The begining :

On Tuesday Nov. 4th 1958, a branch of I.C.A. was opened in Ballynacally.
Area Organiser, Mrs. Frawley came to open the guild.
Present at this meeting were;

Mrs. Madeline O'Neill, Mrs. Susan Kelly, Mrs. Bridget Hewson, Mrs. Nancy Moran, Mrs. Mary O'Reilly,
Mrs. Mary King, Mrs. Kathleen Daly, Mrs Annie Meaney, Mrs Mamie Murphy, Miss Maretta O'Hehir,
Miss Ann Brady, Mrs. Christina Murphy, Mrs. Eileen O'Neill, Mrs. Jo. Breen, Mrs. Kathleen Griffin.

We are very privileged to have Ann Brady Browne as a member now and also Kathleen Griffin as an honorary member.
In 2008 we will celebrate 50 years of I.C.A. in Ballynacally.

Membership:

Our members are comprised of women from all walks of life. We extend the hand of friendship to all women, young and old.
Becoming a member is a great way for newcomers to an area to get to know people and make friends.

Our current members include;

Mary Hill, Marie Garry, Mary Gavin, Mary Hester, Mary Hogan, Anne Browne, Peggy O'Dea, Mary Flynn,
Mary Sheehan, Anne O' Shea, Kathleen Griffin, Maureen Neylon, Maureen Corbett, Delia Reilly, Mary Donnelly,
Mary Rynne and Rena McMahon

We have the following on offer:

1. Counselling service for members and their families.

2. Personal Development courses.
We have courses in Effective speaking, self assertiveness, and self development.
"Be all that you can be", is our motto.

3. Crafts.
You can learn Patchwork, Embroidery, Soft Toys, and Decoupage.

4. Arts.
We have an Arts Rural Programme where members can gain awards in a wide variety of Arts e.g. Painting, Photography, Creative Writing, Local History, Calligraphy, etc.

5. Fun evenings.
We have great fun evenings,e.g. table quiz, drama and many social nights.

Meetings:

We hold our meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at the Community Centre. A guest speaker attends each meeting with talks on Health, Education, Finance, Garden ing,etc. We also have demonstrations on Cookery, Flower Arranging, Jewellery Making, Glass Etching and Nordic Walking.
County Federation meetings are held quarterly.

Aims of the Federation are:

1. To promote the objectives of the association on a county basis.
2. To give the guild members a chance to meet and exchange views and arrange inter guild activities.
3. To discuss Resolutions, to hear reports from sub-committees, Federation Specialists, guild representatives and any other groups that may be arranged.

Representatives from guilds will attend each Federation meeting and report back to their own guilds at their next meeting.

Development:

An Grianan Adult Education College in Termonfeckin Co. Louth is owned by the I.C.A. for the benefit of its members. A wide range of classes are held there all year and some of our members attend each year.
The guild give 2 half scholarships each year to 2 members and for that we fundraise by holding a cake sale each Good Friday afternoon.

Projects:

We have carried out various fundraising projects to keep our guild active for example;

A local History Book, Calendars with Photographs of the many beauty spots in the parish, and of Old Photos from the parish.

We also get involved in many community activities such as;
We have compiled an Inventory of the three Cemeteries in the parish.
We have helped with the Summer Festival.

Welcome:

We always welcome new members and whether one is new to the area or with us a while you are more than welcome to come along on the 1st Wednesday of the month.