Civic honour

Civic reception accorded to Foxford’s JJ

Anna-Marie Flynn

PRESIDENT of the Admiral Brown Society, JJ O’Hara, swapped his blue and white Argentine cufflinks for green and red ones on Friday night last, when Mayo County Council afforded him the highest honour it can bestow – a civic reception.
The unusual change of links, presented to him by his brother, served as a small, but significant insight, into the passion the Foxford man has for his pet project – a pastime that could almost be considered an unpaid career – spent creating awareness of Admiral William Brown and his Mayo connections.
Following a wreath-laying ceremony at the newly-opened Admiral Brown Road, Foxford, the huge north east Mayo delegation moved ‘across the bridge’ to continue the formalities.
Taking to the stage at the Connaught Room, Pontoon Bridge Hotel, Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Seamus Weir, officially thanked JJ O’Hara for his continued work, which the county authority has supported in the form of a €100,000 contribution in recent years.
In one of his last roles as County Chairperson, Cllr Weir said: “JJ always uses any support given to him to promote the country in an excellent example of how public and private sectors work together for the interests of the community at large.”
County Manager Des Mahon was on hand to present the official scroll of the civic reception, with a memento from Mayo Crystal, to commemorate the occasion.
Thanking family, friends, councillors and officials, JJ spoke in front of a collage of images promoting the county – a slideshow he has brought all over the globe to present to tens of thousands of strangers and finally broadcast to the familiar faces of his nearest and dearest.
“This is about pride of place and giving something back,” he said. “I am very proud to be a Mayoman and am well aware of the expression ‘Mayo God help us’. But what we don’t dwell on enough is that God did help us, there is nowhere more beautiful in the whole world, nowhere more perfect, and we should promote that.”
He explained the inspiration, which has fueled years of hard work, culminating in the 150th anniversary of the death of Admiral Brown last year.
“This is very real. This project is about the memory of a hero and keeping it alive; it is about creating a whole new vista to celebrate Mayo, and I say Mayo because this is not just about Foxford. This whole thing is about Mayo’s greatest hero.”
He outlined that when he took on the task of promoting his county, through the memory of Admiral Brown, he did not consider the high price he would pay personally. On Friday, he acknowledged that the hobby he embarked on created a whole life of its own, often at the cost of family life.
“This project has meant that I have missed a lot of special occasions. I have missed graduations and family days out and I want to extend a public apology to my family for that here tonight,” he said. “I want to thank my mother who is nearing her 85th birthday, my children John, Mark, Lisa and Louise and my wife Bernie.”
Closing his speech, JJ said he was ‘delighted’ with the evening. “I am really so honoured to be here at the invitation of the County Council. It is a very special occasion for myself and my family.”

Some of the Admiral Brown commemoration achievements to date
>Refurbishment of 1957 monument
>Overhaul of Foxford weirs
>Plans for Language and Business Centre
>Ardmiral Brown Road, Foxford
>Monument in Dublin
>Establishment of Galway and Dublin Admiral Brown societies
>Books on Ardmiral Brown translated into English
>Distribution of books to Mayo schools
>Centre for visiting Argentines
>Mayo Convention for Argentines
>Connemara marble base and schools soil project for Brown monument
>RTÉ documentary
>Film on life of Armiral Brown
>Three Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann branches in Argentina
>Monument in Philadelphia