Athlone Stations of the Cross event draws large gathering

A large gathering took part in this year's annual Good Friday pilgrimage throughout the streets of Athlone, with participants travelling from east to west of the River Shannon, from St Mary’s church to Ss Peter and Paul’s.

The weather is always a huge factor in the Easter ceremony and, unlike last year when the Stations of the Cross journey had to take place inside St Mary’s Church because of heavy rain, the Athlone pilgrims safely travelled throughout the town in a mixture of cold and rain, which eventually turned to sunshine.

The ceremony, in which the faithful also honours Athlone people who died in the past year, was graced by hymns sung by some local singers, accompanied by many of the gathering in attendance. Family members of the deceased shared the carrying of the cross through the fourteen stations.

The recognisable Athlone Musical Society voice for over fifty years, of Ray Collins, led the singing through the streets on Friday.

After praying at the first station, Ray and the congregation outside St Mary’s Church began singing 'Amazing Grace', as they left the church grounds.

Fr Pat Murphy, Administrator of St Mary’s parish, led the prayers while the pilgrimage began at St Mary’s Place. The cold continued filtering through the air, and then came the rain, which got heavier as the procession moved towards Mardyke Street.

The heavy rain lasted a few minutes and slowly left as the pilgrims continued on the remainder of the journey to Ss Peter and Paul's Church.

Ray was joined in the singing by members of the Rushe family from St Anne's Terrace. John Rushe and his sisters, Christine and Helen, are well-known for their involvement over the past few decades in the choir of Ss Peter and Paul's Church.

Another local singer, John McGee also led the large gathering in the hymns. They sang traditional church numbers such as 'Nearer My God To Thee', 'Soul of My Saviour', 'The Lord is My Shepherd', 'Holy God We Praise Thy Name', 'Sweet Heart of Jesus' and 'Abide With Me' as they walked the way of the cross through the Athlone streets.

The singers sang a few bars of 'Jesus Remember Me' at every one of the fourteen Stations of the Cross. They also sang the popular song, 'The Old Rugged Cross'.

Uniting two parishes

The priests of both parishes joined together and prayed through the Stations on the journey of the way of the cross from east to west Athlone.

"Today's procession unites both Athlone parishes, going from St Mary’s to St Peter’s today, and it was St Peter’s to St. Mary’s the last time that it went through the town (in 2024),” Ray Collins told the Westmeath Independent.

Many people joined the procession along the way as it went through Mardyke Street, Church Street, the intersection of Northgate Street, and on the Athlone town bridge before it entered the grounds of Ss Peter and Paul’s Church.

The rain stayed at bay for the closing stages, with just a trickle here and there. The singers then sang the final hymns on the steps of Ss Peter and Paul’s church, as the sun finally beamed down on them.

The final few prayers, Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father, were recited by the gathering as they prayed for Pope Leo XIV and for peace in the world.

Fr Pat Murphy gave a last blessing and thanked the people, the priests of both parishes, the singers, the organisers of the procession, and An Garda Siochana for accompanying the gathering.

Meaningful ceremony

'The Lord Is My Shepherd' was reprised Ray and friends on the steps of the church, and that included beautiful harmonies by the Rushe family.

"Today was a lovely day and it reminded us all of the Rosary and Benediction processions of years ago. The people were very into listening about the Stations today, and it was nice and solemn," said Ray.

"It was lovely marching with the community, walking in prayer as well as the singing and it was lovely for families to acknowledge their loved ones who passed."

Ray said that he was thrilled to be asked to lead the singers in this year’s Stations of the Cross.

"Fr John Deignan of St Peter's rang me and asked me to lead the singers, with the Rushe family and it was my privilege to sing with them and John McGee," he said. "Our hymns were lovely and they are known by the public and I love that we did 'The Old Rugged Cross' which was a lovely addition.

"This was the first procession where I was asked to sing with a microphone and I was honoured. The whole ceremony was very meaningful and I think we sang from the heart for everyone. It was a very spiritual experience for us all."

Families' involvement

Among the family members taking part in the Stations, was Siobhan, the daughter of Athlone musician Dick Browne, who died last October, and Siobhan’s husband, Adrian Ward.

Dick Browne, who was formerly from Drumraney, was a legendary member of several popular bands including The Marylanders and Pincin.

"It was nice to see many of our neighbours here today, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was walking in my Dad's footsteps, because he used to do this walk every year and we miss him shocking," said Siobhan.

"He was a legend in all the places that he used to play, including the Stroke Clubs. He played with Foster and Allen and he was in Pincin with Hughie Macken and Benny Gilligan."

Mary Nally, and her husband Noel and family, took part in the Stations of the Cross in honour of Mary’s mother, Gladys Gorman, of Abbey Road, who died in February.

"Today was very emotional, and I had her grandchildren and great-grandchildren with me," said Mary, talking about Gladys.

"It's very raw for myself and my sisters and her sons-in-law. It's only been a few weeks and she was the best mother that was ever put on the earth and a great friend."

Mary said that when the rain was falling, she said to her family members that Nanny Gladys was making them do their penance.

"But then she let the sun come out," said Mary, laughing.

Nicholas Moran and his wife Jacinta represented Nicholas’s late mother, Deirdre, at the procession. Deirdre Moran, who lived in Assumption Road died last May.

"It's hard to believe she’s gone," said Nicholas.

"She and my father, (Finbar) were the foundation and rock that built our family and kept our family together.

"We were only talking recently about how we always knew when something good or bad was happening in the community, because when I came home and saw the pot was on, I knew something bad had happened. The food wasn’t for us, but for to feed everyone.

"I learned that, talking to the people from the area, and even some younger people tell us, that they still miss her sitting on the porch waving out like she did in the last years of her life, watching the world go by!"

Ray Collins cited this year's Stations of the Cross as one of the most special ones to date.

"Long may the stations continue from one parish to the other, because it connects all the people in the town," he said.