Local Notes: Prestigious accolade for Claremorris native Luke
Luke Gibbons has been included in the Irish Echo 40 Under 40 Awards in the United States.
Luke Gibbons is in the news again. The 28-year-old PhD candidate and Irish Research Council Scholar from Claremorris has received the All-Ireland Young Sustainability Change Maker of the Year Award at a gala ceremony in Belfast. This prestigious award celebrates individuals under 30 who excel in promoting environmental stewardship and sustainability.
Luke was recognised for his leadership in environmental education, policy development, and climate advocacy, standing out among a competitive field of nominees. On the same day, he was also named the Young Mayo Person of the Year.
Currently pursuing a PhD at Trinity College Dublin, Luke focuses on corporate governance in relation to climate change risks. His influence extends globally, having been named one of the Top 30 Under 30 Environmental Educators by the North American Association for Environmental Education, the only recipient from Ireland and the EU in 2024.
Luke also won the People’s Choice Award in the Top 40 Under 40 Irish in America and has engaged in significant policy work, including a fellowship with US Congressman Matt Cartwright. He is set to represent Ireland at the Global Peace Summit in New York in December and will speak alongside Mary Robinson on climate policy in November. Luke emphasises the collective effort needed to address climate challenges.
Speaking to the after winning the award, Luke said that the All-Ireland Young Sustainability Change Maker Award recognises a young person from the island of Ireland that is advocating for some form of change in relation to the climate issue or the environment, and has demonstrated an impact in that sphere.
“I was nominated on the basis of my PhD research,” Luke said, “which asks the question whether under Irish law, directors of companies are required to take the climate into account when they're making corporate decisions. The answers that I'm coming up with are that they can take it into account, but they're not necessarily required by law to do so.”
The other achievements the nomination took into account was that Luke had worked with former US Vice-President Al Gore, as a climate reality leader, and with former Irish President, Mary Robinson, in a similar role.
“I advocate for greater action on behalf of both companies and the governments to address climate change,” Luke said. “The most central message that I try to get out is that it's not all down to individual responsibility. Individuals are tired of hearing that they have to make changes themselves when they look at governments - and at companies - and see that they're not changing.
“So, I would be very much on the side that the change needs to be top-down and you can't expect individuals to change how they go about their daily lives if the government and companies aren't changing too because they are the ones that contribute the most emissions.”
So what does Luke plan to do, when he completes his PhD?
“I worked for a period with Congressman Matt Cartwright on Capitol Hill, as a legislative fellow, and in that role, I contributed to legislation that impacted the climate. One of the pieces was the Unleaded Act, and I think I’d like to work at something along those lines. I probably will end up going back to the US, because I strongly believe that the US has a lot of catching up to do in relation to the climate and the environment. If I don’t go working in the government in the US I’ll probably go into private practice over there, as in some form of consultancy, going into companies and assisting them to act on the climate war.”
Luke said he’d like to get into electoral politics at some time.
“If I do run for politics, it would most likely be in Ireland and I don't think now is the right time for me. I just have to finish the PhD in the next year and that's my immediate priority. But it's definitely something that I see myself doing in the future. I am currently based in Dublin and I travel back to the US every couple of months because I was formerly based in Harvard in Boston so I like to check in there every now and again.”
Claremorris rail workers were highly commended at this year’s Iarnród Éireann Customer Experience Awards. The awards took place at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin recently.
The event recognise excellence in customer experience in all aspects of service that is provided to rail customers. Workers were nominated by their peers and this year also featured a People’s Choice Award, where nominations came from customers. Claremorris station staff were highly commended in the Customer Experience Team of the Year Category. This is an important category, which demonstrates their dedication to customer service excellence.
The team at Claremorris consists of four colleagues, Tom Byrne, Tom Charles, Jan Pilbrow and Terence Heaney. Together, they resource the station from the first train until the last, seven days a week. All four are warm engaging people and are very proud of the roles that they perform. They are always well-presented, portraying a positive and professional image of themselves and ensuring that the station is cleaned to a high standard and welcoming for our customers.
Their nomination said: “The team at Claremorris is supportive and helpful to all our customers but do pay special attention to those that need help the most. The team is a strong example of the group that represents the 'Customers at the heart of the Business' value.”
The voluntary community work of Marie Crowe and Geraldine Joyce has been recognised at the Mayo People of the Year Awards, which will take place at Breaffy House Hotel, Castlebar, on Friday, November 15.
Now in its 30th year, the event is organised by Mayo Rehab, Mayo County Council and the . The proceeds from the night go directly to Mayo Rehab for the development of facilities for service users.
Marie Crowe has been involved in many projects over the years in Claremorris including the St Patrick’s Day Parade, the Agricultural Show, the switching-on ceremony of the Christmas lights and the Claremorris Pink Day, which was a first for the town and raised €60,000 for breast cancer research.
Geraldine Joyce is the core of the community in Facefield, Mayo Abbey and Claremorris. Geraldine organises the choir and pastoral council and is involved in community housing in Mayo Abbey and is the secretary of Facefield Committee Community Group.
Geraldine has been at the helm of Claremorris Athletics Club for over 20 years. She goes in several times a week training young people in all aspects of athletics.
The upcoming election is proving to be good news for the commercial rental business in Claremorris, with three declared candidates opening offices in the centre of the town.
Martina Jennings (Fine Gael), Paul Lawless (Aontú), and Patsy O’Brien (Independent) all seem anxious to colonise Claremorris; to make it their political and administrative base for the south Mayo region. And, undecided voters won’t have far to travel from one office to the next to compare the political offerings of the candidates, as all three are based within a few metres of each other around the railway bridge joining Main Street to James’s Street. The three candidates will all be able to greet or wave to one another as they enter and exit their new bases.
The Chamber of Commerce has long been decrying the ‘hollowing out’ of the town centre, citing the closed shops and the gradual transition of commercial buildings to residential status as adding to the decline in footfall in the town centre. The problem is not exclusive to Claremorris, of course; other towns have the same complaint.
But politicians can always be relied upon to find a solution where others have failed. This unexpected upsurge of commercial activity will give the town a boost. Hopefully, for the rental business at least, more candidates will declare for the election in the area, and again, hopefully, all will get elected to prolong the use of the offices.
The death has occurred unexpectedly at her home of Olivia Hernon, of Cullane, Ballindine, and formerly of Musicfield, Milltown, Co Galway.
Olivia was predeceased by her father James, and is deeply regretted by her loving children Matthew, Emma and Adam, her devoted mother Mary, siblings Ivan, Alan, Elaine, David, Stephen and Marian, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews extended family and friends.
Olivia was laid to rest in Kilclooney Cemetery, Milltown after Funeral Mass in St Joseph's Church, Ballindine.
May she rest in peace.
The death has occurred of Pearl Cawley (nee Hughes) of Newtown, Claremorris, and formerly of Springvale, Killererin, Tuam, Co Galway.
Pearl passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving children and was pre-deceased by her husband Cathal, parents Tommie and Breege Hughes and brother Fr Oliver.
Pearl is survived by her children Fergal, Ashleen, Sinead, Niamh and Cormac, sons in-law John, Micheál and Rob, daughters in-law Katherine and Tess, ten grandchildren, sisters Mary, Regina, Majella, Nuala, Angela and brothers John and Tom, nieces and nephews, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and many great neighbours and friends.
Pearl was laid to rest in St Colman’s Cemetery after Funeral Mass at the Church of St John The Baptist, Knock.
May she rest in peace.
Garrymore GAA Club has announced that former player Martin Maloney has stepped down as manager after two years at the helm.
A Crossboyne native, Martin previously served three years as part of the senior backroom team before taking on the managerial role in 2022.
During his tenure, Martin was joined by former Galway and Corofin footballers Kieran Fitzgerald and Ciaran McGrath, who served as a selector and player, respectively.
Under Martin’s leadership, Garrymore reached the quarter-finals of the Mayo Senior Football Championship this year, where they were defeated by county finalists, Knockmore.
The Garrymore club has expressed gratitude to Martin and his backroom team for their dedication and contributions to the club, wishing them all the best in the future.
The club is now seeking expressions of interest for the vacant position of senior team manager. Applications can be made by email only to secretary.garrymore.mayo@gaa.ie. The closing date is this Friday, November 8th.
Congratulations are extended to Richard Carney and his twin brother Seán, who celebrated their 80th birthday at a family party in the McWilliam Park Hotel last week.
“The party was a complete surprise,” Richard told the . “We celebrated a day early."
Richard is a former English and History teacher at St Colman’s College and Seán is a retired Garda who initially served in Leitrim, then Connemara and finally in Dublin. He lives in Sutton, Co Dublin.
Seán has never missed a Mayo match since Michael J. Reidy brought him to the 1951 All-Ireland Final in his Cortina.
The twins were born on October 28th, 1944, and the 80th party was arranged by their sister Mary O’Connell, who lives in Convent Road, Claremorris.
Richard is a gifted singer and has posted his renditions of many, many songs, on YouTube. His videos have scored millions of hits, attracting messages of support from all over the world.
“I love all the West End musicals,” Richard said. “I’m more into the music rather than the singer, but I do like Cliff Richard, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Al Martino. My real favourite is my late friend Kevin Prendergast.”
Asked what the biggest change he had witnessed in his lifetime, Richard replied: “Probably the loss of so many neighbours from my younger days. Nowadays you seldom meet people that you know. Claremorris is now a town of so many different nationalities. We now let the internet dominate our lives.”
The community was saddened to learn of the peaceful passing of Celia Mullee of Luí na Greine.
Celia passed away at the Mayo Hospice, surrounded by her loving family. She was predeceased by her parents Dominic and Rose Regan and her beloved husband Seamus (Shay).
Celia will be sadly missed by her sons Thomas, Dominic and Michael, daughters Rosaleen, Agatha and Mary, sons-in-law Kevin, Paul and Agatha’s partner Michael, daughters-in-law Caroline and Siobhan, 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, relatives, neighbours and many friends.
Celia was laid to rest in Barnacarroll Cemetery after Funeral Mass in St Colman’s Church.
May she rest in peace.
Claremorris Colts enjoyed their first victory of the season with a three-point margin over Carrick-on-Shannon in Round 2 of the J1C League at Colts Park last week.
The Colts were under pressure from the start, with Carrick in their 22 for a prolonged period. Despite this early onslaught, the Colts' defence held firm, with the visitors being denied on several occasions by debutant scrum-half Marcus Cosgrave.
The first points of the game came just passed the half-hour mark through a Carrick penalty after a period of sustained pressure.
Despite being reduced to 14 players at this stage, the Colts responded immediately. A Carrick clearance found its way to full-back Matthew Macken deep in his own half. He accelerated to the five-metre line. The ball was retained and quick hands from Heaney and Kevin Sheridan got the ball to winger Simon O’Farrell, who stepped inside the defence and touched down to open scoring for the Colts. The try was converted by out-half Shane Meehan.
Colts extended their lead on the stroke of half-time, with Meehan converting a long-distance penalty to give the Colts a 10-3 lead going into the break.
The second half started similarly to the first, with a stalemate as both sides struggled to convert chances. The Colts defence held strong, with a number of crunching tackles from loosehead prop Danny Noone. Second-row Liam Heaney denied the visitors an attacking platform by disrupting the Carrick lineout.
The set piece disruption continued in the scrum, with Colts winning a penalty against the head, opposite a formidable Carrick front row. The back row of Oisín O’Connor, Kevin Sheridan, and Luke Colleran were immense at the breakdown, winning some important turnovers.
Despite the Colts' valiant defensive efforts, Carrick levelled the game with 10 minutes to go through an intercept against the run of play.
The Colts went on the offensive and found themselves inside the Carrick half where they were awarded a penalty. Meehan stepped up and sent the ball over the bar, to give Colts a three-point lead with only a few minutes remaining.
Carrick forced a turnover penalty 40 metres out but to the relief of the home team, their effort narrowly missed the right upright.
Man of the Match on debut was scrum-half Marcus Cosgrave.
Carrick will feel that they did enough to come away with the win but the Colts' new-found determination and organisation in defence (thanks to the tuition of Michael Hett Senior) kept the line intact.
Lots to work on for the Colts but if they can build on the momentum generated on Friday night then better performances are sure to follow. The Colts sit in the upper middle of the table on four points.
Colts: Cathal Heaney, Adrian Maye, Daniel Noone, Dwayne Campbell, Liam Heaney, Oisin O’Connor, Kevin Sheridan, Luke Colleran, Marcus Cosgrave, Shane Meehan, Simon O'Farrell, Cathal McHugh, Conor Prendergast, Jason Kelly, Matthew Macken. Subs: Jack Colleran, Sean Colgan, Sean Murphy, Ethan Henry, Keith Jennings, Luke Burke, Daniel Jagminas, Micheál Hett.
It’s great to see a rural community organising an event that is normally associated with towns. The community in Facefield organised a Harvest Scarecrow Festival this year. Twenty-one entries were submitted and the results were announced at a Halloween Party in Facefield School.
First prize went to Eileen Murphy for her entry, ‘The Last Turf Fire.’ Eileen’s prize is B&B and dinner for two in the Broadhaven Bay Hotel and Leisure Centre, Belmullet.
The second prize was won by Colette and Charlie Regan with their entry ‘Ballinlough Scarecrow Marathon 2024'. They win a €50 voucher for The Old Arch Restaurant in Claremorris.
Maura and Dominic Jordan claimed third prize, with ‘Waiting For The Indian Summer'. They win lunch for two at Knock House Hotel.
The festival is only a part of the range of activities the Facefield Community Group has organised. Earlier this year, they organised coffee mornings, exercise events and live concerts. The group is grateful to the sponsors of this event - the Broadhaven Bay Hotel, Old Arch Restaurant and Knock House Hotel.
Well done to the organisers and to those who made the effort. Community spirit is alive and well in Facefield.
Claremorris Drama and Fringe Festival Committee will host the All-Ireland Confined Drama Finals next year between April 25 and May 3rd.
As part of its preparations, the committee is staging a fundraising event in the Town Hall on Saturday next, November 9th. Bradán Players from Leixlip bring the hilarious comedy and poignant play, ‘Little Gem’, to life on the stage in a remarkable production directed by Réidín Dunne, starring Stevie Ní Liam, Helena Stout and Michelle Reade.
In ‘Little Gem’, three generations of North Dublin women find themselves suddenly facing the unexpected. Young Amber’s case of indigestion – or perhaps it’s a brutal hangover? – grows into something more, while her mother Lorraine discovers salsa dancing after an incident at work leads to therapist-suggested self-care.
Grandmother Kay, “on the wrong side of sixty, but not dead yet", struggles to take care of a personal itch while adjusting to life as a caretaker for her beloved Gem.
As the year moves forward, the women confront their individual challenges with courage and humour, finding strength in one another and discovering the beauty and complexity of family.
Elaine Murphy’s debut play premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival in 2008 where it won the Fishamble New Writing Award. It then transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it won the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award, the festival’s top prize. 'Little Gem' made its US premiere in January of 2010 at the Flea Theatre.
Tickets for ‘Little Gem’ are available from 094-9310999 or online at www.townhall.ie. The play is based around adult themes.
Claremorris and District Lions Club is holding a Table Quiz in aid of Claremorris Dance Memory Club on this Friday, November 8th, at 8pm in the Dalton Inn Hotel. Tables of four cost €40 with a discounted rate for students of €30.
The Dance Memory Club is a support group for people with Dementia. The group runs every Wednesday from 11.30am to 1.00pm at Curam. Musicians play Irish music and songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Attendees must bring a plus one. This can be a spouse, carer, family member, or whatever, but they must bring somebody with them. The group sits around a conference table, chats, and enjoys refreshments. The group activity was initially focused on chatting and exercise, but over time it transformed into a dancing music group.
Studies have shown that for people with dementia – even those who have lost their ability to communicate or are at the end of their life – music can be a powerful way to trigger positive feelings and connect with other people. Music can also help a person with dementia to connect with the past by evoking memories, feelings and emotions that they might otherwise find hard to express. Sufferers may find it easier to recall memories when they hear pieces of music that are significant to them – perhaps their favourite song from the past, or even a lullaby they used to sing to their children.
