New office structure for Mayo development company
Members of the board and team of South West Mayo Development Company (SWMDC) met with a local group in Balla recently to discuss SWMDC supports, including new ORIS funding secured for local walks development, from left: Thomas Fitzpatrick, Chairperson, SWMDC; Tony Hetherington, Rural Social Scheme Supervisor; Sabina Trench, CEO, SWMDC; Pat Boyle, Chairperson, Balla Community Resources Development; Norita Clesham, LEADER Project Officer; and Martin Dillane, Rural Recreation Officer. Picture: Trish Forde
South West Mayo Development Company (SWMDC) has reaffirmed its commitment to communities across Mayo, Galway and Roscommon, amid a restructure of its office and outreach services.
The local development company (LDC) says it has conducted "a robust analysis of its facilities and offerings" over the past 12 months, in consultation with its board and staff.
"The findings pointed to an overwhelming desire to combine resources, consolidate work practices and projects, and improve collaboration amongst teams," it said in a statement.
Founded in 1991, SWMDC is a community-owned and volunteer-led LDC, originally established to implement the pilot LEADER European Rural Development Programme in South West Mayo. Since then, the organisation’s remit has grown substantially, with some teams working across all of Mayo, as well as counties Galway, Roscommon and parts of Donegal.
When SWMDC was first established 35 years ago, the company set up an office in Castlebar, which was closed once the company relocated to Newport. Later, additional offices were added in Balla and again in Castlebar.
As part of the restructure, the majority of staff will now be attached to the headquarters in Castlebar, with outreach offices continuing to operate across the area, including in Newport and Balla. Current staffing levels will remain, with SWMDC continuing to employ almost 70 people, alongside an additional 350 people employed through social employment schemes.
Speaking about the restructuring, company CEO, Sabina Trench, said there was "an overwhelming view amongst staff that a central office with a robust outreach strategy would be far more effective in terms of cross-programme collaboration, communication, and delivery of local supports".
“For the last number of years, we have been operating across three offices, against a backdrop of increased staffing and programme commitments. With this setup, we felt we were missing out on collaboration opportunities across programmes. We have found in the past that proximity generates ideas and promotes cooperation. With the level of usage in our offices decreasing post-Covid, the time was right for some fresh thinking,” she explained.
The amalgamation of SWMDC’s offices will "not affect" communities and programmes in any way, stressed the SWMDC chairperson, Thomas Fitzpatrick.
“In addition to the Castlebar office, we are planning to retain a company presence in Newport and Balla with two new outreach offices. For the communities, businesses, and people in our area, they can still expect the same high levels of service that we have always delivered. This includes placements from our social employment schemes such as Rural Social Scheme, Tús, and Community Employment.
“Whether it’s in the local community centre, at the kitchen table over a coffee, or on a business premises, our approach has always been to meet people in their own place, where possible, rather than asking them to come to us,” continued Mr Fitzpatrick.
Over the last 35 years, SWMDC has implemented five LEADER programmes, with an estimated €30 million-plus allocated to community and enterprise projects throughout South and West Mayo. In 2025 alone, the LDC worked with over 400 community voluntary organisations, offering a variety of supports such as social employment placements, community training and social enterprise supports.
Through the organisation’s walks scheme and social farming programme, SWMDC made payments of almost €400,000 to local farmers and landowners in 2025. More than 3,000 people received training on a wide range of topics including drug and alcohol awareness, living well with long term health conditions, health and safety, and various accredited courses. Last year, the LDC also supported more than 30 people who were long-term unemployed to start their own business through the Back To Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme.
With an annual income of more than €5 million, SWMDC says it is looking ahead to "a bright future".
“In 2026, we expect to progress allocations of circa €2 million grant aid to LEADER projects in South and West Mayo. In addition, we will be starting work with commonage farmers in West Mayo and North West Donegal on our FARM-Up | Coimín Beo, European Innovation Partnership project,” said Sabina Trench, adding that SWMDC is excited to mark its 35th anniversary this year, with a number of celebratory activities being planned.
2026 will also see the progression of two significant Rural Regeneration Development Fund projects in Ballinrobe and on Inishturk Island. These two projects alone will bring a multi-million euro investment into the county.
