Cavan council to move to Dublin

Seamus Enright

The Executive and elected members of Cavan County Council are set to relocate to Dublin. The once-off move will see the May monthly local authority meeting held in the city by the Liffey, with a portion of the gathering to take place within the lavish confines of Leinster House.

The historic decision to host a meeting of senior local representatives outside of the county boundary, understood to be first of its kind, was taken to coincide with the launch of Cavan's Diaspora strategy.
The meeting on May 9 will be followed by a public event to officially launch the strategy that evening, and the decision to decamp to the Capital was proposed and seconded at last Monday's meeting.
“It's the first time a meeting like this in the county will have been held outside of the boundaries so, in that respect, it is historic. It's part of us reaching out to our diaspora and our community further afield, whether that's elsewhere in Ireland or as we have done in the past, gone around the world,” explained council CEO Tommy Ryan.
His comments were supported by Cathaoirleach Fergal Curtin who said it was important that the county maintains a strong links with those who bear a connection to the county.
“Our Diaspora are very important to us. They are as much ambassadors for this county as people who continue to live and work locally,” he said.
The Council had earlier listened to a presentation from Sally Murphy who, along with the assistance of local executive members, complied the Diaspora Strategy as a guide for positive future engagement with those with a connection to the county living elsewhere.
She expressed the belief that given the groundwork already in place, through previous efforts with subsequent Fleadhanna, The Gathering, the county genealogy department and museum, as well as ongoing initiatives such as 'Taste of Cavan', that Cavan could become a national leader in terms of Diaspora strategy implementation.
Ms Murphy stated that crucial to the strategy was the “fundamental connection to home”, adding that “it's no longer about what you know or who you know, it's all about who knows you.”
She said: “The time is now for Cavan to stand up and use the document in a positive way.”