This article is from page 4 of the 2011-02-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
MAYOR of Clare Cllr Christy Curtin (Ind) is to pick up the bill for his mayoral trip to New York this St Patrick’s Day.
The mayor’s council expenses usually cover the official trip by Clare’s first citizen to the Big Apple, but this year the man from Miltown Malbay said he would be covering his own costs.
“I will be paying for it myself. I think it is only right and fitting,” he told The Clare People .
Each year the mayor of the day travels to America to promote Clare from both a tourism and enterprise point of view.
The first citizen also takes part in the St Patrick’s Day parade.
“The purpose is to promote Clare and meet with the diaspora,” said Cllr Curtin.
“I will be there to show that Clare is a county worth coming back to, especially for anyone with entrepreneurial and enterprise skills,” he added.
The agenda for the visit to New York by Cllr Curtin has yet to be finalised but it is expected he will be there for March 17.
Meanwhile the mayor of Kilrush has been invited to New York to promote the town and area for the first time ever.
No decision has been made yet as to whether the current mayor Cllr Liam Williams (FG) will travel.
Ennis Town Council will not be represented at the annual St Patrick’s Day in New York, after councillors declined an invitation to attend the event at this month’s meeting.
Mayor of Ennis Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) turned down the invitation, saying the mayor’s place on St Patrick’s Day should be in Ennis.
Members of the Ennis/Phoenix twinning delegation will be in Arizona however for St Patrick’s Day.
Cllr Brian Meaney (GP); Cllr Johnny Flynn (FG) and Cllr Michael Guilfoyle (Ind), who as deputy mayor represented Ennis at last year’s parade in New York all turned down proposals that they should attend the parade in the Big Apple in place of the mayor.
It is not known if Shannon Town Council is to send a representative abroad this St Patrick’s Day at time of press.