Oilimpeacha Ógras, Gormanstown, Co Meath, August 1977

In 1969 Conradh na Gaeilge made a decision that there was a need to provide services to the young people of the country through Irish. This decision was made on the basis of research that was carried out a few years previously. Ógras was founded in November 1969. Tomás Ó hEochaidh was employed as Ógras's youth officer to carry out the organisation's work - establishing clubs, organising events, developing a constitution for the new organisation, etc., and this went very well. National events were organised around the country: The Ógras Olympics, an assembly at Oireachtas na Gaeilge, Debates, Summer Camps and even a few international events as the years went by. Tomás ensured that Ógras was part of Comhairle Náisiúnta na nÓg - the umbrella group for youth organisations in the country. At one point a group of representatives from Ireland, about five of which were from Ógras, attended the International Youth Festival in Moscow, Russia, and Tomás was the one overlooking the group. According to the stories that have been passed down, they had a brilliant time.