Mayor sets out bold agenda for next year.
Employment, Youth facilities, Tourism to receive serious attention
Cllr. Kevin Callan was elected the 412th mayor of Drogheda at the Councils annual meeting held on Monday 20th June.
In his speech to Council the new mayor set out a bold and ambitious agenda where he said his top priority would be job creation and the retention of existing jobs in the town.
“I am firmly of the view that our main concern in Drogheda must continue to be job creation and job protection. In the next 12 months I will be bringing forward to this Council a series of proposals in respect of job creation and schemes to assist the stimulation of existing business and industry in our town as well as ways to attract inward investment to Drogheda”.
The Mayor stated that more interaction between the council and committed himself to having the Lourdes Stadium project and the Youth Café at Fair Street progressed as safe and badly needed youth facilities where young people could socialise in safe environments.
Tourism also was highlighted in the Mayors address with the Tholsel project to be completed within his term of office. The Tholsel itself was described by the Mayor as our towns embassy and the Mayor committed himself to continuing to work in having it made the first stop on the Boyne Valley Trail in cooperation with Failte Eireann.
MAYOR KEVIN CALLAN Member of Drogheda Borough Council Contact 087 777 6648 kevinrcallanbl@hotmail.com
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Speech of Mayor Callan on election 20th June, 2011
Speech of Mayor Callan on Election 20th June, 2011.
May I firstly start off by simply saying thank you.
I acknowledge the huge honour that has been bestowed upon me by this Council this evening. I want to thank my colleagues in acknowledging their trust, confidence and faith in my ability to lead this Council into 2011 and the 600th Anniversary of the uniting of Drogheda into one town in 2012.
I feel extremely privileged to stand here in front of my colleagues, family and friends to accept the position of Mayor of Drogheda. I will for the next year undertake to fulfil my civic duties, based on the trust my fellow colleagues have bestowed on me this evening.
I feel both humbled and honoured by this election. I have a very strong affection and deep love for this town and this county. I was born in Drogheda, received my primary and secondary education here and this town has been my home and continues to be so. It is the place that I hold closest to my heart and at all times I will strive to make Drogheda a better place and to do right by all of the townspeople.
I want to take the opportunity to thank my fellow Councillors of all parties and none for their hard work over the past 24 months and I look forward to working with each and every one of you again over the next year. As I move tonight from a political role to a civic role I wish to make a very important point, that as this country moves from recession to recovery, we may all come from many different and diverse walks of life and different political thinking but our common link is that we all inhabit this town, we all want a safe and prosperous town for our children and future generations and we are all elected to work in the interests of Drogheda. We must continue to work together to make our town great, to allow our people to live, work and raise families here.
In particular I want to thank the outgoing Mayor Councillor Paul Bell who has conducted himself throughout his term with the best interests of the people of Drogheda at heart. In the past two years that I have sat on this Council I have worked closely with Mayor Bell and Mayor O’Dowd before him, and I have always been struck by the tradition of this office and the respect that the people of Drogheda have for the office of Mayor, an office that is almost 730 years old, indeed It is the oldest continuing political office in this town and one that is a part of who we are. I pledge tonight to continue in the tradition of those who have gone before me and to work in the spirit of our towns motto, “God our strength, Commerce our glory”.
I have noticed since my election in working with Mayor O’Dowd as his deputy and with Cllr. Bell that each year brings new challenges, new difficulties and new opportunities to the Mayor and to this Council. I am in no doubt that this year will bring great challenges which we must face and opportunities which we will have to grasp with both hands.
As I speak tonight in this historic setting I am fully reminded of the history and tradition of this office in this town and county. It is incredible to think that the first Mayor of Drogheda was Hugo Moyne in 1283, and If my figures are correct, I am to be the 412th mayor. My own family’s involvement in politics in Louth stretches back to years gone by having lived here since 1634 with Owen Callan being the first Catholic since the Battle of the Boyne to seek election in the era of catholic emancipation in this constituency and his son, Philip Callan MP being a member of the Nationalist and Home Rule Movement in the time of Isaac Butt and Charles Stewart Parnell. Several Callans have also served on this Council and in the Office of Mayor.
Now however we must look to the future, we find ourselves in dark times with people suffering and where hope and confidence are needed. I pledge tonight to operate an open door system where every person living and working in our town is welcome and encouraged to come forward with ideas, suggestions and thoughts on what can be done to make Drogheda move towards a real and meaningful recovery. As Mayor this is my first pledge to this town and its people. Throughout the course of the year I will be inviting members of the national government to Drogheda to discuss issues relating to our towns recovery in conjunction with seeking contributions from everyone who calls Drogheda home, we are all stakeholders in our town and are all entitled to be heard. I seek that assistance tonight, I ask for the support of the townspeople in this regard.
The time for using words of blame, complaint and bitterness are over, we have all been placed in a position none of us would have imagined 5 years ago, the reality is however that we are here now and must take charge of our own destiny as a town and as a community. I am drawn over the past year to a quotation given by a famous politician and I think it can be of use to us in these trying times when we face what appear to be impossible challenges.
“ we sometimes think that when things happen that don’t go the right way, when we suffer a defeat, that all is ended, not true, it is only a beginning always, because the greatness comes, not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes when you’re really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes, because only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain”.
In recent years we have been thrown in the dirt, we have all experienced great difficulties, everyone has including families, traders, employees. Together we must pick ourselves up as a town, as a community. Let us dust ourselves off and begin the climb back to where we as a town belong, and that is on that mountain, we are a great town and a great community, lets work together to make this happen, and happen as quickly as possible.
I am firmly of the view that our main concern in Drogheda must continue to be job creation and job protection. In the next 12 months I will be bringing forward to this Council a series of proposals in respect of job creation and schemes to assist the stimulation of existing business and industry in our town as well as ways to attract inward investment to Drogheda.
In the past two years we as a Council have reduced commercial rates, introduced a business incentive scheme and will in the next twelve months provide information to local businesses on the tendering process and public procurement. I will be promoting more interaction between this Council and the people of Drogheda. We will also examine the Business Improvement District Scheme process and see if this is a viable option in assisting our traders who are also our local employers.
No one can be in any doubt that for many years our history and historic sites and location were some of our most valuable resources that were not fully appreciated or used to assist the town. We in Drogheda have a combination of historic buildings and history that is unrivalled in all of Ireland. WE must continue to strive to add to visitor numbers in Drogheda, to make this summer the greatest year for Tourism that is possible. In this regard I will be pushing for designated coach facilities in the town centre in the area of our tourist office, for the town to be the first stop on the Boyne Valley Trail in cooperation with Failte Ireland. I will also provide whatever assistance this office can to the Millmount Museum soon to be rebranded as Drogheda Museum at Millmount which is making huge efforts in attracting visitors and sharing our history with everyone in Drogheda. The 600th Anniversary in 2012 of the uniting of the two towns into one will also be a huge opportunity to promote this town nationally and internationally and we must do all that we can to celebrate this historic event, the Council are currently making efforts in this regard.
Many projects have been undertaken in the course of the lifetime of this Council, as Deputy Mayor, I was delighted to work with Mayor O’Dowd and the officials in having the Tholsel opened as our tourist office, no one can be in any doubt that this jewel in Droghedas crown has been hugely successful and in the current tourist summer season will continue to attract people to our town. The Tholsel is our embassy and the face of Drogheda for all visitors and our tourist office staff our ambassadors who are doing us all proud. It is my firm hope and it will be my intention to have the Tholsel project completed within the term of my mayoralty. I pledge also to all within my power to support the upcoming efforts of all involved in preparing the town for the Entente Florale competition which will see our town represent Ireland internationally. I will assist and offer any support I can to all groups undertaking projects to help tourism such as the greatly successful Boyne Valley Walking Festival, the Arts and Arts Festival and the upcoming Samba Festival.
It is my firm intention also in the coming year to work with all interested parties in establishing the Drogheda Agricultural Show to promote all aspects of local rural life in the Drogheda area and to further enhance our town in the summer months and to attract visitors to Drogheda as well as to provide an excellent day out for all those living in and around the town. I hope to return to this Council with more information on the establishment of the Drogheda Agricultural Show in the coming weeks which will be held in the Summer of 2012 on the 600th Anniversary of uniting of the two towns into one town.
Our young people are also extremely important to this town and we must continue to work on their behalf to put facilities in place for them. In this regard The Lourdes Stadium is a hugely important project which I will be pursuing in my term, for too long we have seen our young people inadequately provided for when it comes to youth facilities and in this respect I will also continue to work with officials and Drogheda Youth Development to see that the Youth Café Project is advanced at Fair Street, both projects will give our young people more access to recreational and educational facilities where they can seek guidance on youth issues and most importantly where they can find a safe environment to socialise.
Traffic also continues to be an important issue to the people of Drogheda as all members of this Council will be aware. Traffic related issues and the tolling of the ramps at Donore affect tourism, trade and the everyday lives of all people living and working in Drogheda. I wish to announce tonight that I will be seeking to establish a committee of members of our trading community, residents associations, the Gardai and Council Staff to look at the issue of traffic management, traffic flow and ways to improve the current situation in Drogheda, I will be coming to the Council with proposals in the coming weeks after discussions with the Councils officials on the ways and means of establishing such a group. I will also continue to support, as previous Mayors have, the efforts to establish our enterprise centre and to support the Drogheda City Status Campaign.
I would like to thank my Fiancee I also wish again to thank my colleagues on this Council, and family and friends for all of their help. I also would like to mention my younger brother Richard who passed away some years ago, who is as missed tonight as he is everyday.
I have no doubt that there will be hard times ahead in the next twelve months, I have no doubt that we will have to make difficult decisions, to assist our town. Let us restore confidence in our people, let the message go from this meeting tonight that we are committed to continuing to put all of our energy to this effort. I have no doubt that with the current team of passionate, dedicated and committed Councillors and Officials that we will work harder to succeed and achieve excellent results for Drogheda.
Thank you.
May I firstly start off by simply saying thank you.
I acknowledge the huge honour that has been bestowed upon me by this Council this evening. I want to thank my colleagues in acknowledging their trust, confidence and faith in my ability to lead this Council into 2011 and the 600th Anniversary of the uniting of Drogheda into one town in 2012.
I feel extremely privileged to stand here in front of my colleagues, family and friends to accept the position of Mayor of Drogheda. I will for the next year undertake to fulfil my civic duties, based on the trust my fellow colleagues have bestowed on me this evening.
I feel both humbled and honoured by this election. I have a very strong affection and deep love for this town and this county. I was born in Drogheda, received my primary and secondary education here and this town has been my home and continues to be so. It is the place that I hold closest to my heart and at all times I will strive to make Drogheda a better place and to do right by all of the townspeople.
I want to take the opportunity to thank my fellow Councillors of all parties and none for their hard work over the past 24 months and I look forward to working with each and every one of you again over the next year. As I move tonight from a political role to a civic role I wish to make a very important point, that as this country moves from recession to recovery, we may all come from many different and diverse walks of life and different political thinking but our common link is that we all inhabit this town, we all want a safe and prosperous town for our children and future generations and we are all elected to work in the interests of Drogheda. We must continue to work together to make our town great, to allow our people to live, work and raise families here.
In particular I want to thank the outgoing Mayor Councillor Paul Bell who has conducted himself throughout his term with the best interests of the people of Drogheda at heart. In the past two years that I have sat on this Council I have worked closely with Mayor Bell and Mayor O’Dowd before him, and I have always been struck by the tradition of this office and the respect that the people of Drogheda have for the office of Mayor, an office that is almost 730 years old, indeed It is the oldest continuing political office in this town and one that is a part of who we are. I pledge tonight to continue in the tradition of those who have gone before me and to work in the spirit of our towns motto, “God our strength, Commerce our glory”.
I have noticed since my election in working with Mayor O’Dowd as his deputy and with Cllr. Bell that each year brings new challenges, new difficulties and new opportunities to the Mayor and to this Council. I am in no doubt that this year will bring great challenges which we must face and opportunities which we will have to grasp with both hands.
As I speak tonight in this historic setting I am fully reminded of the history and tradition of this office in this town and county. It is incredible to think that the first Mayor of Drogheda was Hugo Moyne in 1283, and If my figures are correct, I am to be the 412th mayor. My own family’s involvement in politics in Louth stretches back to years gone by having lived here since 1634 with Owen Callan being the first Catholic since the Battle of the Boyne to seek election in the era of catholic emancipation in this constituency and his son, Philip Callan MP being a member of the Nationalist and Home Rule Movement in the time of Isaac Butt and Charles Stewart Parnell. Several Callans have also served on this Council and in the Office of Mayor.
Now however we must look to the future, we find ourselves in dark times with people suffering and where hope and confidence are needed. I pledge tonight to operate an open door system where every person living and working in our town is welcome and encouraged to come forward with ideas, suggestions and thoughts on what can be done to make Drogheda move towards a real and meaningful recovery. As Mayor this is my first pledge to this town and its people. Throughout the course of the year I will be inviting members of the national government to Drogheda to discuss issues relating to our towns recovery in conjunction with seeking contributions from everyone who calls Drogheda home, we are all stakeholders in our town and are all entitled to be heard. I seek that assistance tonight, I ask for the support of the townspeople in this regard.
The time for using words of blame, complaint and bitterness are over, we have all been placed in a position none of us would have imagined 5 years ago, the reality is however that we are here now and must take charge of our own destiny as a town and as a community. I am drawn over the past year to a quotation given by a famous politician and I think it can be of use to us in these trying times when we face what appear to be impossible challenges.
“ we sometimes think that when things happen that don’t go the right way, when we suffer a defeat, that all is ended, not true, it is only a beginning always, because the greatness comes, not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes when you’re really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes, because only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain”.
In recent years we have been thrown in the dirt, we have all experienced great difficulties, everyone has including families, traders, employees. Together we must pick ourselves up as a town, as a community. Let us dust ourselves off and begin the climb back to where we as a town belong, and that is on that mountain, we are a great town and a great community, lets work together to make this happen, and happen as quickly as possible.
I am firmly of the view that our main concern in Drogheda must continue to be job creation and job protection. In the next 12 months I will be bringing forward to this Council a series of proposals in respect of job creation and schemes to assist the stimulation of existing business and industry in our town as well as ways to attract inward investment to Drogheda.
In the past two years we as a Council have reduced commercial rates, introduced a business incentive scheme and will in the next twelve months provide information to local businesses on the tendering process and public procurement. I will be promoting more interaction between this Council and the people of Drogheda. We will also examine the Business Improvement District Scheme process and see if this is a viable option in assisting our traders who are also our local employers.
No one can be in any doubt that for many years our history and historic sites and location were some of our most valuable resources that were not fully appreciated or used to assist the town. We in Drogheda have a combination of historic buildings and history that is unrivalled in all of Ireland. WE must continue to strive to add to visitor numbers in Drogheda, to make this summer the greatest year for Tourism that is possible. In this regard I will be pushing for designated coach facilities in the town centre in the area of our tourist office, for the town to be the first stop on the Boyne Valley Trail in cooperation with Failte Ireland. I will also provide whatever assistance this office can to the Millmount Museum soon to be rebranded as Drogheda Museum at Millmount which is making huge efforts in attracting visitors and sharing our history with everyone in Drogheda. The 600th Anniversary in 2012 of the uniting of the two towns into one will also be a huge opportunity to promote this town nationally and internationally and we must do all that we can to celebrate this historic event, the Council are currently making efforts in this regard.
Many projects have been undertaken in the course of the lifetime of this Council, as Deputy Mayor, I was delighted to work with Mayor O’Dowd and the officials in having the Tholsel opened as our tourist office, no one can be in any doubt that this jewel in Droghedas crown has been hugely successful and in the current tourist summer season will continue to attract people to our town. The Tholsel is our embassy and the face of Drogheda for all visitors and our tourist office staff our ambassadors who are doing us all proud. It is my firm hope and it will be my intention to have the Tholsel project completed within the term of my mayoralty. I pledge also to all within my power to support the upcoming efforts of all involved in preparing the town for the Entente Florale competition which will see our town represent Ireland internationally. I will assist and offer any support I can to all groups undertaking projects to help tourism such as the greatly successful Boyne Valley Walking Festival, the Arts and Arts Festival and the upcoming Samba Festival.
It is my firm intention also in the coming year to work with all interested parties in establishing the Drogheda Agricultural Show to promote all aspects of local rural life in the Drogheda area and to further enhance our town in the summer months and to attract visitors to Drogheda as well as to provide an excellent day out for all those living in and around the town. I hope to return to this Council with more information on the establishment of the Drogheda Agricultural Show in the coming weeks which will be held in the Summer of 2012 on the 600th Anniversary of uniting of the two towns into one town.
Our young people are also extremely important to this town and we must continue to work on their behalf to put facilities in place for them. In this regard The Lourdes Stadium is a hugely important project which I will be pursuing in my term, for too long we have seen our young people inadequately provided for when it comes to youth facilities and in this respect I will also continue to work with officials and Drogheda Youth Development to see that the Youth Café Project is advanced at Fair Street, both projects will give our young people more access to recreational and educational facilities where they can seek guidance on youth issues and most importantly where they can find a safe environment to socialise.
Traffic also continues to be an important issue to the people of Drogheda as all members of this Council will be aware. Traffic related issues and the tolling of the ramps at Donore affect tourism, trade and the everyday lives of all people living and working in Drogheda. I wish to announce tonight that I will be seeking to establish a committee of members of our trading community, residents associations, the Gardai and Council Staff to look at the issue of traffic management, traffic flow and ways to improve the current situation in Drogheda, I will be coming to the Council with proposals in the coming weeks after discussions with the Councils officials on the ways and means of establishing such a group. I will also continue to support, as previous Mayors have, the efforts to establish our enterprise centre and to support the Drogheda City Status Campaign.
I would like to thank my Fiancee I also wish again to thank my colleagues on this Council, and family and friends for all of their help. I also would like to mention my younger brother Richard who passed away some years ago, who is as missed tonight as he is everyday.
I have no doubt that there will be hard times ahead in the next twelve months, I have no doubt that we will have to make difficult decisions, to assist our town. Let us restore confidence in our people, let the message go from this meeting tonight that we are committed to continuing to put all of our energy to this effort. I have no doubt that with the current team of passionate, dedicated and committed Councillors and Officials that we will work harder to succeed and achieve excellent results for Drogheda.
Thank you.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Calling Young Entrepeneurs
Cllr. Kevin Callan Encourages Local Young Entrepreneurs to Submit Ideas to Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to win research grant of €15,000 and week shadowing top Irish entrepreneur.
Fine Gael Cllr., Kevin Callan, has urged local entrepreneurs between the ages of 15 and 22 to submit their ideas on job creation to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
“The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is organising a nationwide campaign offering young people with ideas on job creation the opportunity to put their proposals to the new Government,” said Cllr. Callan.
“This is a great initiative and I urge any local young person to get involved in this competition. It would be fantastic to have local participation in this programme which offers some exciting rewards for winning proposals. Entries are being evaluated by leading Irish business people and entrepreneurs,” continued the Drogheda Councillor.
The competition is being organised in conjunction with TV3’s “Every Job Counts” campaign and in line with the Government’s focus on job creation. The young people behind the top proposals will be given the opportunity to shadow a leading business person and the overall winner will receive a research grant of up to €15,000.
“Young people, like so many in our community, are worried about the recession, about their parents employment and about their own future employment. Many of them have huge energy and ideas for economic development and this initiative will help them structure those ideas into workable proposals,” said Cllr. Callan.
“Participants will be rewarded for their effort by receiving constructive feedback from business leaders. The young people who develop the best job creation proposals will be given the opportunity of spending a week shadowing a successful Irish entrepreneur and the top entry will also win a research grant with Amarach research of €15,000. I would urge any local young person to avail of this opportunity and let their ideas be heard,” concluded Cllr. Callan.
To enter this competition simply email your proposal to minister_fitzgerald@health.gov.ie or send it to Minister Frances Fitzgerald, Dept. of Children, Mespil Road, Dublin 4. For more information log on to www.omc.gov.ie
Fine Gael Cllr., Kevin Callan, has urged local entrepreneurs between the ages of 15 and 22 to submit their ideas on job creation to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
“The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is organising a nationwide campaign offering young people with ideas on job creation the opportunity to put their proposals to the new Government,” said Cllr. Callan.
“This is a great initiative and I urge any local young person to get involved in this competition. It would be fantastic to have local participation in this programme which offers some exciting rewards for winning proposals. Entries are being evaluated by leading Irish business people and entrepreneurs,” continued the Drogheda Councillor.
The competition is being organised in conjunction with TV3’s “Every Job Counts” campaign and in line with the Government’s focus on job creation. The young people behind the top proposals will be given the opportunity to shadow a leading business person and the overall winner will receive a research grant of up to €15,000.
“Young people, like so many in our community, are worried about the recession, about their parents employment and about their own future employment. Many of them have huge energy and ideas for economic development and this initiative will help them structure those ideas into workable proposals,” said Cllr. Callan.
“Participants will be rewarded for their effort by receiving constructive feedback from business leaders. The young people who develop the best job creation proposals will be given the opportunity of spending a week shadowing a successful Irish entrepreneur and the top entry will also win a research grant with Amarach research of €15,000. I would urge any local young person to avail of this opportunity and let their ideas be heard,” concluded Cllr. Callan.
To enter this competition simply email your proposal to minister_fitzgerald@health.gov.ie or send it to Minister Frances Fitzgerald, Dept. of Children, Mespil Road, Dublin 4. For more information log on to www.omc.gov.ie
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