Ballina Fianna Fáil elects new officer board

Ballina Fianna Fáil Comhairle Cheantar elected a new officer board at its annual general meeting held in The Merry Monk last week.

The following officers were elected: President, Dr Tom Moffatt; Vice-Presidents, Liam Breslin, Tommy Ginley, Carmel Hughes, Matt Farrell, Padraic Kelly, Rosaleen Hughes, Eddie Ruane, Paddy Walsh, Josephine Murray; Chairperson, Michael Rouse; Vice-Chairperson, Carmel Bourke; Secretary,  Mags Downey Martin; Treasurer 1, Noel Mullen; Treasurer 2, Michael Barrett; Disability Officer, Vincent Grant; PRO, Liam Henry. 

Outgoing chairperson Brian Hopkins thanked the organisation for their help and assistance during his term. He acknowledged the work of previous chairpersons and officer boards and reflected on a successful term for Fianna Fáil in the region in Local, European and General Elections. He congratulated Dara Calleary TD on his appointment to the Cabinet and thanked Minister Calleary, Cllr Annie May Reape and Cllr Michael Loftus for their commitment and dedication to the area and the party.

Minister Calleary extended his thanks to Brian for his assistance during his tenure and wished the incoming chair and officer board well in their roles, assuring them of his co-operation. He reflected on a successful year since the formation of the government and highlighted a number of significant investments in Ballina during that time including the Ballina Flood Scheme which has been granted planning permission and will move to construction in early 2027, the advancement of the Ballina Relief Road which is scheduled to commence construction in early 2027, the construction of social housing projects at The Meadows (underway), the Old Duffy’s Bakery Site (starting in March) and the former Cheshire Home Killala Road (starting in April), and the opening of the Ballina Minor Injuries Unit (final stages of recruitment underway with a scheduled opening of April). 

Minister Calleary paid tribute to Paul Bourke and the Let There Be Light committee for the sterling work they did on lighting Ballina up for Christmas, saying it was community spirit in action and confirmed that he has allocated €300,000 from his Department’s Town and Village Renewal Scheme for the upgrade of the lighting infrastructure across the town. He also pointed to a number of challenges including the traffic issues in the town, affordable housing, the present issues being experienced with Inland Fisheries Ireland and proposed restrictions on the Moy, and outlined the importance of getting other projects such as The Quay redevelopment into a position to be ready to submit applications to relevant government departments for funding. He assured the meeting of his commitment to working with Mayo County Council and other bodies to bring such proposals to fruition.