Bringing a lifelong love of music and drama to Killeigh

As part of its efforts to highlight the need for a new community centre on the site of the old Macra Hall in Killeigh, the development committee has been putting together profiles of local people from the village and beyond. CARLA CAREY is the latest to be featured.

I was born in Mullingar hospital in 1979 and brought home to a lovely new house that my parents had built just outside of Longford town. My Mam, Patsy Brown (formerly Dolan) is from lovely Leitrim, and my Dad (Trevor Brown) hails from Burma.

They both left their respective homelands in search of a new life in London during the 60s, fell in love, got married, and moved to Ireland to start a family. I was 3 years old and my brother Darren was 10 when we moved to Tullamore, where my Dad had gotten a job in Irish Casings in Spollanstown. I started school in Scoil Mhuire in Kilcruttin when I was 5, and then on to the Sacred Heart for secondary school.

Music and drama were always a huge part of my life. My Dad had played in a showband ‘The Bandeleros’ all over the North West, and my Mam had been in the musical society in Longford before the big move to Tullamore, so I suppose, it was only natural that myself and Darren would get involved in music as well.

I started doing shows when I was 7, and as soon as I was old enough I went and did the shows in St Mary’s Youth Centre in Tullamore. In secondary school, I remember getting up at the crack of dawn for the school choir, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

I’m a member of Tullamore and Clara Musical Societies and have been in many productions over the years. Without a doubt, my favourite to date was ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ which we put on in 2016. We won Best Overall Show at the Association of Irish Musical Societies' annual awards with that one. I’ve also recently gotten involved as chairperson of a new theatre group ‘Fun House Youth Theatre’ which will be offering drama and theatre workshops to the young people of Offaly. It’s all very exciting.

The best memories for me as a kid all involve food (which explains a lot really!). With a Burmese Daddy we didn’t sit down to meat, veg and spuds every night of the week, we ate a lot of rice and noodle dishes but curry was always a firm favourite for me. It still is, and my Dad’s is the best in town. He’s a great man for cooking up a storm and it's a whole-day event. He spends the day cooking and then we all sit down to a feast! Even now, if Daddy cooks a curry, myself and by brother are fighting over the leftovers.

I’ve travelled a bit. I studied for a year in Vienna and spent a summer in the Dominican Republic with some friends learning how to surf - wind surf, kite surf - but I wasn’t very good at it. I was good at sitting on the beach drinking rum cocktails. Maybe a little too good at that!

Myself and my husband, Micheal, moved to Killeigh in 2011 and had our little girl, Maia, the same year but we didn't really get involved in the community of Killeigh until Maia went to school. She is an outdoorsy kid so loves playing out in ‘the ditch’ on the green in Millbrook Grove with all her pals. A couple of euro to head down to Gorman’s for an ice-cream or some sweets is a huge treat, and she loves the independence. I love that she can go in there and they know her.

None of us are particularly sporty, so I for one am hoping that a community centre will offer something else. Maia seems to be following my love for all things music and drama, so I would love to see a drama group being set up there. You’d never know maybe Fun House Youth Theatre might offer a few workshops... I’ll see what I can do, I know the chairperson!