I got to know Ann Ingle when I joined Sandymount Community Services in 1985, a Community Employment Programme, which was introduced by Ruairí Quinn TD, as Minister for Labour at the time, to tackle record levels of unemployment in Ireland.
The project was brought together by Councillor Dermot Lacey, and the late Mickey Stenson from Seafort Villas, was involved too.
In 1985, it was a case of last person out of Ireland to please turn off the lights, such was the level of unemployment and emigration. As a country we were economically broken with no sign of a recovery anytime soon.
Ann was the ideal person to drive this new community organisation forward. If you could sum up Ann in a few words it would be “Courage with great wisdom and a deep generosity of spirit.”
Ann’s back story is well documented in her best-selling book, and suitably titled, Open Hearted. With a big family to rear after the tragic loss of her husband Peter, Ann had to change tack to develop a new life.
She got involved in many community initiatives, founding a youth club, publishing a local newsletter (a forerunner to NewsFour), organising community weeks and developing small business ventures to name but a few. She also achieved her lifetime ambition in gaining an honours degree from Trinity College after sitting the Leaving Cert twice to gain admission to the college as a very mature student.
Ann was always pushing the boat out and it was always done with great humour and fun. Don’t get me wrong Ann wouldn’t put up with nonsense or sob stories. Her wonderful family are testimony to her great sense of community because no doubt they were a community in themselves when growing up in Inglenook on Sandymount Green.
We all have tough times in our lives and it can be very demanding to get through them and we don’t always succeed. But Ann has shown throughout her life that hope springs eternal and faith in the future should be our goal.
Thanks Ann.
Denis McKenna
Read more:
Ann Ingle by Eoin Meegan
Tribute to Ann Ingle on her retirement by Rodney Devitt
Tribute to Ann Ingle on her retirement by Dermot Lacey
