‘We have to keep pushing’

First elected to Carrickmacross Town Council in 2004, Cllr PJ O’Hanlon (Fianna Fáil) said his motivation was simple: “The reason I became a public representative was to try and make a difference locally. In 2009, I stood for Monaghan Co Council. That year, Fianna Fáil lost over 80 seats, and gained two. I was fortunate enough to be one of the two.”

His late mother Rosaleen O’Hanlon preceded him on the council, and he is delighted to be following in her footsteps.

“I was born on Main Street. Everybody was equal. It was a good community to grow up in. Everyone knew and looked out for each other,” Cllr O’Hanlon recalled, remembering Stedfast Shoes, the jam factory and Thursday Market Day, when farm animals were sold where Market Square Shopping Centre now stands.

He described Carrickmacross as “one of the best towns in the North East and the fastest growing”, adding: “It’s a prosperous town. The people that are providing employment now are local, staying here and investing in the town.”

He praised the contribution of community and voluntary organisations too.

Proud to have served as first citizen of Co Monaghan for the past year, Cllr O’Hanlon pointed to developments he has championed, including C:TEK 1 and 2, where 150 people are employed and local businesses are expanding. He said the Convent Lands are driving economic development, with a site also identified for the long-awaited swimming pool, fundraised for locally since the 1970s.

Cllr O’Hanlon recalled the fight for Nexus Business Park, where Activ8 is now based: “We fought tooth and nail for the Nexus Business Park, (which was on sterilised land earmarked for Clontibret-Border road scheme). There’s between 400 and 500 people working in it.”

Housing growth was another positive, with up to 120 homes being built annually. “That’s because of the builders we have in the town - B&C Building Contractors. Eakin Developments are responsible for the Affordable Housing Scheme,” he praised.

Cllr O’Hanlon is thrilled to see the Nuremore Estate back open and says it will soon be linked to the town by footpath. “Before the end of the year, you’ll be able to walk from the middle of the town by footpath, out one way and back in the other.”

In conclusion, the town native said: “Carrick has moved forward but we have to keep pushing. It’s so important that everybody supports local businesses. Their contribution, through rates, has made it the great town it is.”