Paddy McGuinness inspired Mayo county town to do better

by Dr. Richard Martin

In 1962 a man arrived in Castlebar from wild, wet Monaghan.

An exile in the county town. We weren't to know how lucky we were.

He started working in the Post Office and he's remained with us ever since. This is the story of Paddy McGuinness.

I met Paddy McGuinness last week. I had arranged to meet him at Albany Home Decor on a Saturday afternoon. Alison Laredo accompanied me.

Beforehand, I was nervous. His reputation precedes him. Alison was parking her bike up outside the shop and she said don't be silly. He's lovely. Come on in. Paddy greeted us inside and brought us to his upstairs office.

His office is covered with photos going back 50 years. Most of them were of the Castlebar International Song Contest.

He sat at his desk and I asked if I could record the interview. No problem. The nerves left after a few minutes.

I sensed pretty quickly that he's just a very humble, decent and genuine man.

There were two main things I wanted to discuss - the famous by-election in 1994 and the Castlebar Community Development Association which he set up in the 1980s.

The by-election in 1994 was a pivotal moment in Mayo political history. It was arguably the most important election in the history of the town since the foundation of the state. The backdrop is as follows.

Padraig Flynn resigned his Dáil seat and went to Brussels when he became a European Commissioner. This meant there was a vacancy to be filled.

His daughter Beverley Flynn was to replace him. She was a virtual shoo-in. No contest.

Michael Ring was the FG candidate. He wasn't seen as a threat.

The Castlebar FF brethren felt that the succession and continuation of the House of Flynn was a mere formality. When Pee walked down the street it stopped. But no-one foresaw the storm clouds ahead.

A man called Paddy McGuinness arrived into the drama. The plot thickened. Paddy had been leading a Mayo Regional Tech Action Group for 18 long years. He wanted a third-level institute in the county town. Enough was enough.

He approached Pee at a Castlebar Mitchels' dinner dance before the election and asked him for his support and commitment to the project.

Pee's response was lukewarm: "You’ve got all you’re going to get."

"Padraig, you are going to force me into running in the by-election," retorted Paddy.

That brief exchange changed history. Paddy McGuinness ran in the by-election. He was not elected, but the town en masse supported him. It scuppered Beverly's chances and the unknown and unheralded Michael Ring won the seat.

The same man became arguably the greatest rural TD in the history of the state. A glorious 30 year run. He put Westport on the map.

He owes it all to Paddy McGuinness. Westport owe it all to Paddy McGuinness. That by-election result was seismic because it changed the balance of power in the county.

Traditionally, as a county, Mayo was dominated by FF. After the 1994 by-election Ring and Kenny dominated the landscape in west Mayo. It was now 2-1 in favour of FG. Hindsight is 20-20 but FF made a major strategic error.

If Al McDonnell had been the FF candidate in ‘94, it's unlikely Paddy McGuinness would've run. Al would've been swept home. Small margins.

Paddy may have been unsuccessful in winning the by-election but he was successful in delivering the now ATU to Castlebar.

Currently, there are 1,000 students in the town.

They bring money, life, youth and energy into the town. Over time, the ATU can only grow and expand. It can only benefit the town into the decades ahead.

Paddy McGuinness is cut from the same cloth as Monsignor Horan. Both visionaries.

We spoke about the Castlebar Community Development Association (CCDA).

Paddy McGuinness was the chairman of the Urban Council in 1985. The economic outlook was bleak at the time. The bacon factory closed. Grumbaccher Brushes closed. Travenol nearly closed. The town was facing into the abyss. No future. We needed leadership.

Paddy McGuinness felt action had to be taken. So he took it. The CCDA was set up. The idea was simple. The town needed to attract business. The CCDA acquired a premises on the old bacon factory site and created an enterprise centre.

In time that site was sold for over €1 million. All of that money went back into the town. Music West in the Golden Mile Industrial Estate received €175,000. The swimming pool received €400,000.

The old Post Office was bought with the proceeds and kept in trust. Soon, it will be developed as a youth centre for the people of the town. This is a great man. Vision. Guts. Determination.

Recently, there has been a lot of debate about the town. The Imperial in a state of rack and ruin. Rotting in front of our eyes. Run down derelict buildings. No nightlife. The press surrounding the town has become increasingly negative.

I asked him how did he feel about the ongoing rumblings of discontent. He was glad I asked. He explained that since he's retired from politics and community activism he's tried to stay out of the ring as it were. But he felt strongly about the constant negativity in society and in the town today.

When Travenol nearly closed in the ‘80s, the community came together to stop if from happening.

When he was contacted by the late Tom Courell (then editor of the CT) during his term as chairman of the town council, Paddy McGuinness issued an appeal for the town to come together. And we did. And by all he meant all. The clergy got involved. Union officials. Everyone. And Travenol was saved.

Today, it's hard to imagine Castlebar without Baxter.

The next part of the conversation shook me. Paddy then said that he's not sure if he would've been able to do for Castlebar now what he did in the past.

That's because there is a lack of unity and morale in the town. A toxic negativity. And those who raise their head above the parapet in the interest of the town are in danger of having it shot down, sadly.

This observation stunned me, to be honest.

On the other hand, Paddy has left a lasting legacy from which we should all be inspired.

I've walked the prom in Galway alone over the last few nights in a reflective mood. I've come to the conclusion that if positive change is to come about in our town, the negativity must stop.

Paddy McGuinness and company were able to do extraordinary things because they worked together.

I'm not sure I see that in Castlebar today.

(Dr. Richard Martin is a regular columnist with The Connaught Telegraph).