"Ahead of the posse” – that was a phrase that sprang to mind several times during Irish Country Living’s chat with Craanford residents.
They put in a fully lit walking track around their pitch in 2008, for example. They had Strictly Come Dancing fundraisers as far back as 2013.
Planning ahead for the next generation at Craanford sports centre, Co Wexford. \ Mary Browne
They had vintage tractor runs raising funds for hospices from 2005, they have an indoor astro pitch since 2015 and now they have their pièce de résistance – an underpass to bring school children safely across the busy Carnew/Gorey road each day to the car park, church, pre-school and after-school care as well as the sports complex.
The politicians who gathered said as much – Michael D’Arcy, TD and councillors Anthony Donohoe and Donal Kenny.
“Craanford is a yardstick for most parishes…”
“The village is a credit to the people who live in it…”
“They are great at pulling together…”
Looking at the list of achievements in the village there could be no argument with any of those comments.
Ninety-year-old Canon Phelim Byrne from Craanford’s half-parish of Monaseed, who helped in getting the sports complex in Craanford built, knows why it all works too.
“They have the facilities and the will to use them. The buildings are not roosts for crows.”
It was Craanford’s parish priest, Fr Richard Lawless, however, who came up with the motto that residents live by; one thing leads to another, all things are connected. The underpass is a physical representation of that.
Quite a list of organisations
Those gathered praise their predecessors and current helpers – those who built the community hall in 1978 and everyone involved today in all the different committees. It’s quite a list – sports complex, GAA, parish council, community centre, community playschool, field trust, development association, athletics club, drama, ICA, active retired, annual Ford Fest committee, music club, heritage society and those involved with the annual Run with Ray (Byrne) fundraising race. There is a Tidy Towns committee too, with Craanford winning first prize many times over the years. This year, Craanford will again be one of the areas representing Co Wexford in the Co-operation Ireland/County Councils Pride of Place competition.
Building proper sports facilities was an imperative and the community took the big step of going ahead during the recession.. \ Mary Browne
It is certainly an attractive village to stop in. It has the river Lask running through it, a restored 17th century corn mill and a millennium aqua garden (beloved of wedding parties and picnickers who must bring their rubbish home).
Chair of the community field trust Ger Doran is singled out for special praise, though he doesn’t want the spotlight. The group laugh about how seeing his name coming up on their phones can mean a lot of work under the guise of “Have you got half an hour to spare?”.
Ger was shortlisted for a community volunteer of the year award in 2018. “He puts his life on hold when there is a big project on,” the group said.
Brave step during recession
Bravery, in large doses, came into the equation too when planning the sports complex, I heard. 
With safeguarding an issue for all communities, building proper sports facilities was an imperative and the community took the big step of going ahead during the recession.
“There was a big debate because of the cost involved – about €1m altogether between buying land and everything – indoor play area, car park, pitch development and complex but we did it in stages,” says James Doyle, treasurer of the trust.
Margaret Doyle, a Department of Agriculture employee and Craanford resident who pushes others into the spotlight also says it’s about vision.
“When these people do something they do it with the vision that they will succeed,” she says.
Michael D’Arcy TD says Craanford’s bravery was rewarded.
“This is the best example I’ve come across of a major project in the teeth of a recession getting good grant aid from government departments. People would look at villages like this and say ‘how did you do so well on grants’ but in that period a lot of people weren’t prepared to progress projects.”
Having a lot of businesses
There is less than €200,000 owed now and the secret to this achievement may be in the fact that there are many business owners in the village who will help out at the drop of a text. They are assisted, too, by having hoteliers and builders in the locality (Redmond Bros), and accounting volunteers who are good at filling out grant application forms.
As far as committee work goes it’s a case of musical chairs.
The millennium aqua garden is beloved of wedding parties and picnickers who must bring their rubbish home. \ Mary Browne
“There is a core of 15-20 people who move from job to job but we’ve a group of 50 or so after that that we can call on,” says James.
The different committees help one another, they say, and that is key to their success.
“It’s a two-way street. We help them and they help us,” the group says.
Underpass – a practical
solution
The underpass committee is chaired by dairy farmer, John Murphy.
“We had discussed the need for car parking at the school and the children crossing the road,” he says, “and we thought if you can have underpasses for cows you can have them for people too. It was a practical solution.”
The underpass cost €165,000 and was fully paid for in 15 months.
Safe underpass from left; Michael Darcy TD, Stephen Hayes principal Craanford national school, Cllr Donal Kelly. Paddy Kavanagh, Cllr. Anthony Donoghue, Ger Doran chairperson community field trust and John Murphy chairperson underpass committee.\ Mary Browne
“We got about €56,000 in grants between parish and councillors and raised €109,000 in all sorts of ways from Strictly to cookery demos, food festivals and even white collar boxing,” he says.
On the day I visited the sports complex is busy. Teenagers appear from various activities to join old and young community development drivers and helpers alike for the group photograph.
Though modest about what they have done it is obvious that there is a great sense of achievement in Craanford. It is work that has put their village on the community development map.
Look to the future needs of the community.Think of practical solutions to problems.Support one another’s community events.Get politicians and parish on side.Develop natural amenities.Set up a community information website and text group. Read more
How Moneygall has fared since the Obama visit
No folly in Cullohill where a festival funds development
"Ahead of the posse” – that was a phrase that sprang to mind several times during Irish Country Living’s chat with Craanford residents.
They put in a fully lit walking track around their pitch in 2008, for example. They had Strictly Come Dancing fundraisers as far back as 2013.
Planning ahead for the next generation at Craanford sports centre, Co Wexford. \ Mary Browne
They had vintage tractor runs raising funds for hospices from 2005, they have an indoor astro pitch since 2015 and now they have their pièce de résistance – an underpass to bring school children safely across the busy Carnew/Gorey road each day to the car park, church, pre-school and after-school care as well as the sports complex.
The politicians who gathered said as much – Michael D’Arcy, TD and councillors Anthony Donohoe and Donal Kenny.
“Craanford is a yardstick for most parishes…”
“The village is a credit to the people who live in it…”
“They are great at pulling together…”
Looking at the list of achievements in the village there could be no argument with any of those comments.
Ninety-year-old Canon Phelim Byrne from Craanford’s half-parish of Monaseed, who helped in getting the sports complex in Craanford built, knows why it all works too.
“They have the facilities and the will to use them. The buildings are not roosts for crows.”
It was Craanford’s parish priest, Fr Richard Lawless, however, who came up with the motto that residents live by; one thing leads to another, all things are connected. The underpass is a physical representation of that.
Quite a list of organisations
Those gathered praise their predecessors and current helpers – those who built the community hall in 1978 and everyone involved today in all the different committees. It’s quite a list – sports complex, GAA, parish council, community centre, community playschool, field trust, development association, athletics club, drama, ICA, active retired, annual Ford Fest committee, music club, heritage society and those involved with the annual Run with Ray (Byrne) fundraising race. There is a Tidy Towns committee too, with Craanford winning first prize many times over the years. This year, Craanford will again be one of the areas representing Co Wexford in the Co-operation Ireland/County Councils Pride of Place competition.
Building proper sports facilities was an imperative and the community took the big step of going ahead during the recession.. \ Mary Browne
It is certainly an attractive village to stop in. It has the river Lask running through it, a restored 17th century corn mill and a millennium aqua garden (beloved of wedding parties and picnickers who must bring their rubbish home).
Chair of the community field trust Ger Doran is singled out for special praise, though he doesn’t want the spotlight. The group laugh about how seeing his name coming up on their phones can mean a lot of work under the guise of “Have you got half an hour to spare?”.
Ger was shortlisted for a community volunteer of the year award in 2018. “He puts his life on hold when there is a big project on,” the group said.
Brave step during recession
Bravery, in large doses, came into the equation too when planning the sports complex, I heard.
With safeguarding an issue for all communities, building proper sports facilities was an imperative and the community took the big step of going ahead during the recession.
“There was a big debate because of the cost involved – about €1m altogether between buying land and everything – indoor play area, car park, pitch development and complex but we did it in stages,” says James Doyle, treasurer of the trust.
Margaret Doyle, a Department of Agriculture employee and Craanford resident who pushes others into the spotlight also says it’s about vision.
“When these people do something they do it with the vision that they will succeed,” she says.
Michael D’Arcy TD says Craanford’s bravery was rewarded.
“This is the best example I’ve come across of a major project in the teeth of a recession getting good grant aid from government departments. People would look at villages like this and say ‘how did you do so well on grants’ but in that period a lot of people weren’t prepared to progress projects.”
Having a lot of businesses
There is less than €200,000 owed now and the secret to this achievement may be in the fact that there are many business owners in the village who will help out at the drop of a text. They are assisted, too, by having hoteliers and builders in the locality (Redmond Bros), and accounting volunteers who are good at filling out grant application forms.
As far as committee work goes it’s a case of musical chairs.
The millennium aqua garden is beloved of wedding parties and picnickers who must bring their rubbish home. \ Mary Browne
“There is a core of 15-20 people who move from job to job but we’ve a group of 50 or so after that that we can call on,” says James.
The different committees help one another, they say, and that is key to their success.
“It’s a two-way street. We help them and they help us,” the group says.
Underpass – a practical
solution
The underpass committee is chaired by dairy farmer, John Murphy.
“We had discussed the need for car parking at the school and the children crossing the road,” he says, “and we thought if you can have underpasses for cows you can have them for people too. It was a practical solution.”
The underpass cost €165,000 and was fully paid for in 15 months.
Safe underpass from left; Michael Darcy TD, Stephen Hayes principal Craanford national school, Cllr Donal Kelly. Paddy Kavanagh, Cllr. Anthony Donoghue, Ger Doran chairperson community field trust and John Murphy chairperson underpass committee.\ Mary Browne
“We got about €56,000 in grants between parish and councillors and raised €109,000 in all sorts of ways from Strictly to cookery demos, food festivals and even white collar boxing,” he says.
On the day I visited the sports complex is busy. Teenagers appear from various activities to join old and young community development drivers and helpers alike for the group photograph.
Though modest about what they have done it is obvious that there is a great sense of achievement in Craanford. It is work that has put their village on the community development map.
Look to the future needs of the community.Think of practical solutions to problems.Support one another’s community events.Get politicians and parish on side.Develop natural amenities.Set up a community information website and text group. Read more
How Moneygall has fared since the Obama visit
No folly in Cullohill where a festival funds development
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