Published: Wednesday, 4th August, 2010 5:00pm

Great things happening in Cavan

The fact that two violent incidents occurred on the streets of Cavan town over the last two weekends is unfortunate and a case of bad timing. It is not the case that Cavan town is a violent anti-social blackspot where visitors can expect unprovoked attacks. But with over 200,000 visitors expected for the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in a couple of weeks, these violent attacks could damage the reputation of the town and easily deter some visitors from coming to the party.

For that to happen would be a shame given the work that has been done around the town in the past few months (and years) in preparation for this major cultural event. The town has never looked so good - with road works, flower displays, art installations, hanging baskets, window displays, freshly painted premises... A huge community effort has gone into making the Cavan Fleadh one of the best ever. Hundreds if not thousands of volunteers have stepped forward; people have offered rooms in their houses; the business community has pulled together, all under the guidance of the local authorities and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.

The level of work and positive initiatives in Cavan at present is unprecedented. What must be emphasised is the town's record in the IBAL Litter League, for example, where it is frequently one of the cleanest towns in the country. Not only that but Cavan's record in the areas of accessibility and the environment is reflected in its preparations for the fleadh, as it aims to be a carbon neutral event and to be accessible to all.

It's also worth noting that the Cavan Summer Festival and International Hens Weekend in mid-June was successful, with no major incident and everyone had an enjoyable weekend.

An Garda Síochána must make every resource available to the gardaí in Cavan for this major international event. A huge garda presence is promised and the policing plan has been in the making for almost a year now.

Gardaí in Cavan are working tirelessly to stamp out anti-social behaviour and assaults in Cavan town and achieving success.

They deserve every backing. And should any unsavoury incident begin to unfold during fleadh week, or indeed at any time, the gardaí have to be on hand to tackle the situation immediately and remove any culprits from the streets.