Last Sunday Nov 10th 2024, our club held the very first Friendship Walk, dedicated to two very special and hardworking individuals, Mary Ryan and Declan Clancy. They have worked tirelessly and selflessly for the club for many many years. I thought it was fitting to name this event in their honour. Along the way, we stopped at the ' Friendship Tree ' which is about halfway down the Black Ditch, a solitary fir tree, very much on its own. One day, some time ago as I passed by, the thought occurred to me that many people live very isolated lives, sometimes in very isolated places, just like this tree, quite often with very few friends. I realised how fortunate I was and realised also the importance of having friends and being part of a club, filled with so many very kind people. I then noticed that the tree had a forked branch and thought how nice it would be for people passing by to shake hands with their friends through it, all the while being mindful of how lucky they are to have many friends and also to reflect on our good friends who have passed to their eternal reward. The photograph here shows Mary Ryan and Pat Moriarty doing the very first 'handshake'. Pat is a founder member of Ballyhoura Bears, another tireless worker for the club.
My thanks to everyone who turned out for the event, it was heartwarming to see such a big number. I also want to thank Deirdre Fitzpatrick for leading the B group. I look forward to this being an annual event, an opportunity for all of us to meet up and show how much we appreciate one another's friendship and company and remind us of how fortunate and blessed we all are.
Kind regards,
Denis O'Brien
