Wexford Macra will hold a dinner dance in the Ashdown Park Hotel in Gorey on Saturday, March 16, to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
All members, past and present, are invited to attend the gathering, which will be attended by current national president, Elaine Houlihan, and Leinster vice president, Patrick Jordan.
Macra first took a foothold in the county in 1949, with an attendance of 27 in The Railway Hotel, Templeshannon, Enniscorthy.
Representatives from Monageer; Campile; Gorey; New Ross; Adamstown and Kiltealy came together to discuss the formation of a Macra county executive, which is thought to be the first of its kind in the country.
Thriving organisation
Now, Macra has a thriving network of young people across the county, with clubs in Bree; Camolin; Cushinstown; Kilmuckridge; Kilrush/Askamore/Ferns and the most recent addition, Ramsgrange.
More than 200 young people throughout the county are involved in the organisation, with clubs emerging and expanding all the time, according to PRO of the dinner dance committee, Sara Steacy.
The dinner dance has been organised by a sub-committee of the county executive, with work starting back in October.
“We had a great turnout for our launch night. Plenty of meetings have taken place to the build-up to the night. Wexford Macra has been thriving for the last two years so it is a great event for the county to celebrate this massive milestone,” said Sara.
“It also means we get to show appreciation to all the past and present Wexford Macra members. It’ll be a great night for everyone. Wexford Macra really do appreciate all the support from all the people, local businesses and all the other Macra county executives throughout the country,” she said.
The county has had great success in a number of competitions over the years. In 2023, Cushinstown member, Shane Caulfield, brought home the Macra ploughing class trophy.
As well as that, a team from Bree consisting of Mary Byrne, Grace Kehoe and Jordan Feely, won the national public speaking competition.
And thirdly, Kilmuckridge Macra was awarded Leinster Club of the Year at the national conference in Ballinasloe, for 2022-2023.
Members meet at county and club level once a month, with a whole range of social events taking place, from pool and darts nights, to farm walks, hikes, and social dancing.
Clubs across the county have been continuing to fundraise for various charities, and recently raised €1,000 from their monthly social dances. The proceeds were split between Talk to Tom and Little Blue Heroes.
Entertainment at the 75th celebrations will be provided by local band ‘The Heartbeats’, followed by DJ P-Man to take the party into the early hours of the morning.
Tickets, priced at €60 each, are available from the Ashdown Park Hotel or any dinner dance committee member.
The county and committee chair, Ronan Finn, can be contacted on (085) 128 6733. Tickets will also be available in the IFA Centre, Enniscorthy, on March 7 from 7:30p.m to 8:00p.m, as well as at all club and county events.