Cappagh guild of Muintir na Tíre was formed on the 11th January 1960 at a meeting held in the school. That inaugral meeting was attended by Mr Dermott O’Riordan, RIP, a man with a deep commitment to Muintir. Among the many items discussed that night, Mr O’Riordan spoke on the importance of having a community centre. The first task of the guild was to raise funds, which was done by means of 41 card drives, raffles and a rather unusual one of growing sticklings, from which beet seeds were extracted, and then sold.
In 1964, an opportunity arose when Denis Fitzgibbon offered a piece of land consisting of 7/10 of an acre. The guild purchased immediately at a cost of £50. The site was cleared and prepared by local voluntary labour.
In 1974 the foundations of the community hall were laid. Progress was slow, as all work done was voluntary and the committee had decided not to go into debt. A once-off parish collection was held which raised £1,300. The PTAA, ICA and the dramatic group all contributed and Limerick county council gave a grant of £4,000. This enabled work to be completed; the total cost of the building was £9,793. On Sunday 10th December 1978, the community hall was officially opened by the chairman of Limerick county council, councilor Pat Ryan. The opening ceremony drew a record crowd; mass was co-celebrated in the hall by Fr John Stapleton from Tipperary. Rev R Storey, Methodist minister of Ballingrane and Cappagh and Canon Nicholson, Church of Ireland, Rathkeale, assisted at the opening of the hall.
The Limerick leader carried the following piece on the official opening.
“When it comes to a job done, the parish of Cappagh, near Rathkeale, has once again demonstrated that there is no substitute for community effort”(Limerick Leader 1978)
cappaghasenseofplace.com 