Community activist Tommy Keogh has been chosen as the Grand Marshall for this year’s Clondalkin St Patricks Day Parade. Well known for his tireless work in the community, Mr Keogh is a former South Dublin County Volunteer winner in 2018. Cllr Francis Timmons (Ind), Clondalkin Chair of the St Patrick’s Day Parade Committee said “Tommy Keogh has been at the heart of the Clondalkin community as an unselfish volunteer for over 60 years .”
Since starting out as a juvenile player with the local Round Tower GAA Club during the 50’s Tommy has served the Club as player, team manager, Club Officer , and Club President (2014-2016), and he was also honoured to receive a Hall of Fame Lifetime Service Award from the Club in 2002, while along the way he has photographed hundreds of teams, games and club events. Similarly as a volunteer photographer with both the former Clondalkin People newspaper with Editor Mary Brady and the Parish Newsletter he has filmed many local people and visiting VIP’s and covered many local events, and he has also recorded the demolition of several Clondalkin landmark buildings, among them Clondalkin Paper Mills, The Church at Mount Saint Joseph, The Stores Pub in Main Street and the local Post Office and just recently O’Byrnes Site on Boot road and Floraville Lodge on Monastery Road..
Over the years Tommy has helped to establish several other voluntary groups in the village viz. Clondalkin Camera Club (1988), Clondalkin Tidy Towns (2012), Clondalkin Round Tower Heritage Group (2012), Friends of the Camac (2017). all vibrant, successful and active clubs which help to make Clondalkin a great place to live in. In the recent past few years Tommy with the team of Clondalkin Mens Shed Volunteers have worked tirelessly in maintaining the upkeep and enhancement of St Brigids Well on Brideswell Lane, Boot Road.
Tommy worked in Clondalkin Paper Mills for over 25 years until its closure in 1982 and his knowledge and photos were the mainstay of an Oral History project in 2014 by www.irishlifeandlore.com and South Dublin County Libraries. Earlier in 2013 Tommy was co author with Gerry Flanagan and Malachy Mc Veigh of a Bicentennial History St Josephs BNS entitled “From the Monastery to the Boot”
In recent years Tommy Keogh has received several awards in recognition of his great work serving Clondalkin in numerous voluntary organisations for over sixty years. 2007 Lord Mayor of Dublin Award for Outstanding Volunteering to the Young People of the Round Tower GAA Club, Clondalkin. 2012 Chamber of Commerce Longtime Outstanding Community Service. 2018 LAMA All Ireland Community Volunteer of the Year, Silver Award. And 2018 South Dublin County Volunteer of the year.
Clondalkin is so much richer because of Tommy’s tireless work for his community.
