Community activist Joe Butler is chief marshal of Mayo county town parade
Outstanding community activist Joe Butler has been appointed to the prestigious position of chief marshal of the Castlebar St. Patrick's Day Parade 2024.
Joe will be an excellent ambassador for the parade which this year promotes the theme of "Home To Mayo."
This is to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Mayo Day and Home to Mayo 2024 celebrations, promoted by Mayo County Council which culminates around the May bank holiday weekend
Retured since 2016, Joe is originally from the beautiful city of Kilkenny, but he is very much a Castlebar person, having resided in the town for a period of 40 years over two terms.
He is married to Chris and their daughter and two sons have their own families now.
Despite his allegiances to Castlebar and Mayo, Joe remains an avid supporter of Kilkenny hurling and he attends every match they play.
He was former general manager of Chadwick’s, Castlebar, for 25 years, and then became Head of Stock Control and Loss Prevention for the Chadwick Group of Companies.
Joe has been involved in a lot of community projects and voluntary community groups down through the years.
He was a founding member of Castlebar Tidy Towns in 1994 with Ger Deere, Micheál Mullahy (R.I.P), Mary Fahey Tighe, Anne Staunton, Liam Durkan (R.I.P.) and Chris Butler. He continues to be an active volunteer with that group after 30 years.
Joe was deeply associated with the Mayo Football League in the development of facilities at Milebush Park from 1988 to 2013 and was chair of the league during the period from 2001 to 2004 with a deep involvement in the development of the game.
His involvement in Mayo football spanned a period from 1977 to 2013 with a six-year break when he was transferred to Tullamore in 1979.
He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce for many years and served as vice-president 1999/2000, taking an active part in the promotion of the county town from a business and environmental perspective.
Joe was also an active member of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee for many years during the first decade of the 21st century.
He has worked in close communication with the Mayo Sports Partnership since 2007, helping sports clubs and community groups secure funding under the Sports Capital & Equipment Programmes in a total voluntary capacity.
He has been a volunteer director with First Choice Credit Union for three years and has held the position of chairperson for the past two years.
"I now see this organisation as one of the finest examples of community involvement with a spirit, values and an ethos that reflect many of the fine qualities of a town like Castlebar," he stated.