Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore recently spent an event packed day with the party's Westport candidate Cllr Keith Martin touring the Westport area and meeting with voluntary groups and organisations to discuss their needs and achievements.
The action packed day kicked off with a half hour briefing with the Westport Branch on Labour's election strategy and on the current financial and political situation.
This was followed by an in-depth discussion with Westport Civic Trust on the Trust's conservation work and its role in creating awareness of the environment in Westport.
Deputy Gilmore then talked with Simon Cronin and the Westport Chamber of Commerce in relation to Westport's infrastructure needs, namely the need for a new N5 to Castlebar and an upgrading of the existing road network to Dublin. The lack of high speed broadband was also discussed as was the pressure that increased rates would likely have on local businesses.
Then Deputy Gilmore and Cllr Martin dropped in on the local newspaper and then on to the Cove Youth Café where they were given a tour of the café and its facilities before they visited the Family Resource Centre where Marese McAleer outlined the centre's work and its services.
The party then travelled up Altamont Street where Assistant Town Clerk Claire Ryan and Housing Officer Christina Murray gave him a brief tour of the council's new Station Rise development of social housing and Cluid housing for Irish born emigrants. This was followed by an official welcome from Cathaoirleach Cllr Martin Keane to Deputy Gilmore.
The Labour Leader was then wisked up to the Allergan plant for a tour of the factory and a presentation on the development of the plant and its range of products before there was a break for lunch.
After lunch Deputy Gilmore's party called in at Westport's Gaelscoil to discuss the lack of progress in securing the go ahead for its promised new building on the Golf Course Road.
Then it was off to Murrisk to meet with the Murrisk Development Association and discuss the huge voluntary role they play in maintaining their area including Croagh Patrick and the Famine Memorial Park.
The day concluded with a visit by the Labour Leader to the grounds of Westport Rugby Football Club in Carrowholly, where Club President Dermot Ruddy showed Depury Gilmore the club grounds and outlined its role in involving young children from as far away as Achill in the sport.
- Cllr Michael Kilcoyne was expelled from the Labour Party in February 2004. He did not leave the party as is sometimes reported. It is open to Cllr Kilcoyne to apply to re-join the party.
- The Westport Branch is the largest branch in Mayo. Castlebar is the second largest Branch and Swinford-Kiltimagh is the other branch. There are on-going efforts to establish branches in Ballina and Erris.
- The Mayo Labour Constituency Council is primarily made up of members of the Westport Branch with Westport members occupying the positions of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Castlebar's Harry Barrett is the PRO.
- Currently Westport's Cllr Keith Martin is the only candidate selected by the Labour Party to run in Mayo. Cllr Martin was selected in March of this year at a convention held in Westport and presided over by Labour's spokesperson on Justice, Pat Rabbitte TD.
- The Westport Branch has doubled its membership in the last year and has conducted a series of successful fundraisers such as its annual race-night.
- The success of the branch has been acknowledged within the Labour Party and this summer Cllr Keith Martin was asked to address the Party's Tom Johnson Summer School on the issue of building up branches as part of a "roots first" philosophy of building the party as advocated by Cllr Martin.
- Cllr Martin also addressed last year's party conference on his motion condemning the government's €4 billion under-spend in the west and later in the year he has been asked to mentor a group of Labour Party candidates at a special Labour Party workshop in Brussels later this year.
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