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Feeding The Monster

the Royal Canal was my mother Francis she must have felt it therapeutic to still a future dream. Rosie is determined
Kelly’s passion, being at the reopening of watch a derelict structure transform to protect the building’s heritage and is
the canal her dream. Family and friends back into a home. It was by chance while conscious of the steps needed to achieve
wondered why she purchased what had walking the towpath, that my brother this. She is an outdoor sport enthusiast
become an animal shed. She had little as Billy stumbled upon the house. Frances and is well capable of enduring the
a child, led a frugal life and yet she gladly bought it around 1990. Billy did a lot of hardships a journey like this brings.
put every penny into its repair. In the end the initial construction work during the
no one questioned what was thought of summer of 1992. A local contractor did Apart from the work needed on the
as a fruitless effort. She was in the middle the new construction work. Mom made cottage, she has enjoyed trips throughout
of treatment for cancer. Frances knew contact with Mike Kelly, a cousin from the countryside to events and festivals.
she wanted to bring an abandoned house Abbeyshrule we had never met before, She cycled the length of the canal in
back to life. As her health deteriorated, and he was able to oversee the project. A recent years which was a lot easier than
window opening which had been broken a crossing of the United States or many
open to allow cattle and sheep to enter, other cycling trips she has done in the
was repaired. past.

Rosemary (Rosie) Kelly their daughter I completely understand what is involved
was tasked with the care of this in an undertaking of this nature having
building and apart from the upkeep and taken on the salvage and conversion of
improvements needed she has kept her an old canal boat. The cottage or the boat
mother’s memory alive. In October 2010 become the “stars” but what I love about
Rosie and her son David attended the the cottage is that Rosie has continued
ceremonies in Richmond Harbour for this expensive and difficult task in
the official reopening of the Royal Canal. memory of her mother who had the
She now spends some months every original vision and dream to take it on.
year living in the lockhouse and with Frances Kelly is well remembered.
her cousin who lives nearby and some Joe Treacy.
faithful and friendly neighbours the
cottage is once again a living building. https://www.facebook.com/
Only recently a freshwater reconnection heritageboats/
has been made which makes life a lot https://www.facebook.com/joe.treacy.5
easier, but an electricity connection is https://www.facebook.com/ben.f.treacy

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