Search

05 Sept 2025

IN PICTURES: Santa makes early Christmas stop in Laois and Offaly

Christmas came early in Clonaslee and Kinnitty this year! 

Clonaslee High Nelly Club rounded off a successful year of giving back, and in keeping with the club's ethos of coming together to help, members had been busily preparing to add a touch of seasonal cheer at Tír Na Nóg Playschool Clonaslee and Kinnitty Parents & Toddler Group. TAP NEXT OR ARROW to see more pictures SEE BELOW to READ MORE.


On Thursday 15th December, and with the frosty weather providing the perfect backdrop, Santa opted for a new mode of transport – a high nelly bike and customised cart full of presents. Frankie McRedmond has donned the suit on a number of occasions and was delighted to do so once again with support from his elves Tom McRedmond, Darren Kennedy and Mary Hennessey Tynan. They were assisted by helpers Josephine Callaghan and Denis Guckivan, ensuring the day was memorable for all.

One attendant at the Kinnitty Parents & Toddler Group described the visit as "fantastic", with one lady adding "the parents were delighted” while praising Santa and his elves for a "wonderful" job. "Thank you for bringing the magic of Christmas,” another lady said. A team member at Tír Na Nóg Playschool Clonaslee said: "We are all so proud of our little stars today at our Christmas concert. Everyone did so well, we hope you enjoyed it. Huge thank you to Clonaslee High Nelly Club for arranging a visit from Santa and his elves and for the generous gifts.”

Clonaslee High Nelly Club said: "We were thrilled to be able to do this for children in our local communities. A brilliant day was had by all. It was a team effort by the club, one which was greatly enjoyed. As the famous quote goes, ‘The best way to see Christmas is through the eyes of a child.’

"We were not only heartened to see the children's faces light up when it was their turn to meet Santa, but so pleased to spend time with parents and those working in childcare who provide an invaluable service. It's been an outstanding year for Clonaslee High Nelly Club. The highlight saw us present a cheque for over €20,000 to Temple Street Hospital. We thank everyone for their support in 2022 and wish all a very Merry Christmas!”

To continue reading this article,
please subscribe and support local journalism!


Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.

Subscribe

To continue reading this article for FREE,
please kindly register and/or log in.


Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!

Register / Login

Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.

Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.