COLUMN: Community spirit still thriving in Mayo

At a time when community spirit and volunteerism are thought to be in serious decline, it was doubly encouraging to attend the recent Mayo County Council Cathaoirleach Awards at Breaffy House Hotel. Close to three hundred community activists had gathered for the ceremony held to celebrate and reward the efforts of individuals and community groups who seek to make their localities, and county, a better place to live.

Presided over by Cathaoirleach, Cllr John O'Hara, the awards ceremony covered seventeen different categories, the finalists for which had been recommended by their communities over the previous four months. In the words of Cllr O'Hara, the awards shine a light on the remarkable work being carried out across Mayo and beyond - work that enriches lives, fosters connections, and ensures that the county remains a beacon of warmth and opportunity.

The awards night itself may be a logistical challenge, but the organising team, under the direction of Martina Hughes, head of Corporate Development and Communication, are old hands at keeping things moving smoothly. In Angelina Nugent, they had a polished compere who ruled good humouredly over the proceedings and ensured that all ran to time. And it was no easy task, bearing in mind that the announcement of each category winner required a short spoken introduction, a recorded video of the substance of the award, a photo-op on stage with the Cathaoirleach, and then the ushering off to the wings to be interviewed for TV by Henry McGlade - a need for clockwork precision if a burning of the midnight oil was to be be avoided.

A handful of the awards went to individual winners - long serving Noel Howley, the most prominent Mayoman in Dublin, took the Diaspora Engagement award, while Ruth Cawley, a Mayo powerhouse in Chicago, was crowned with the Diaspora Achievement award. Norah Patten, due to become the first Irish person to travel into outer space, won the Contribution to Mayo Life award. And arguably the most resounding cheers of the night came when Martin Neary - famous for, among other things, winning the planning battle to be allowed to be buried on his own family farm outside Swinford - stepped forward to be presented with the 'Blue Riband', the Cathaoirleach's Special Recognition award.

But then there were also the keenly contested categories - there were no less than nineteen nominations for the Contribution to Community Life award, any one of which would have been a merited winner. The award went to One Westport, but as Cathaoirleach O'Hara pointed out, every single nominee had already been recognised as a champion by their local community.

“Whether you take home an award or not, your efforts have not gone unnoticed,” he reminded the gathering.

The entries lacked nothing for imagination or creativity, and two in particular caught the eye. One of the Environmental Awards went to Ballyhaunis Bike Repair Clinic, a simple but effective concept whereby bike owners are trained on how to repair and maintain their machines rather than - due to lack of mechanical skill - have them rust away in some forgotten corner of a shed or garage. An initiative of Ballyhaunis Community Council, the weekly clinic devotes half of its time to a workshop, and half to repairing damaged or non functioning bikes.

Meanwhile, the award for local heritage went to Louisburgh-Killeen Heritage Group for its evocative, affectionate portrayal of a way of life now but a memory, 'Traders on the Reek'. A collaborative project with Louisburgh Area Mens' Shed, and involving the local national schools along the foothills of Croagh Patrick, it tells the story of the families which, for generations, traded on the mountain on Reek Sunday catering for the needs of weary pilgrims.

The project centres on an hour long documentary re-enacting the rituals where the traders prepare for the trek to the summit, their panniers of provisions loaded on their faithful donkeys, the climb, the setting up of the stalls on the mountain, the tea making and the banter, all to the backdrop of the sense of meitheal and friendship and neighbourly bond between the trading families.

Produced by Mary O'Malley, and filmed and edited by Brendan Gilmartin, the documentary features the last family to trade on the Reek, the Needhams, recalling a time honoured custom which came to an end in 2019.

'Traders on the Reek' is worth watching, again and again; for future generations, it will be a link to a past worth remembering.