Kilmacanogue

HISTORY SOCIETY

The members of the Kilmacanogue History Society thoroughly enjoyed their first lecture of 2020 in the Glenview Hotel. Marc McMenamin was the guest speaker and the title of his talk was, The Codebreaker.

His fascinating story lined how a gifted polymath and cryptographer, was drafted by Irish intelligence services to track the movements of a prolific Nazi spy, Hermann Görtz. It set in motion one of the most remarkable episodes in Irish history. What followed was a high-stakes game of cat and mouse that would wind its way through the capital and its suburbs, reverberate through the corridors of power, test the sympathies of those in high society, and even expand to jeopardise the Allied war effort. The Codebreaker itself is a riveting and deeply researched account of an extraordinary period of history – when Dublin became a hotbed of Nazi intrigue and the fate of an independent Ireland settled on the shoulders of an unassuming employee of the National Library.

The speaker Marc McMenamin was a distinguished guest and is a journalist and documentary maker. A specialist in exploring uncharted corners of Irish history, he is the maker of several acclaimed radio documentaries, including Good Cop/Bad Cop, exploring the life of controversial former NYPD officer Peter Daly, and Richard Hayes, Nazi Codebreaker. Well done Marc on a great start to 2020 Lectures.

GAA CLUB AGM

The annual general meeting of Kilmacanogue GAA Club took place last week. The following officers were elected for the 2020 Season. President: Father Ben Mulligan. Vice-presidents: Peter O’Toole, Pat O’Toole, Andy Burke, Des Fox Senior, John Stephens, Dermot Murphy, Brian Morgan, Susan Fox, Paddy O’Brien. Chair. : Christopher Fox, Vice-chairperson: Mark Quinn. Club secretary: Jackie Fox and Assistant secretary: Peadar Smyth. Treasurer: Melanie Lee, Assistant treasurer: Claire O’Neill Redden. Joint PROs: Dan Gorman, Helen Coleman and Elaine Kelly; Child Welfare Officer: Joanne Nuttall; Irish Cultural Officer: Garret Power. Mark Quinn stepped down as chairman and received a well-deserved standing ovation at the meeting for his dedicated service.

GLENS SUFFER DEFEAT

Glencormac United’s first defence of the Wicklow Cup fell at the first hurdle last Sunday sadly. A really young and exciting Wicklow Rovers Team came to Ryders Field and left with a 2-1 victory. The Glens trailed 1-0 at halftime but Sam O’Callaghan’s equaliser gave the team hope and despite their best efforts, it was not to be this year and Rovers got a winner on the 80th minute mark.

While it’s a bitter blow for the Glens, they remain two points off the Premier League lead, they have the Charlie Bishop Cup coming up soon and a quarter final of the Jim McLaughlin Premier Shield, how the Glens will respond will show their character.

NOTES

If you want an item of local interest to appear in the Kilmacanogue notes please email colmulligan@eircom.net by midday on Sunday.