Kathleen Keogh marks 50 years at Naas Printing
Milestone work anniversary for Naas woman
Naas woman Kathleen Keogh (née Collins) marked a significant milestone recently.
On Friday, December 4, she had been working at Naas Printing for exactly half a century. The printworks operation at 19 South Main Street was once owned by the Leinster Leader, but has been operating autonomously since 2007.
Kathleen, originally from Our Lady's Place, Naas, and husband Michael Keogh (of Michael’s School of Motoring) are well known in the area.
“I think Kathleen was taken aback by the recognition and the presentation made to her by the company. She thought it would just be me taking a picture of her at the entrance to mark the 50th anniversary. But there was champagne, a cake, flowers as well as the presentation,” said Michael.
Kathles is actually a native of Donadea, and moved to Naas when she was three years old. She has worked all her life at the plant — apart from a previous nine months stint at the former Kingswear plant, the industrial clothing manufacturer, at Newbridge Road, Naas, where “my job was sewing pockets on to boiler suits.”
Kathleen was employed as a table hand as a variety of books, publications, periodicals were among the many printing contracts which passed through the plant over the years.
One of the first jobs Kathleen worked on when she first started (and again last Friday) was The Furrow, a monthly journal with a reputation as a courageous and impartial forum for discussion of challenges facing the Catholic Church today.
“I just love the job and I always have. I’m off on Monday but I’ll be back in tomorrow. It’s hardly surprising given that I’ve been there for as long as I have,” she said last week.
She indeed: “I’m still in shock at the reception that the company and colleagues put on for me last week. I’m really grateful and I still haven’t come down for the high.”
Her other love — apart for husband Michael — is the Kildare county senior football team.
She is among that most durable and optimistic of species — the Kildare GAA supporter.
The Covid-19 restrictions have put a stop to spectators going to games but she is looking forward to 2021.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to go back to support Kildare in the new year, we follow them all over the country and its a disappointment not being able to go to the matches.”
You could say that Kathleen is following something of a family tradition in terms of longevity on the job. Her dad James worked as a porter at the AIB branch in Naas for 41 years.