“While we were doing well business-wise in the town, we took our eye off the tourism industry a bit and other towns went with it. It’s something that we have to look at and work on this year.” Cllr Eugene McCormack who took over the stewardship of Castlebar Town Council when he was elected Mayor this week, wants to see Castlebar become a tourist Mecca. There is one project which is about to come on stream which he believes could provide the kick start to this tourism drive. “The river walk is the jewel in the crown, a fantastic job has been done so far there and when we get the new bridge to link it all together it will be a fantastic amenity to the people of the town and from elsewhere.” However the walk in its current guise is only a small part of a bigger walking attraction that McCormack hopes to see in the town. “There is a walking strategy for the county and as part of that, we’re looking to see the river walk extended out as far as Islandeady at one end and out to Turlough on the other. We also hope to see them all linked in with the Greenway which will link Westport to Achill in the future, this is sometime in the future, but it’s a plan that would be a huge attraction to the area.”
Town centre rejuvenation key to development
The current rejuvenation works on Main Street in the town which are nearing completion are something that McCormack is happy to see happening, but there are more works planned for the town centre that he hopes will see the town continue to grow and become a more attractive place. “We’ve the plans for Pavilion Road, where we will have a new car park and then up Mountain View towards the Travellers Friend which will give that area a much needed boost and facelift.”
The town park which is due to see a major makeover in the near future is also something McCormack hopes to see delivered in the near future. “The park in its current state is an under utilised amenity in the town, but we have big plans for that. It’s a big project and it’s going through part eight at the minute and the manager has assured me that the money is there for it to be done.” The Fine Gael councillor went on to praise the efforts of town manager, Seamus Granahan, saying: “The manager has been great since he came to Castlebar. If there is any bit of funding for a project or a grant for that going, he knows about it and has the application in straight away. You can see the work he does by the number of projects that we have going on around the town at the minute.” Another project that is currently under way is the attempt to start a major choral festival in the town, the Mayor said. “We’re looking at trying to get this festival up and running this year and turn it into a major event. There are festivals in Sligo and Cork that have been going for a number of years and they attract huge numbers each year. If you look at any of these choirs they have up to 50 members in them and they bring a big amount of money into the town during the week.”
Future of town councils is a worry
With news this week that Limerick City Council is going to be combined with the county council, and the city to get a directly elected mayor, McCormack did admit that there is a worry for the future of the town council in Castlebar. “What is happening is a serious concern, there is no question about that. Since I got elected for the first time in 2004 I have seen the powers of the town council be eroded. First it was the water and sewerage, then it was the refuse collection, the role is being stripped away. But what is being done by the councillors and the staff is all good work for the town. People might question what the need is for the council, but when you are there agitating on behalf of the people you see the influence that you can have and need to have on behalf of the town.”
