Community champions

TWO community champions of Ballymun were honoured earlier this month when commemorative plaques were unveiled in their memory at a funday in Meakstown Equine Centre. 

Kathleen Maher and Vicky McElligott were at the heart of almost every community campaign in Ballymun for decades and their tireless work and infectious personalities will always be cherished.

One of those campaigns led to the establishment of Ballymun Horse Owners’ Association.

Both women were instrumental in helping parents develop the organisation. They led locals in the conversion of an old, derelict building into make-shift stables for their children’s horses.

Years later, local horse owners now have a fantastic facility in Meakstown and the contributions from Kathleen and Vicky have never been forgotten.

That’s why the owners and supporters of the local equine centre decided to honour the duo by naming two of its barns after them and hanging commemorative plaques on the buildings.

“Vicky started up the Horse Owners’ Association many moons ago and it was her dream to get the equine centre,” explained Sandra Nichol of the association. 

“Kathleen was a great supporter too and a fantastic help to us when we were starting off. Kathleen would have loved this place.

“They were two really great people so we decided to do this for them.

“They were like sisters so when we moved up here first and there was two big barns we just thought, that’s for the two sisters. From that day on we’ve always said one was Kathleen’s barn and one was Vicky’s barn.”

Over 200 locals turned out for the funday at the centre on October 4 and a great time was had by all. No doubt both Vicky and Kathleen would have appreciated that was a fun event with Samba music, face-painting and bouncy castles rather than a solemn affair.

Kathleen passed away in 2002 having been involved in almost every community campaign in Ballymun for a quarter of a century.

A fierce fighter and a formidable foe against those who stood in the way of community progression, she was at the centre of battles with pubs that refused to serve women in bars, officials who thought they knew what was best for Ballymun and bullies who denied rights to the disadvantaged.

She spearheaded the NOW project (New Opportunities for Women) and co-founded the Women’s Resource Centre in Ballymun with her beloved pal, Vicky McElligott.

Vicky herself was also a superb activist and a powerful voice in the local community right up until she passed away earlier this year. The mother-of-eight regularly badgered Joe Duffy on Liveline making sure local issues were brought to national attention.

Her love of animals stretched beyond horses and she was active in the Ballymun Animal Caring Association (BACA). She also travelled to Tanzania for a National Geographic documentary that filmed an exchange between African and Irish women.

Described as a force of nature in Ballymun, Vicky was a fearless community campaigner who always fought for the underdog.

Both she and Kathleen were true giants of community activism.