Iconic Connemara figure launches memoir of experiences over a lifetime

An iconic figure in community development work in Connemara has written his memoir which contains accounts of many projects and of his own varied experiences over a lifetime.

Michael O’ Neill’s book is entitled “Community -a time, place and people”.

This is a story over 60 years in the making and brimming with accounts of one man’s efforts to turn the tide in his native Connemara.

In his youth, Michael O’ Neill, saw the young lifeblood of the area siphoned off by emigration.

With others he set about shaping a better future.

The list is almost endless – the Credit Union; 9 thatched cottages in Tullycross; converting the old Industrial School in Letterfrack into a beacon for the area; the building of a Teach Ceoil; a Furniture College, the rebirth of Comhaltas; Connemara Community Radio, the National Park and much more.

The victories and the setback and the hopes rekindled are in this book – and there is life itself.

From drama groups to midfield for the Renvyle team to the electric guitar as a member of a showband – Michael did it all.

He, and his late wife May, taught together in Eagles Nest school for many years.

The book is dedicated to her memory.