Maree is new president of Enniscorthy Chamber
THE CEREMONIAL chains of President of Enniscorthy & District Chamber were polished and ready to be placed around the neck of a new President on Thursday night as the Chamber hosted its AGM.
Outgoing President John Burke O’Leary looked back fondly on his time in the role before handing over the chains to his former Vice President and new President Maree Lyng. Maree has been a real stalwart of the Chamber in recent years and is extremely well-known locally in her role as Manager of AIB Bank having transferred to the town back in 1986.
‘I’m delighted to have been appointed as President,’ she said. ‘I hope to work well for the town and make sure it remains relevant in the county. My vision for Enniscorthy & District Chamber is to promote and improve the Business Environment, stimulate a vibrant local economy and produce a co-operative effort to enhance the overall quality of life in the area.”
Maree also paid tribute to outgoing President John Burke O’Leary.
‘I have been Vice President to John and his commitment and leadership has been outstanding and I hope to develop further the ideas and actions he has put in motion. We are also blessed in Enniscorthy to have the full support of our former Presidents and I counted out at least five of them at our AGM and each of these brings such experience and expertise to the Council Table.’
She also paid tribute to CEO Catriona Murphy and looks forward to working with her over the next two years.
‘I would like to thank all of the people of Enniscorthy and District for the support I have always received myself as a Business person in the Area,’ she concluded. ‘I am honoured to give back to the Business Community and act as your President for the next two years.’
Michael O’Leary, Managing Director of Sherry Fitzgerald O’Leary Kinsella in Enniscorthy, was elected as Maree’s second in command and the pair look forward to working well together on a series of exciting upcoming projects for the Enniscorthy area.
Other elected officers include Connie Doyle as Treasurer, Margot Banville as Secretary and Eugene Doyle and Sheil Kinnear accountants continue as accountants and auditors.
Outgoing President John Burke O’Leary reflected on what had been a suc- cessful two year stint as President, having first joined the Chamber 29 years ago. Among the many things he and his team worked on over the past couple of years were the Flood Relief Scheme and M11 which are still ongoing, Enniscorthy’s wonderful array of festivals including the Christmas Festival and the Rockin’ Food Festival which are both runaway successes, the Brooklyn Premiere and 1916 Celebrations which saw the eyes of the world on Enniscorthy and the instalment of a CEO for the Chamber in the form of Catriona Murphy who he said has done amazing work since taking up the position.
Other developments which John was particularly proud of were the beginnings of the new Business and Technology Park planned for St Senan’s and also the €16.3million investment in wastewater treatment by Irish Water in Enninscorthy - something which the Chamber had campaigned for tirelessly.
John thanked all of his colleagues, Wexford County Council, elected representatives and past Chamber Presidents for all their work, support and advice throughout his reign and he also paid tribute to his wife Julie who he said was behind him one hundred per cent every step of the way.
‘It’s been two years of great achievement,’ he said. ‘The reason we had that achievement is because of the unity we created. The Chamber worked very closely with the Business Association and we only managed to achieve so much because everyone in the district co-operated and was so supportive.’
John also thanked his successor Maree Lyng for all her work as Vice President over the passed two years and stated that he had complete confidence that she would be a great success in the role going forward.