Support for call to have new university HQ based in Mayo

CASTLEBAR is ideally placed to be the headquarters of the new Atlantic Technological University (ATU).

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris, has been requested to establish the university's HQ in the county town.

A motion tabled by Councillor Ger Deere calling for this was supported by his colleagues at the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council.

Castlebar, he said, has all the necessary unfrastructure and is based equi-distant from two of the other campuses, in Galway and Sligo.

It is the start of a new era and this would be a good way to progress it.

It was a 'fantastic' idea, said Councillor Donna Sheridan, and hopefully it was something positive they could bring to the town.

The ATU is of huge strategic importance to Mayo, said Councillor Mark Duffy, and bringing its HQ here made sense geographically.

Castlebar would be an ideal location, agreed Councillor Neil Cruise. It would restore Castlebar's standing in the GMIT pecking order and be a very positive move.

On a related matter, Councillor Michael Loftus asked if there has been any progress on a previous motion where they requested that someone from Mayo County Council would sit on the board of the ATU.

It is important, he said, to have a representative on the board.