Jon Kenny gig recalled at launch of Limerick community's yearbook

A 1985 PARTY with the late actor and comedian Jon Kenny in Askeaton was one of the memories shared at the launch of the latest edition of the Askeaton Ballysteen Community yearbook.

Askeaton Community Hall was the venue for the launch of this year’s edition of ABC News, which is on sale from all good shops in the town, priced at €12.

Some 222 pages long, it is packed with anecdotes, stories, pictures and slices of local life from the west Limerick community.

Brian Mangan, who has worked on various editions of the magazine dating back to its launch in the 1970s, says the yearbook is a window into Askeaton’s history.

PICTURES: Launch of the Askeaton-Ballysteen community yearbook

“Without even trying, I believe the ABC News has become an indicator, or a voice of Askeaton’s history. I’m not talking about the historical articles written about the Abbey, or written about the castle at all. I’m talking about the manner in which what goes into ABC News on any particular year reflects Askeaton of the day,” he said.

Referring back to the 1985 Christmas edition - 39 years ago - he mentioned an advertisement for a customer’s Christmas party at Sheahan’s Arena.

“I think 1985 was the year the late Jon Kenny was the special guest. Jon was in Foley’s before he went across to the arena. All the settled ladies, let’s say, the senior customers of the arena were sitting waiting for a nice young gentleman to sing and maybe say a few poems,” he revealed.

Instead, Brian said they were shocked that every word which came out of his mouth was “eff this” and “eff that”!

“William Sheahan had an awful job trying to get those ladies back for New Year, I can tell you,” he laughed.

While ABC News of today is a glossy publication in full colour, and with a beautiful photograph of the Northern Lights over Askeaton on the cover, 40 years ago it was a different story.

Brian remembered the early editions of the magazine were done on the very first model of a word processor.

“There was no screen. It was a glorified typewriter. There was no spell check, no word count. You just kept typing away and at the end you pressed a button and it sent out a column of stuff,” he recalled.

A lot has changed in the years ABC News has been brought out, but one thing has remained constant for 40 years.

Local pharmacist Kevin Davison continues to take the advert on the back page.

Brian praised all advertisers for their support, noting that without it, the book “would be a lot dearer”.

Among the highlights in the 2024 ABC News are two articles by Ihor Husarov, a Ukrainian refugee who has settled in Askeaton, and who played a key role in the design of the magazine.

Articles from the past are resurrected, including a letter to the editor of this very newspaper dating from 1926.

And there is also a look back at the 825th anniversary of Askeaton Castle, marked in September.