Village of Turlough nominated for prestigious award

THE community of Turlough has been nominated for the Local Ireland Get Involved sustainable community initiative.

It is being put forward on the basis of its deep community spirit and the fact it has survived so wonderfully in the face of emigration, recession and rural decline.

These qualities were strengthened in the mid-1960s with the formation of Turlough Community Council, under the leadership of M.J. Rowland, Martin Cannon and Gerry Carney.

It amalgamated with the Turlough branch of the Mental Health Association in 1983 to form Turlough Community Development Association.

The community support and leadership in Turlough, and the involvement of local archaeologist and historian Christy Lawless and others in having the National Museum of Country Life locate in Turlough Park back in the 1990s, was a significant boost, building on the work that had been carried out in previous decades. 

Community leaders, too many to mention and some now gone to their eternal reward, were all steeped in this great volunteer spirit, which is so central today in a parish that had been bypassed when the new N5 between Castlebar and Swinford was constructed some years ago.

The old Turlough school, first built in 1864, was renovated and enlarged by volunteers and is now run by Turlough Community Development as the home to many various community groups of all ages.

Turlough Community Centre is the hub of all local, social and educational activities, from winter craft and domestic classes to meals-on-wheels and various community meetings.

Huge numbers pass through its doors every day of the week and here is an indication of its use:

Parent and toddler group (28 children and 10 adults), toddler art group (20 children, 11 adults), Foróige club (45 children, 10 adults), community card game group (50 to 60 adults), Irish dancing (30 children, four adults), birthday parties (10 to 30 children and adults), residents’ association meetings (eight to 30 adults), Turlough Community Development Group (10 to 15 adults) and yoga (15 adults).

The healthy relationship between the Turlough community groups, Castlebar Municipal District, Mayo County Council and elected representatives is a great example of strong community activity support.

Turlough Heritage Group has displayed great vision with its heritage day while the Museum of Ireland at Turlough Park House deserves immense credit for its annual Feile na Tuaithe event, one of Mayo's biggest crowd-pullers of the year - a free family celebration of rural life, from craft and cooking to music, trades, and lots more.

Members of the heritage group supply and take care of the village flower baskets and have re-seeded the Turlough roadside green areas.

They have instigated a roadside wall rebuilding project and the capping of existing village street walls.

Local groups hold regular community volunteer clean-up days.

The Turlough Community Association has coordinated volunteers to enhance and paint vacant village buildings.

The association has screened off open central village sites with suitable fencing and added window boxes to both the community centre and the refurbished building.

In effect, the these local group are the essense of good community volunteerism in action.

The community centre has benefited from local works, with building improvements to enable internal access for wheelchair users and the addition of a disabled toilet.

Further works are envisaged to remove the damaged chimney stack from the building.

Plans are also in place for the construction of an outdoor library, utilising the beautiful surroundings to develop a relaxed area for use by the general public.

All of the work by the community has resulted in the production and promotion by Mayo County Council of the Turlough Community Action Plan 2016–2020.

The January meeting of Castlebar Municipal Authority is being held in Turlough next Thursday and is an opportunity to highlight the need for further village improvements.

The concept of 'getting involved' has been central to ensuring the future of Turlough, and long may it continue.