Almost seven years after he passed away, a significant road on the Laois-Carlow border has been named after the legendary priest Fr John Fingleton, who made a massive contribution to the Graiguecullen community over the years.
Fr Fingleton passed away in May 2015 – and after considerable campaigning from Cllr Ben Brennan in particular – a section of the N80 Northern Relief Road at Graiguecullen has been named in his honour.
A sign on the road was officially unveiled last week attended by staff of Laois County Council, Fr Fingleton’s family and members of the Graiguecullen community.
Outgoing Laois county councillors Paschal McEvoy (Cathaoirleach), Ben Brennan, Padraig Fleming and Aisling Moran were all in attendance.
Laois County Council initially had a policy that didn’t allow for roads or roundabouts to be named after individuals – but the way was cleared at Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District meeting in 2022 with the establishment of a new Naming and Memorials Committee.
Originally from Ratheniska, Fr Fingleton was parish priest in Graiguecullen-Killeshin for a long number of years. Among his many projects to champion was that Northern Relief Road, which opened up a section of the area for housing and business.
The Graiguecullen swimming pool was also a considerable legacy of his time. He is remembered as a kind, thoughtful, decent man who regularly displayed his vision for the betterment of the community he served.
Fr Fingleton passed away at the end of May 2015 and naming that section of the road was a particular hobby horse of Cllr Ben Brennan at the various meetings in the time since.