Well-wishers come from near and far for unique celebration of one man in North Kilkenny

The Village Inn in Clogh hosted a unique celebration on Friday night.

In terms of employment not too many can boast a service spanning 50 years in the same job. Donal Brennan, Chatsworth is a man for all seasons and the one word that springs to mind is loyalty be that to his parish, community, hurling club, or his place of work. Donal started work in the Railway Garage 50 years ago initially with the late Seamus Farrell and then James Farrell.

Little did he know what was in store for him on Friday as well wishers came from far and near in a surprise party/celebration. He entered the pub to a roar akin to winning an All-Ireland. James Farrell was full of praise for his right-hand man.

“Donal, 50 years is a long time in any job. You started work with my late father in the garage. My earliest memory is of yourself and Pat Buggy arriving for work on bicycles. Both of us have come a long way since," he said.

"As I recall you borrowed my mother’s car on occasions for socialising and nearly always dropped it back in time so my mother could drop me to school. What many people might not know is that our business began not with cars but with tractors. We became agents for Zetor tractors from 1971 right up to the early 1980s.

"Donal started working in our garage in 1973. We became Suzuki dealers in 1986. Naturally this involved a completely new challenge but for you Donal the change posed no problem at all. As already stated Donal has worked here for 50 years and over that period, he has been the public face of our business. He is the person all our customers meet when they arrive with a problem, a service or a general enquiry.

"So, what kind of person did they meet? Well, they met an excellent mechanic, a person who was always courteous to everyone, a person who was very honest, loyal, punctual and so helpful to all our customers but also to Stephen who has been working by your side for the last 17 years.

"For my part Donal I want to thank you for all the support you have given me over all this time. You have been like the brother I never had. You have helped to build up the business during the past 50 years and have played your part in ensuring our customer ratings on the Suzuki website have been very very high.

"You have given me great advice and at times helped me keep my feet on the ground. Above all you are so dependable. I knew any time I left the premises that I could trust you to deal with any issue that could arise and that gave me so much peace of mind. You have also been a great colleague as well to Breda and Yvonne in the office who along with Stephen are delighted to be here to celebrate your great achievement tonight."

As a token of gratitude, the Railway Garage organised a trip to Italy for Donal and Catherine to meet up with Andrew, Nadine, Eva, Ollie, Izzy and Darcy. Making the presentation to a gracious Donal were the Farrell sisters Brona and Bernadette.