Back in the day when the Annual Parish Sports was the highlight of the social calendar and the main fundraiser for the upkeep and maintenance of the local churches, along with sport, many side shows attributed to the enjoyment of the day.
For one of the sports (or maybe more), Cris McCluskey got her sister in law, Kathleen McCluskey to bake a fruit cake for a raffle, the fruit was soaked in whiskey overnight giving it a really rich taste. The cake was subsequently iced by Tess O’Connor who had honed her icing skills at a cookery class in the Community Centre organised by Fr. McGuinness and conducted by Sheila Dermody who was the Home Economics teacher in St. Louis at the time. On the day of the Sports, Tess went around the field with the cake in a pram, selling tickets for the raffle. Each year the proceeds of the raffle increased, the last cake made €700 or maybe that was £700. An incredible achievement. This photograph resurfaced lately and brought back many good memories. The cake was brought to the Sports Dance in the Community Centre on the night of the Sports to be presented to the raffle winner. The winner may have been tipsy after eating this whiskey soaked cake. Great memories.
