Chairpersons Report 2021

2021 was mixed year, year for progress as well as setbacks as covid closures continued to impact on what could happen in the community centre. In spite of covid a lot of hard work still continued.

Sues Coffee was welcomed on site and has been a great addition to the village and a great support to the community centre. The renting of our kitchen was a huge financial benefit to us which allowed the continued development

In May we were announced as Today FMs soundtown winners, unfortunately we didn’t win the overall prize, but to be one of 8 Sound Town Winners in the whole country is a great achievement.

Due to great work by Think Print and Initiate web design we now have a fantastic logo and website which were a long time coming!

In July we officially opened our garden of remembrance attended by elected members of Wexford county council and large amount of the community. A lovely event christened by plenty of summer rain!

We also hosted a fun day for children of the parish ran by Brian Cantwell and his group. This was hugely successful day sponsored by Wexford County Council

Development of the outdoor area didn’t stop at the garden of remembrance, we also welcomed deer to the community garden and plenty of sponsored trees and benches for many community members and family’s. We also got lights on the walking track and extended the walking track itself.

A new flower bed area along the new wall including benches dedicated to loved ones lost by members of the community has proven a fantastic addition

We also submitted an application for the town and village grant to develop community hub, coffee hut and shed. Massive thanks to Anthony Hayes and Nicky Mernagh for the professional support with this application. The decision on this grant didn’t come until 2022 which surprised us all to be awarded 250k! 2022/2023 will see the completion of this project, hopefully.

As the year drew to a close, we were delighted to welcome back bookings to the centre, bingo even returned for a while and in October the art exhibition returned for the first time in 2 years and was a great weekend attended and enjoyed by many.

The end of the year however, was definitely the highlight, not just for the Community Centre but for Murrintown Village as a whole. The Magic of Murrintown Christmas event really encapsulated what community spirt is about. This event brought some magic to Murrintown, and it would not have been possible without partnering with the Lochlann Doyle fund, the environmental committee and many other community members.

This and indeed any other projects which were both completed and began in 2021 would not have been possible without the huge contribution of our own Cllr Lisa McDonald. I cannot say enough about Lisa. From our 2 minute phone calls at 9.30am most mornings which usually last well into the hours, to her constant help, assistance, advice and guidance with every issue which arises.

Lisa has assisted with the legal end of things also and has done so free of charge for the community centre. A leader with great vision and determination we wouldn’t be in a bad pace if she was our local representative going forward both in local and national policies.

To all the staff in the new Rosslare Municipal District, I would also like to acknowledge for their hard work and assistance during the year, and the few euros which found its way in our direction.

To Mary Cogley for her continuing support and hard work in murrintown village.

To conclude 2021 was a great year for Murrintown and our Community Centre and I would like to say a massive thank you to all  the committee, Amy our secretary, Liam our treasurer, Greg, nicky and Gale for their help with the grass, Karen our field booking secretary and to everyone involved supporting the work and look forward to their ongoing support. Finally, I would like to acknowledge our ce workers in the centre, with a special mention to Sheila who is leaving us shortly after many years on the scheme.