The founder of the community development organisation Muintir na Tíre Canon John Martin Hayes will be remembered in Co Tipperary tomorrow.
Canon Hayes, who ministered in the parish of Bansha/Kilmoyler, spearheaded many rural and community initiatives including rural electrification.
This year is the 75th anniversary of the switching on of the lights for Bansha in Co Tipperary by Canon Hayes.
It was one of the first villages in rural Ireland to gain electricity.
When it began in 1937, the emphasis of Muintír na Tíre was on social, economic, cultural and recreational improvements through the participation of communities.
The organisation also pioneered projects which are now self-sufficient or administered by statutory agencies including Citizen Information Centres and the Tidy Towns Competition.
A seminar examining the legacy of Canon Hayes will be held at the Templeneiry Old Church in Bansha tomorrow following a mass for deceased members of Muintir na Tíre at the Church of the Annunciation.
