Beechgrove grotto in 1960

SOMETHING I spotted from our files and I wonder – is it still there?

In 1960, Rev Fr Sean Quinn, Chaplain, Lourdes Hospital, performed the ceremony of the blessing of a Grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes, which a Drogheda family erected in dedication to the memory of their mother.

The 8-foot high grotto, depicting the Apparition at Lourdes, stood in the front garden of the Kelly home at Beechgrove Terrace. The principal builder was 26-year-old Jimmy Kelly, who collected rocks from the beach along the Boyne.

His father, Mr Thomas Kelly, and other members of the family, as well as Jimmy’s friends, joined in helping to erect the memorial to Mrs Bridget Kelly, who died in January, 1945. Fintan McCarthy, of Greenhills, made the statue of St Bernadette which stood at the foot of the grotto.