Mayo county town still feeling the loss of its urban council

by Auld Stock

CASTLEBAR, the capital town of County Mayo, had a population of roughly 5,000 people in 1946.

World War 2 had ended the previous year and there was massive emigration in this country, particularly from the west of Ireland.

There were sad scenes at Castlebar railway station each day as parents bid a tearful farewell to their sons and daughters as they headed for London and other major cities in England.

I remember Jim Foy, our neighbour, who worked at Castlebar railway station, telling my father the scenes he had witnessed at the station over the previous few weeks were sad and depressing.

The two major sources of employment in Castlebar in those years were the bacon factory and the hat factory, both now closed for a number of years.

Castlebar had an urban council in those days and the members fought vigorously on a number of fronts to raise matters of importance to the town.

Council chairman Joe Chambers spoke about the condition of the Main Street and despite the best efforts of Tony Boyle and John McGreal, maintenance staff, the street was very dirty and shop fronts were covered in dust.

‘It is time Castlebar got a proper road cleaning system,’ he said.

Councillor Chambers was supported in his views by J.J. Collins, T.R. Collins, William Cresham, James O’Quigley, Paddy Boyle and Gussie Wynne.

Castlebar is now a much different town than it was in 1946 with a population of 12,000; it is now served with an excellent street cleaning service by Mayo County Council and the town has won four gold medals in a row in the Tidy Towns competition.

Outside Galway City, Castlebar is the leading shopping centre in the west of Ireland.

If the councillors who served the town in the dark days were alive today they would be amazed at the massive changes for the better in Castlebar.

However, there is one important change that would surely disappoint them.

Castlebar no longer has an urban council.

Shame on the legislators who abolished local authorities all over the country.

They have a lot to answer for.