Local Notes: An Post sticking to plan on Ballyhaunis amalgamation
Ballyhaunis Post Office pensioners and members of the Unite union protested at Leinster House recently to seek government sign off on an agreement that will increase pensions, from left: Mattie Madden, Bridie Madden, Fiachra Groarke, Michael Connolly and Paul Lawless TD.
Senior executives at An Post told local political representatives they are sticking to the plan to amalgamate Ballyhaunis sorting office into its Castlerea operation.
An Post CEO David McRedmond last week met with Ballyhaunis councillor Alma Gallagher and Ballina-based senator Mark Duffy.
“We had an open and honest exchange with them,” said an An Post spokesperson. “Our CEO David McRedmond underlined the fact that the move was going ahead for all the reasons we have outlined already. We did engage with them on the various points they raised and promised to take account of the issues raised by them as the project is implemented and the move made.
“We did stress [that]... staff from Ballyhaunis will be based at our delivery office in Castlerea. They will make one visit to the Castlerea facility in the morning to pick up their mail and then return to Ballyhaunis to make their deliveries on the same routes and to the same customers as before.”
The An Post spokesperson said the company is “proceeding steadily with the amalgamation of our delivery offices in Ballyhaunis and Castlerea... that move is likely to take place in the first quarter of this year".
Tooreen musician Ethan Henry and his band the Dog Roses are going all out for the launch of his debut album in Ballyhaunis on March 7.
“We recorded the album with Paddy Jordan in Galway and we got finished up recording around October,” said Ethan.
Now the three young musicians are about to set off on a Spring Irish Tour.
“We are having our launch night in Ballyhaunis Community Hall on March 7th, then the Roisin Dubh Galway on March 28th and to finish the Dean Crowe Theatre Athlone on April 10th," Ethan explained.
“We were on Midwest, Shannonside, CRC FM, Radio Rí Rá and many more to promote the release of the album.”
To pay for the album, Ethan and his bandmates organised a GoFundMe Concert on March 1st last year.
“In total, we raised over €2,500. Right after that we had a big gig opening for Eurovision winner Charlie McGettigan..."
The band played for the opening of Marian House Alzheimer unit in Ballindine.
Ethan said this summer will be jam packed with gigs.
“It starts off with playing at the 'Night and Day Fest' in Boyle, then many festivals in numerous counties like Mayo, Roscommon, Tipperary, Dublin, Kerry, Cork and many more.”
The second phase of the Abbeyquarter social housing project will be marked by a sod-turning event on February 27th when Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary TDl will travel to the site to perform a sod-turning along with staff from Mayo County Council.
Scheduled for 1.30pm, the sod-turning at Abbeyquarter is the first of a series of official events “reflecting ongoing progress in the county’s housing delivery programme,” said the council. After leaving Ballyhaunis, Minister Calleary will travel to Claremorris and then on to Cross and Ballinrobe to perform similar sod-turning duties on social housing projects.
“As part of our continued efforts, we are pleased to formally open a number of newly completed housing developments and to commence construction on a number of important new schemes,” said a statement from Mayo County Council.
Emerging musical acts will be getting a new focus in a schedule shakeup at Ballyhaunis-based Midwest Radio.
The changes to the station’s weekday schedule will see the popular move to a new start time of 1.30pm with Padraic Walsh still at the helm. A new show tarting at 4pm, with Brendan Nugent will entertain people on their commute with a selection of music and information.
From 6pm, Eamon Kelly will present – which moves from its original starting time of 8pm –for three hours playing the best of American and Irish Country Music, with an occasional folk and trad track.
Station manager Tommy Marren told this column: “It’s always been our philosophy to give listeners what they want and we have a proven track record in that regard. The listenership has always been huge and we don’t want to do anything that will affect the winning formula. That said, I think we all need change provided its done for good reason and that it reflects the changing demographics and interests of the people we serve.
“Whilst the music changes we are introducing won’t be massive, we are going to cater for a younger demographic at times when we believe they are available. The classic hits will still remain part and parcel of our afternoons but we will also be featuring emerging artists and of course continuing to promote Irish artists in every way we can.
“I know the changes will take a little time to ‘bed in’ because listeners have become to accustomed to a schedule that has served us so well up to now but once they hear the new afternoon and evening sound I have no doubt that it will be well received.”
Tommy said Midwest has consistently recorded the highest radio listenership in the country for almost four decades “and it continues to be an integral part of everyday life in county Mayo and beyond".
Students of the popular ‘Gaeilge for Beginners and Improvers’ language class, run by Ballyhaunis Language Café, will reconvene on February 24th for another five-week batch of weekly lessons.
Taught in a light-hearted and engaging fashion by muinteoir Colm Bohan, the classes start at 7pm in the meeting room of the Community Hall.
Mayo County Council’s Parks Department is hoping to soon have repairs done on the multi-use games structure in the Friary grounds, commonly known as the MUGA, according to the council’s head of administration for the Claremorris municipal district, Padraic Flanagan.
“They are following up on this repair,” Mr Flanagan explained. “It is a specialist job so it is taking time.”
Part of the roof of the structure was blown off by powerful gales during Storm Éoywn in January last year. The damage, said Mr Flanagan, is not covered by insurance.
“We expect though they will be able to have the work carried out soon,” he added.
A large portion of the stretched canvas roof of the structure was ripped off in the storm. Thankfully, lighting which was installed in the facility three years ago at a cost of nearly €20,000 remained intact after the storm.
Local musician and founder of the Ballyhaunis School of Music Andrei Chiujdea will be overseeing an Open Mic night for young musicians on February 28 at 6pm in the Community Hall.
Hosted by Ballyhaunis Community Council, the Open Mic night is a free monthly event that aims to give young musicians a chance to meet and jam together.
A native of Romania, Andrei graduated from the BIMM Music Institute Dublin in 2018 a with a degree in guitar performance before moving to Ballyhaunis where he worked in a range of local jobs including skilling as a plumber at bathroom maker BPod.
Aside from guitar, Aghamore-based Chiujdea also plays and teaches piano, bass and drums.
“I can play drums, cajun, tin whistle, fiddle, harmonica, pretty much anything that makes a sound!”
Andrei plays regularly at pubs in Ballyhaunis and Cloonfad. All young musicians are invited to come sing, play a tune or try an instrument during the Open Mic night which is also supported by the Sunflower Foundation.
Schools, traffic calming, cycle ways and new walking paths will all be examined as part of a Community Transport Study (CTS) to be conducted in Ballyhaunis in the coming months by the Active Travel section of Mayo County Council.
The CTS will identify the main transportation issues in a particular town and provide suggestions for active travel measures which would enable more walking and cycling in the community.
A €340,000 allocation to Ballyhaunis in 2021 from the Active Travel Fund (administered by Mayo Co Council for the National Transport Authority) was spent on a footpath and cycle way from the Ballyhaunis GAA grounds on the Knock Road to the bypass road near the Community School.
Further funds were expected for the Bridge Street side of the town to enable safer walking to the town’s primary school. However, a total of €210,000 was unspent until relevant preparatory works were completed.
In 2024, Mayo County Council told this column that the €210,000 in Active Travel funding for Ballyhaunis would be drawn down once preparatory works required by Transport Infrastructure Ireland - the state agency overseeing infrastructure - are completed locally. At that time, the council also stated that Active Travel spending would be confined to towns which had Active Travel plans in place. The Community Transport Study may be the first step in putting such a Plan in place. An update from the council will be included in next week’s edition.
