Brian Lenihan shares his fond Athlone memories

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan discussed his memories of growing up in Athlone during a visit to the Lough Ree Yacht Club on Friday evening last. It's understood that Mr Lenihan spent much of his weekend in the Athlone area, and he visited the Yacht Club in a personal capacity rather than as a Government Minister. PJ Lenihan, the father of Deputy Mary O'Rourke and grandfather of the Minister, donated a sailing boat to the Yacht Club in 1965. This boat was recently renovated by boat builder Dougal McMahon and was relaunched by Brian Lenihan on Friday evening last. A Shannon-one-design 67, it had been built by Walter Levinge at Creaghduff in 1950. The Vice Commodore of the Lough Ree club, Alan Algeo, said Minister Lenihan was in good spirits during the visit last weekend."He spoke about his memories of Hodson Bay and of sailing in the area," said Mr Algeo. The Minister grew up in Athlone before moving to Dublin at the age of twelve. As a child, he was given lessons in Latin by his aunt, Deputy O'Rourke. His grandfather was the first manger of Gentex, the founder of the Hodson Bay Hotel and a TD for Longford-Westmeath. PJ Lenihan also assisted with the development of the Lough Ree Yacht Club by making the facilities at his hotel in Hodson Bay available for sailors attending its regattas from 1958 to 1969. The Finance Minister spoke at length about his Athlone background during a radio interview with RTE's Miriam O'Callaghan last year. "I spent my first twelve years in the town and I've a fantastic memory of that," he said during the interview. "I often think people look at me as a bourgeois Dubliner, a barrister, and all of that is in me of course.... but when I moved to Dublin at twelve everyone called me a culchie and I had a very heavy Athlone accent."