Where would we be without volunteers?

Tuesday, 15 March 2011 15:59

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Would society as we know it today in Ireland exist at all without the huge level of volunteering that takes place? Probably not. All around us, everyday life in Ireland is dominated by people giving over huge swathes of their time to allow others participate in activities. Obviously, it's not only sporting activities that attract volunteers; right across society, people are prepared to help those who may not be in a position to help themselves.

Volunteering is wonderful. It's a bit like giving a present to someone where the giver feels as good about the giving as the recipient does about getting the receiving. It's win, win, win for everyone. This year, 2011, is the year of the volunteer and it has been officially recognised by the EU.
Last Friday, MEP Marian Harkin addressed a gathering of volunteers in Westport which was organised by the Westport Family Resource Centre. Volunteers from right across the community were represented. It was an excellent day and it certainly brought home just how much voluntary work goes on in Westport. I'm sure it's the same in every other small town in Mayo.

During the morning part of the conference, a number of volunteers were presented with certificates for their efforts during the past year. It was a lovely moment and it was great to see so many people having their efforts recognised. But, as great as that was, it was in half penny place to when the main announcement of the day took place.
The Lifetime Achievement award for Volunteering in Westport went to Martin Keane. Martin is the ultimate community activist and has spent the vast bulk of his life doing work for others, long before anyone thought of the Year of the Volunteer. The citation described his work brilliantly.

For 43 years he's been volunteering and it's safe to say that there are very few Westport people under the age of 55 that have not had the benefit of some activity or other that was organised by Martin Keane.
Looking back now, Martin must have started volunteering when he began to walk, as he seems to have been at it forever. He organised leagues, managed teams (everyone got a game, again ahead of his time in terms of inclusiveness) and ran buses to places like Galway where games would be played against local teams.
Martin wasn't, and isn't, simply about sport. His Fuel for the Elderly and Toys for Christmas programmes are part and parcel of life in Westport, while he was also the founder member of the Westport Youth Activities Club.

Some years ago, he was elected as an independent member of the Westport Town Council. He has resisted overtures from the political parties to join them in the interim as he regards himself as a community representative, rather than a politician.
Martin has overcome some difficulties in his own life and has come out the other side smiling. He smiles as he patrols the Sports Park selling lotto tickets and no one will refuse him. Even referees and linesmen have been known to buy the ticket from him, and last Sunday, during a match, he was attempting to sell the linesman a ticket just when the official had to make a decision on an offside call.
Thankfully, it all worked out in the end. The flag went up and the ticket got sold. I think.

But Keane, and that's not disrespectful as it's what he's known by (unless, of course, you're of a certain age and you call him Bradley, after the great Finn Harps centre forward, Brendan!), manages to sell his tickets in such a way that it's impossible to take offence with him. In fact, it's impossible to take offence with him over anything.
Even on Sunday, when he was attempting to justify the introduction of on-street parking charges in parts of Westport to Colin Navin, he got away with it. Not many others would. He's that type of human being.
I don't know who decided to honour Martin Keane on Friday last with the Lifetime Achievement Award but in the humble opinion of this column, it was up there with the best decisions ever made in Westport.
Incredibly, despite devoting all of his free time to helping other people for so many years, Martin Keane's work has never been officially recognised. Maybe he's been taken for granted, and I include myself in that.
Martin Keane is a giant among volunteers, a wonderfully generous human being who always puts others ahead of himself. He is the ultimate volunteer.

A humorous moment from Friday to finish with: Martin works in the Plaza Hotel in Westport and it's located right beside the Castlecourt Hotel where the conference was taking place. Aware of what was happening next door and anxious to see what was going on, he popped over on his tea break, totally unaware that everyone in the hotel knew what was about to happen.
You could see him looking at his watch as proceedings got underway and when his name was called out to accept his reward, the first thing he said, after thanking everyone, was to express the hope that Joe Corcoran wasn't around as he was meant to be at work! Well, Joe was around and so was everyone else that understood just what the award recognised. Well done, Keane.