Striving for a better quality of life
New Year's message from Senator Joe O'Reilly, Fine Gael...
Throughout our history we Irish have had to battle with adversity all too often. We displayed great resilience and resourcefulness in overcoming and will do so this time too. Our resolve should be strengthened with the vaccination presenting tangible sight of an end.
A real highlight of 2020 was the success of our Cavan Senior Football Team and our Camogie Team. This will provide an impetus to both Gaelic Football and Camogie in County Cavan in 2021. My hope and belief would be that it will give further encouragement to our very young to play the games and seek to emulate their new heroes and role models.
Sport is so vital to the physical and mental wellbeing of our youth. Anyone who takes the time to read George Cartwright’s outstanding biography of the Gallant John Joe O'Reilly will realise how important Gaelic Football was in Cavan as recreation and comfort to a people stricken with emigration and lack of disposable income.It will do the same now as new challenges are met. Let’s hope this year’s success continues and congratulations to all concerned. The players, management, GAA County Board, and all volunteers at club level can take a collective bow.
The Digital Hub is something new. Using high speed broadband allows many people work remotely all or part of the time. The Cavan Town Digital Hub is a great success. My hope would be that it will be further developed in 2021 with each town in Cavan boasting a thriving hub. This limits commuting, improving lifestyle and reducing emissions. It attracts business and employment to our communities. We must also support working from home but the hub is more social, allowing the home to be an undisturbed family sanctuary. My further hope in this regard is that the roll out of broadband is fast and furious catching all of the county.
Alongside broadband, the Virginia byPass is a vital piece of infrastructure for our county and I hope progress is rapid. I also would hope that the East West Link from to Dundalk to Sligo passing through Cavan will come back on the radar. A pet project of mine, on which I’ve lobbied successive Justice ministers, is a new Bailieborough Garda Station.
Thankfully the tendering process is underway. A commitment to a new A & E and further facilities for Cavan General Hospital must also be auctioned.
Our hospitality sector will need life support this year. Initiatives by Cavan County Council to bring home our diaspora on holidays and indeed as investors are so important.
We have learned the value of all our frontline workers this year. Let’s treasure them in 2021 by paying them a just wage and ending any system that pits private workers against our public workers. We are all part of the same meitheal seeking to make for a better quality of life all around.