of memories. Bunting is draped across the ceiling, each panel a photograph of Noreen from different points in her life.

There is barely any free space on the wall with photos of her children, grandchildren and family and friends. 

Noreen served us tea and cakes using a beautiful set of china, white with a gold rim and embossed with a Tara brooch.

She explained that her late husband Michael, who was an avid golfer, won the set as a golfing prize.

Noreen’s first volunteering involvement began with the Society of for the Propagation of the Faith, an organisation coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers and nuns.

Noreen overtook the job from her mother, who was very busy running a shop on Main Street.

After leaving school, she headed off to college to become a teacher in Limerick.

During the first few weeks, she suffered from homesickness and missed her family.

‘I found it very hard for a couple of weeks after going back to the training college,’ Noreen said. 

‘To help me get to sleep, I didn’t count sheep. I’d go through every house in Clonakilty and I could name who was in the house, and anybody who had a car I’d be able to give the number of the car as well.’

When she returned from Limerick, Noreen founded the Cork Polio branch in Clonakilty. 

She was also involved in the fundraising and construction of the Community Hall. ‘That was tough going, getting the money,’ she said. ‘It was €369,000 at the time.’ 

Money was raised for the amenity with a lottery, the proceeds of which was spread between the community hall and Clonakilty hospital.

Noreen would help out with the popular weekly bingo session at the hall, which took place every Monday.

‘The only Monday night I had free in the year was Christmas night, and they’d nearly come on Christmas night if you had it.’

‘I was in the Past Pupils [Association] and I was the president for a while.’ Noreen recalls. ‘Actually, I suppose I’m the president still because it was never finally closed down!’ 

Other involvements of Noreen’s include the Clonakilty Organisations Action Group, an outreach service for the travelling community, Clonakilty Flower Club, the town twinning organisation and Dúchas.

On top of all this, Noreen was the principal of Scoil na mBuachaillí in Clonakilty until 1995.

How did she have time to manage a school and be involved in so many aspects of Clonakilty life?

‘To be quite honest with you, looking back now, I don’t know,’ she admitted. ‘I was born and reared in Clonakilty, and because of that, I know it is a special town, and people help one another a lot.’

For Noreen, knowing she has helped achieved real change in the town feels ‘marvellous.’

‘It feels like a job well done.’

One of the biggest honours in Noreen’s life came from her former workplace Scoil na mBuachaillí.

She recalled how now-retired principal Barth Harrington asked her to visit the school’s new additional needs extension

‘I thought we’d walk through the school reminiscing on what it was like…we walked around the school and I was surprised. Several of my family, the ones who were around, they were all there. I couldn’t believe it.

‘We came around the corner and we came in the new entrance, and it was lovely. There was an old bit of paper hanging on the wall, and Bart said to me, ‘Noreen, would you go over and take down that piece of paper.’ And when I pulled it down it was Áras Uí Mhúineacháin (the Mrs Minihan building)’

‘I was absolutely thrilled. I couldn’t believe it… It was a great honour.’

Noreen has done the Darkness into Light walk every year, except during COVID when she was not allowed out due to restrictions. Byt she still found a way to take part in her own way.

‘One year, I got up anyway and walked as far as the front gate, and the second year then you could go further so I walked down as far as my old home on Pearse Street and back again.’

She understands the importance of a charity like Pieta House: ‘They’re listening to the people who are depressed, they’re listening to the families of people who die by suicide, those with suicidal tendencies themselves…and 80% of their funds come from Darkness Into Light.

‘It is absolutely fantastic to go out there at four o’clock in the morning…to see the hundreds and hundreds of people from everywhere coming along…there’s always kind of a bright attitude because you feel you’re helping somebody else.’

When she’s not giving her time to others, Noreen enjoys attending historical talks organised by Dúchas, and going to the theatre. She has even stepped on the stage herself, and won a Best Actress award for her performance in The Far-Off Hills in Rossmore Theatre.

‘They have my name written on a seat in Rossmore at the drama festival. I go for the seven nights…my seat number is D4.’

Over 95 years in Clonakilty, Noreen as seen big changes: ‘Changes for the better now in the town,’ she said. ‘I don’t mind strangers coming in the least as long as they keep our ethos alive. And that is to help everybody, to help one another, and take care of the town and do their best for everyone else.

‘My motto is, if you can help somebody as you pass this way, then your living will not be in vain.’

Clonakilty’s Darkness into Light walk starts at 4.15am on Saturday, May 9th, beginning at the Model Railway Village.