Christmas message from Council CEO
A Christmas message from CEO of Cavan County Council, Tommy Ryan.
"I can scarcely believe another 12 months have passed since I last wrote in these pages. Perhaps 2018 has seemed deceptively short due to the unseasonably long winter of 2017.
"In The Anglo-Celt twelve months ago, I paid tribute to the fire, roads, and municipal district staff of Cavan County Council; along with our Civil Defence and community volunteers; for their bravery and hard work in combating the effects of ex-Hurricane Ophelia, and it would be remiss of me not to mention the even greater effort that was put in during Snow Storm Emma and the so-called ‘Beast from the East’ in February and March.
The community spirit and volunteerism on display during these weather phenomena was truly inspirational, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all who pitched in to mitigate the effects of these extreme weather events.
Progress on capital projects
"Throughout 2018, great progress has been made on a number of key capital projects throughout the county. Work has commenced on the Ballyconnell to Bellaheady recreational trail, the Kingscourt Water Treatment Plant officially opened in November, the N55 Killydoon to South of Corduff realignment scheme is progressing, and in October the sod was turned on the new Virginia Fire Station.
Housing is a subject that is rightly at the forefront of everyone’s mind at the minute, and Cavan County Council is working hard to fulfil its targets under the Rebuilding Ireland programme.
Cavan County Council continues to be guided by the Cavan Local Economic and Community Plan in the area of community and enterprise development, and great strides have again been made this year with our partners in delivering the plans objectives, which help improve the social and economic conditions in the county.
Foodie Destination
"Continuing on from the great success of the Taste of Cavan, Cavan was this year named as one of the Top Ten Foodie Destinations in Ireland, further proof that we are punching well above our weight in the area of food and tourism.
Enterprise development is always a key focus of your local authority and I am looking forward to Cavan Town’s new Digital Hub opening its doors in early 2019. Making Cavan a more connected county, this ultra-modern facility will allow us to attract high-quality jobs to the county.
Our goal of promoting the county as a place to visit, to live and to do business takes on a renewed urgency when we consider the looming uncertainty that Brexit brings for us. We have sought to prepare and galvanise local business against the shocks that Brexit may bring and the Local Enterprise Office (LEO), in particular, has been at the forefront of Brexit-readiness and deserves great credit.
It is also important to consider the social impact such a seismic change in our relationship with our nearest neighbours may bring, and to reflect on the great effort and sacrifice that has gone into securing and maintaining peace on this island.
‘Voices of the Troubles’
"This year, we welcomed one of the architects of the Good Friday Peace Agreement, Senator George Mitchell, to Cavan 20 years after the historic agreement was signed. In November, Cavan County Library Service launched its ‘Voices of the Troubles’ Oral History Archive, which contains interviews with over 100 people from Cavan and Fermanagh who were affected by the Troubles. This followed Cavan County Museum’s very moving commemorative service marking the centenary of the end of the First World War. These projects and events, which commemorate our sometimes-difficult past, are important reminders of why we work so hard to build a better, shared future for all in County Cavan.
One of the ways we can all help improve our home county is to support local business and local jobs, and I would encourage everyone to look on your own doorstep when shopping for Christmas this year.
I wish you all a happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.