Christina Kinsella, a resident of Whelan House for over 60 years, came into our offices to tell us the history of the statute of the Sacred Heart and the Grotto.

A statue of the Sacred Heart has always stood in Whelan House. During the winter of 1981 this statue was destroyed by a coal van making a delivery in O’Rahilly House.

The community in Whelan House felt incomplete without the Sacred Heart looking on and in February of that year the residents set about rectifying the situation. A committee was formed and the necessary money was raised through cake sales, bingo, parish raffles and by donations.

Other local people came through in style, including Ruairi Quinn who donated the bricks and local resident Paul O’Donoghue who built the shrine on the same base that had accommodated the old Sacred Heart statue for 30 years.

After this the residents of O’Rahilly House got together and decided to erect a grotto to Our Lady. The community gave full support to the project and all of the tenants contributed generously to the fund.

The ladies of Whelan House have co-operated in looking after the shrine. Paul O’Donoghue recently repaired the grotto and sealed it up where the rain was coming in.

Local children have purchased plants from the Community Centre and have made a beautiful garden which they care for. Christina hopes that Sinead, Jessica, Tori, Danielle, Scott, Robin, Sarah, Shauna and Mellisa will continue to look after the plants.

Once again the Christmas Crib will be erected beside the shrine in December.

Pictured at the Grotto, from left: Danielle Pepper, Jessica Boylan, Robyn Allen, Helena Lawless, Toráigh Pearse, Sínead O’Keeffe, Sarah Cleary and Melissa Sheppard.