Emer Gallagher
NUMBERS present may have been small, but a determined mood filled the air in the Crannmór Centre in Ballinrobe last week, as a decision was taken to fight the closure of the local courthouse.
In the coming weeks, the views of members of the legal profession locally and of business people most likely to be affected by the closure will be sought and a case made to the Courts Service, the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs for the retention of the courthouse and court sittings in the town.
A letter will also be sent to Mayo’s five TDs, asking them to attend a meeting in the courthouse with a view to giving them an appreciation of its significance to the town.
Citing the recent boundaries review which will see Ballinrobe lose its electoral area status from next year, the unacceptably short opening hours of the local Garda station, the state of approach roads to the town and the ongoing issue of the lack of a bypass, several speakers at last Wednesday night’s meeting said that Ballinrobe had been hit ‘left, right and centre’ in recent years and it was time the people shouted ‘stop’.
It was also outlined that Ballinrobe was the first town in which a court sitting was held after the foundation of the Free State, and the provision of a court service therefore had a historical resonance in the town.
The public meeting was called by the local Community Development Council (CDC) with a view to mounting a campaign to have the decision of the Courts Service, to shut Ballinrobe Courthouse, reversed.
Opening the meeting, Chairperson of the CDC, Denise Horan, expressed her disappointment at the poor turnout, but acknowledged that time of year and short notice may have been contributory factors. However, she thanked those who did attend, including Michael Ring, TD, Leas-Chathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Tom Connolly, Cllr Patsy O’Brien and members of the public. She also gave apologies from Dara Calleary TD, who was unable to attend..
She said it was up to the people of the area to show they were determined to save this important community facility and prevent further erosion of services in the town. “If we fight this now, then maybe the next time consideration is being given to removing a service from Ballinrobe, the agency in question will think twice. Maybe we have rolled over too often in the past and accepted a fate with which we were unhappy; this is our chance to show that we are not willing to accept any further erosion of vital community services in this town,” she said.
Local businessman and former councillor, Michael Burke, said he had written to the Courts Service on the matter two weeks ago and had yet to receive a response, while Michael Ring and Patsy O’Brien made similar points.
