Celebration of John’s (95) work in the community

A RECENT presentation was held to celebrate the lifelong work of a local man, who never stopped working for the community of Ballyfermot.

John Sweeney (95) has done it all, and then some.

A painter and decorator by trade, John and his late wife Lily, raised six kids on Clifden Road – Mary, Rita, Patrick, Pauline, Ann and Therese.

However, according to daughter Rita, as soon as John was home from work, he was washed and dressed up in a suit, to go back out working for the community.

The list of roles is exhausting, but in no particular order, John was a Peace Commissioner for over 40 years, Chairman of the Newly Weds Group, first chairman of the Ballyfermot Tenants Association, a member of the Residence Association, the Community Association, the National Rents Strike, and was involved in community station Ballyfermot TV and the music college.

John was also a volunteer in Our Lady of the Assumption Church, and if one church wasn’t enough to keep him busy, John was also a volunteer up the road at St Matthews Church.

“He loved it, he really enjoyed it, but he will never take the praise, because there was a lot of help from a lot of other good people,” said Rita.

“In his Peace Commissioner role, he did a lot of passport signing, and if people didn’t have certs he would go to the police station to act as a witness. Search warrants for court was another one.

“The police knocked on the door at all hours in the day. Everybody knew him.”

Ken Larkin, from Ballyfermot Heritage Group, said John’s work in the area has been inspirational for many years, and a massive help for the heritage group, due to his vast knowledge and sharp memory.

“I’m a friend to John and the family for over 50 years. He is a great man, and a great family man. He has been a great source of information for me in my work with the heritage group,” said Ken.

“John would be the first to say that he did not do it all on his own, that he was surrounded by great voluntary workers over many years.”

The Newly Weds scheme helped newly married couples find some of the first homes to be built in Ballyfermot.

Rita said: “Originally the house was in Colepark Green, then in 1957 we moved to Clifden Road and we’re there ever since.

“The newly weds plan was you would stay only four years in a house and then move to another house, but there was nowhere else to go. We pressured the corporation to build upper Ballyfermot.”

Last November, John moved to the Sycamore Unit in Cherry Orchard Hospital, where he is being looked after well.

“He is still up on his history, and knows what is going on,” said Rita, whose own son-in-law is a garda Adrian O’Reilly.

“We just want to thank the staff and of course thank the gardai, who were brilliant in giving up their time to come out to the hospital for the presentation.

“They gave dad a cert and a centenary coin.”