Novel hospice fundraiser launched by actor Patrick Bergin
Cloughjordan-based actor Patrick Bergin was on hand to help launch the latest fundraising drive in aid of the cash-strapped North Tipperary Hospice In Home Care Movement in the grounds of Nenagh Castle on Friday week last.
He expressed his great admiration for the valuable services provided by the Movement and shared the anxiety caused by the current difficulties in the fundraising necessary to maintain those services into the future.
This latest venture to raise funds is a collaboration between North Tipperary Hospice and multi-award winning local photographer Pádraig Ó Flannabhra, who has very kindly donated the proceeds of the sale of a limited edition of archival pigment prints of Nenagh’s cultural and historic quarter located, literally, in the shadow of the town’s iconic castle.
This beautiful photograph is printed on Hahuemuhle 308gsm Fine Art Photo Rag paper, which is world famous for its longevity and resistance to discolouration with age. It is, therefore, truly a collector’s item which will adorn the walls of its owner for decades to come.
STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE
Speaking about the origins of the photograph Pádraig said that, on a beautiful sunny morning towards the end of April 2018, having finished an assignment elsewhere in the town, he decided to take a stroll around the castle. He was amazed by the crisp outline of the shadow of the castle created by the bright sunlight and he immediately climbed the 101 steps to the summit to capture the image for posterity.
Like Patrick Bergin, he too has had a great admiration for the work done by the Hospice In Home Care Movement over many years and had been seeking some way of "doing his bit" to help out. He, like everyone in the Nenagh area, had been looking forward to the many events planned by the Nenagh 800 committee in 2020 to celebrate 800 years of the development and history of the town.
Sadly, like so many other great plans, the festivities had to be abandoned following the arrival of Covid-19. Pádraig felt strongly that a commemorative stamp to mark the occasion should have been issued by An Post and in an effort to right their failure to do so, designed his own image of what such a stamp should look like.
The limited edition picture now on sale to aid the Hospice is cleverly presented as a postage stamp having, as its main focus, Pádraig’s photograph taken from atop the castle on that April morning. It incorporates the Nenagh 800 logo, a representation of a Nenagh postmark and the legend "éire €1.00" which, unlike the remainder of the stamp, is available in either the Nenagh or Tipperary colours. A framed example of the print is currently on display in the window of BREO Jewellers at numbers 1-2 Kenyon Street, Nenagh.
On seeing the photograph for the first time at the launch Patrick Bergin described it as "a striking image of the shadow of a magnificent castle over a great town". He complimented the photographer’s keen eye and hoped that the fundraising venture would be a huge success.
Chairperson, Kay O’Donoghue, on behalf of the committee, thanked Mr Bergin for lending his support to this important fundraising venture. She also thanked Pádraig for donating the proceeds of the sale of his magnificent photograph which, hopefully, will bring in some much needed funds to continue the provision of the essential services which are, unfortunately, required annually by so many families throughout North Tipperary.
WONDERFUL PRESENT IDEA
The prints can be purchased in A4 and A3 sizes with some A2 also available on request and would be an ideal Christmas present while supporting the hospice movement. As already stated, they can be customised to incorporate your choice of Nenagh or Tipperary colours and each offering is strictly limited to 50 prints with a maximum of 25 available in the A2 option.
The framed prints are available at a cost of €60 for the A4 and €110 for the A3.
They can be purchased unframed at €10 less in each category. We anticipate a high level of demand from all Nenagh people, both at home and abroad who would like to own one of these stunning prints to commemorate the 800 year anniversary of the history and development of their town and in doing so give a helping hand to the North Tipperary Hospice In Home Care Movement.
DETAILS ON LIMITED PRINTS
Prints, which are individually autographed and numbered, can be purchased by contacting any of the following: Kay O’Donoghue (087 2684808), Anna O’Brien (087 6923154), Paddy Heffernan (087 6373828), Orla Noonan (087 8245211), Fionnuala Gill (087 2329302) or any committee member.