Mayo Chamber celebrates record membership and continued growth

Maria Staunton, Castlebar Chamber President, has announced a record 146 members - the highest in the organisation's history.

She said this milestone reflects the strength, ambition and resilience of Castlebar’s local business community, as well as the growing recognition of the Chamber’s role in supporting enterprise across the town.

She stated: "Strong participation in our networking, training, and information events has made the past few months exciting and full of energy.

"The chamber thanks both our event facilitators and members for making these events a success, and we warmly continue to invite all members to take part and get involved."

Events over the past couple of months have included:

· Auto-enrolment Information Session with Paul McDonagh, PMD Accountancy

· Men’s Gym / Movement Session with MD Performance for International Men’s Day & International Women’s Day

· Meeting with Danny McCoy, CEO of IBEC

· EU Pay Directive Information Event with Aoife Newton of KPMG and Lisa O’Connor of Team Horizon

· Ideas Over Coffee with Mayo LEO, WDC and ATU iHub.

· How to Pitch and Engage with Adrian Langan Communication

· Retail Upskilling Session with Retail Ireland Skillnet

· Monthly Business Clinics supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs, hosted with Maria Staunton.

The chamber also partnered on major regional initiatives, including Digital West at ATU and The Mayo Business Awards, a collaborative effort between the six Mayo Chambers and the Local Enterprise Office. Both events were significant successes this year.

The chamber’s Shop Local Campaign received strong support from the community, reinforcing the value of shopping locally all year.

Beyond events, the chamber continues to represent members’ interests through engagement with key stakeholders, including Mick Toland from An Garda Síochána, Orla Bakeberg from Network Mayo, David Mellet from Castlebar Municipal District, Alan Dillon TD, Minister of State for Employment, Small Businesses and Retail, and Circular Economy.

The chamber has also collaborated with St. Gerald’s College on a bursary initiative, strengthening links between education and enterprise.

Looking ahead, Castlebar Chamber plans to hold more training sessions over the coming months and plan to organising its flagship Accelerate event, following the huge success of the 2025 edition.

Castlebar’s wider calendar remains busy over the summer, with events including:

· Castlebar Mitchels 9s Festival – April 3rd–5th, 2026

· Swift Conference, ATU Mayo – May 27th–29th, 2026

· Relay for Life, The Mall – May 16th, 2026

· Inclusive Karate Event, TF Royal – 20th June 2006

· Four Day Walks – July 2nd–5th, 2026

The chamber continues to work closely with the local community on promoting local events that benefit our town.

Why Join?

Castlebar Chamber is a voluntary, member-led organisation dedicated to representing and supporting businesses. Its focus is simple: fostering prosperity, opportunity, and collaboration to ensure Castlebar remains a vibrant place to do business.

Membership provides access to:

Networking – Valuable business connections Training – Practical workshops and insights Promotion – Increased visibility across Chamber platforms Advocacy – Representation at local and national level

With record membership and strong momentum, Castlebar Chamber looks forward to welcoming new members.

Businesses can join online at: www.castlebarchamber.com/products