Castlebar Town Council paid tribute to four pillars of the community who passed away over the last week. The members agreed to finish their meeting early as a mark of respect to the late Anthony McHugh, Mick Ruane, Donnie Murphy, and Maureen Heverin.
Councillor Ger Deere proposed the early finish, as he paid tribute to the four recently deceased people. “The last weekend saw an unprecedented number of deaths of community leaders, it was really a black weekend for the town,” he said. He paid tribute to the late Mr McHugh who, he said, “had a vision for the town and did his utmost to see the town grow into what it is today.” He also paid tribute to the work that the late Mr McHugh did with emigrants in the UK in the 1980s and for his charitable work in the town, most notably for the Sacred Heart Home. He also paid tribute to both the late Mick Ruane and Donnie Murphy, who gave so much of their time towards the youth of the town in sporting organisations, and who will be sadly missed. Cllr Deere also paid tribute to the late Mrs Maureen Heverin who worked as a nurse and he praised her work in caring for people all her life.
Each of the other members spoke glowingly of the people who had passed away over the week and their immense contribution to the town over their lifetime. Mayor Michael Kilcoyne also asked the members to remember the 10 people in the town who had died since the council last met on April 8. The meeting observed a minute’s silence as a mark of respect to those who had passed.
