Ivana Bacik returns to her Kilkenny roots

Labour Leader, Ivana Bacik made a whistlestop tour of Kilkenny City on Monday visiting both the Abbey Quarter and the Butler Gallery.

Kilkenny basked in beautiful sunshine as the Labour leader took in the sights of the Marble City and did a walkabout in the city accompanied by a number of local Labour stalwarts.

Councillor Tomas Breathnach who is the only Labour representative on Kilkenny County Council joined the entourage as did local area representative, Andrea Cleere and former county councillor, Seán Ó hArgáin. The Labour leader said that she is hoping that the party will ‘rebuild and grow’ locally and that the party’s strong Labour tradition will be revived in the run up to the local elections next year and she is optimistic about how the party will perform and added that she hoped that the party would recruit new members locally over the coming months.

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During her visit to Kilkenny she said that she was ‘really impressed with the Abbey Quarter’ and also commended the Butler Gallery where she viewed its current exhibition, The Disappointed Tourist.

Ivana Bacik is no stranger to Kilkenny as her grandparents Charles and Edith Bacik lived in Rathmore House in Fiddown in Piltown and Ivana spent many happy times in South Kilkenny during her childhood and as a young adult.

“My grandparents Charles and Edith came over here in 1946 as my grandfather was involved in the Czech Resistance and was imprisoned by the Nazis during the water. During this time my grandmother stepped in and ran the glass factory they had,” she said.

Ivana’s grandparents came to Ireland as refugees and her grandfather, who had links with the glass industry, was involved in the setting up of Waterford Crystal.

Ivana recalls happy memories of visiting her grandparents in Piltown, before they died within six weeks of each other in 1990.
“My grandfather used to grow apples as a hobby and we used to loved going down to visit when they were alive,” she said adding that still has several Dowley cousins living in the area.

“It is great to be back in Kilkenny, I have very happy memories from visiting over the years,” she added.

Seán Ó hArgáin said he was delighted to welcome the party leader to Kilkenny and said that he hoped that the party would grow locally.