The Grassroots in Westport aren’t happy if last week’s article is anything to go by. Nothing happening apparently, all the Government’s fault, etc, etc. But they’re forgetting that Westport has had it good for a long time in comparison to the rest of the county. And the reason they’ve had it so good is because there’s a ‘can do’ attitude in Westport that up until recently wasn’t really replicated in Ballina or Castlebar. Westport is the tourism Mecca it is today because the Covies stood up in the 70s and decided to make it that way. They put their money where their mouths were and invested considerable sums of their own money in to getting it there. That investment alongside some incredibly biased treatment from Board Fáilte and then Fáilte Ireland (memo to Fáilte Ireland - there’s more to Mayo then Westport ) has made Westport the beauty it is today. Governments don’t win Tidy Towns — communities do and the ‘can do’ spirit fostered by the business community is now part of the overall Covie spirit. And in these times, that spirit, not whinging, is needed more then ever, that spirit, not whinging, will sustain Westport through these incredible times.
And at last we can say the spirit is spreading across the county. This is really evident in Ballina. Ballina rested on its sorrows for many years. It had all the problems, every other town had it soft, Ballina is the biggest town in Mayo and deserves everything without working for it and anyway nobody was doing anything for it. That negative vibe destroyed the town in the 80s and the 90s. Ballina was so busy looking over its shoulder at Westport and Castlebar that it lost many opportunities that it could have got with the right focus.
And then somewhere along the way the penny dropped. The world doesn’t owe you a living, you make it yourself. As far as this writer is concerned the revival of the Ballina Salmon Festival was the foundation stone on which so much progress followed. This gem of a festival showed that Ballina could be a big event town and then two All-Ireland Fleadhs followed. Ballina bellies swelled with pride on those two weekends — these two achievements were born within the town — no Government support needed. But then Government did its bit and along came Lionbridge and Coke — Tom Moffatt never got the credit he deserved for those catches.
But then the old curse struck — the town managed to leave itself without a TD for the biggest boom years in Irish history. But some key people and groups stepped in to the breach — big picture councillors like Ernie Caffrey and Anni May Reape, putting party differences aside for their town. That spirit of town before party prevailed at county and town council level resulting in significant decisions been taken by members and officials which have led to a rejuvenation of the town. Councillors such as Johnnie O’Malley, Michelle Mulherin, Mark Winters, and Frances McAndrew who supported developments such as the footbridge and the Ice House in the face of bitter opposition can stand up and take a bow — Ballina owes you all. The Chamber of Commerce was rejuvenated, and led the way in filling the lobbying gap, business people and developers started to take risks and invest in the town. And along the way the footballers of Ballina Stephanites did their bit by winning an All-Ireland title.
In 2007, the final gap was filled with the election of Dara Calleary. Calleary has harnessed the new Ballina spirit well and is adding to the well. Witness the €12.9 million secured for St Patrick’s Estate, a big achievement at any time but especially now. Would he have landed that catch without a great community based organisation with a ‘can do’ spirit like the St Patrick’s Estate Residents’ Group? Big road projects are proceeding within the town, the town will be home to a world class arts centre and even the fabled industrial park has managed to move a bit. If Calleary can survive the Fianna Fáil melt down at the next general election, he and Ballina have a very bright future.
So Westport, if you need to cheer yourself up, look to Ballina. It has many more challenges then you can even dream of but it has learned a lesson from you and is getting on with it. It’s not waiting for someone to bail it out, its getting on with it. Ballina like Obama is in “Yes We Can” mood - join them.
