Mayo's multi-national town and how community life is enriched

by Barbara Daly

WHEN I first came to live in Louisburgh over 20 years ago it was a very different place.

An outsider was easily spotted and us ‘blow-ins’ were in a very small minority.

I remember my nephew coming to visit me when he was 10 years old. He is of mixed race but to most people he would be considered black.

He went into a local shop where the shopkeeper asked him why he was here (in Louisburgh) and what he was doing, in a highly suspicious tone.

Thankfully all this has changed and much for the better. We are now a multi-national, multi-cultural town which, at the same time, has not lost its traditions and easy pace of life.

The presence of so many nationalities has enriched the life of the town and helped to make it a more vibrant place in which to live.

Regeneration of buildings, addition of services and the opening of new businesses are all signs of this.

Louisburgh was once a busy market town with up on 100 businesses operating in the town back in the early to mid-20th century. It may never be that again but it is certainly coming back into its own.

The Celtic Tiger saw holiday homes spring up all around the town, many of which remained largely unused especially during and after the recession. Now these houses are becoming much-needed homes.

The pandemic had a small silver lining for towns like Louisburgh, attracting remote workers from larger urban centres.

Drawn by the lifestyle, scenery, amenities and the cheaper cost of living, many moved to Louisburgh and the surrounding area and are now integrating into the life of the town. Two remote-working hubs exist in Louisburgh and both are well used.

At the St. Patrick’s Day parade, as I walked with the Louisburgh Childcare group, I was never more aware of the many nationalities that now call Louisburgh home.

All around me young families with parents from Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Australia and many more countries were enjoying Ireland’s national day.

Added to that were the recently arrived remote workers, escaping the city life and overjoyed at the choice they had made.

A number of Ukrainian families also live in the area, and though no doubt they would rather be home and back in their own lives, at least the Louisburgh of today is a more diverse place for them to settle.