Fewer councillors, more volunteers, says Ballymoe

By TOM GILMORE IRELAND would be better with fewer county councillors and more voluntary community leaders, according to community activist John Martin Griffin, Secretary of the Ballymoe Development Centre, who says his group wants immediate action regarding the state of street surfaces in their village. As the nine councillors from the Tuam Council Area have been invited to walk the streets of Ballymoe on Saturday at 10 am, to see how bad the street surface is, John says his village and others like it, are marginalised. 'The road surface is so bad, with a big pothole that is like a gaping, festering wound on the junction with the Castlerea Road, that it is an embarrassment, and dangerous for motorists as well.[/private] 'But the councillors have done nothing about this or about a dangerous bend in the townland of Curries where many crashes have occurred,' says John. He added that while a deputation from Ballymoe met with, and made a submission to, the Tuam Area Councillors last July, they have heard nothing since from the local authority and no action has been taken. 'We need to question if we want so many people to work as paid councillors to attend meetings at a time when the country is in such a bad economic state. 'My suggestion is that we move to a service model where local volunteers would feed the information to the council officials instead. It would save a lot of money and just look at how well volunteerism has worked for the credit union movement and the GAA,' he added. John says this is not just a Ballymoe situation but that similar problems exist in many small towns and villages around Ireland. As they are remote from the main centres of population, their needs, especially infrastructural requirements, are being ignored. 'One typical example of how the lack of proper infrastructure impacts on people happened as recently as Monday night. A young mother with a baby had to sit for two hours in her car at the bad bend in the road at Curries after a tyre in the vehicle got cut by a sharp stone there. 'If only the council had done remedial work on the bend, or even put up signs warning motorists of the sharp stones, the lack of verges or the dangerous bend, this situation might not have arisen for this motorist, and many others who have had accidents there,' says John. He says that the people in Ballymoe sealed up their public litter bins because passing motorists were using them as a 'tipping point for household rubbish' and there is also a poor-quality collection service by the Council. John says that they sealed off the bins after finding a dead dog in one litter bin 'That was seven weeks ago and obviously the council have taken no notice because the bins remain sealed with wrap and nobody from the local authority has contacted us about this,' says John. He added that small rural communities such as Ballymoe have to come up with their own initiatives to survive and their association with Boystown in the USA, founded by Ballymoe-born Fr Flanagan has been a tourist boost to the region. John Griffin says that Fr Edward Flanagan and Irish War of Independence hero Eamonn Ceannt, who were both from the area, did not seek money for their leadership and they were proof that volunteerism works. The Ballymoe Development Centre has a writer's group at the Fr Flanagan Community Centre and the organisation had a traditional fair day in recent months. They are planning a Christmas Trade Fair in the community centre and a young entrepreneurs trade show there next year. 'Small rural areas need to unite and come up with ideas that will benefit us all. Volunteerism is the way to go, rather than depending on so many elected councillors. 'We need dialogue with the local authority to find a better way forward but it is our view that more volunteers and less elected representatives is what this country needs until it stabilises,' he concluded.[private]