ASPIRATIONS FOR 2018 Gerry McGrath Garda Superintendent Niamh Byrne Business woman
New superintendent Gerry McGrath for the Enniscorthy and Gorey district is looking forward to giving back to the community in 2018.
‘I am looking forward to getting to know people in the district,’ said Supt McGrath. ‘Not just in work, but around the villages as well.’
Supt McGrath happily reported Wexford’s crime detection rates are up and burglaries are down for this year. ‘We have staff who are very good to respond,’ added Supt McGrath, who lives in Gorey.
He said he hopes to work on the drug related issues in the area and will try and ‘ help solve the problem in the communities.’
‘Another thing that concerns me is that elderly people don’t feel safe and secure in their own homes,’ said Supt McGrath. ‘I want to work hard to make sure they do not feel this way.’
Supt McGrath does not do New Year resolutions, as he said he just keeps doing with what he has been doing through the year.
Meanwhile, he said one of his highlights from this year has been taking up his new position as superintendent.
‘It was something I always wanted and I get to be closer to home,’ said Supt McGrath.
Even though he is based in the Enniscorthy Garda Station, he said he intends to do a day here and there at different locations so he can meet the staff and the people in the community.
‘I want to visit charitable organisations such as the Hope Centre, and St Aidan’s in Gorey and the schools,’ added Supt McGrath.
Another highlight for the superintendent included a cycle some of the staff did for the Hope Cancer Support Centre and Wexford Hospice Homecare as they managed to raise over €17,000.
‘Also we had 16 nominations from our division for the Gary Youth Awards, which I think is brilliant,’ said Supt McGrath. Business woman Niamh Byrne from Mount Alexander in Gorey has been very busy this year with the launch of her new software programme ‘Schedulie’ and is looking forward to spending more time with her family in 2018.
Niamh, owner of Ruby Rouge, and her husband Cyril, who is a software programmer, came up with the idea through working in the shop.
‘It is a Rostering and Workforce Management tool app,’ said Niamh. ‘It helps managers keep in touch with staff and to create schedules.’
She said the app will be developed even further in the new year after winning the Competitive Start Fund from Enterprise Ireland for Female Entrepreneurs.
‘It was kind of like Dragons Den,’ said Niamh. ‘I went up and I presented my idea to the judges and I won, and now Enterprise Ireland will help fund my app to go even further.’
Meanwhile, Niamh said she has an extensive list of resolutions which she hopes to put into practise once January 1 comes around.
‘I started spending more time outdoors this year and I want to build on that,’ said Niamh. ‘Plus I need to drink a lot more water during the day, it is easy to forget to keep hydrated.’
One of the most important resolutions for Niamh is to find the best work and life balance as she finds it hard to spend some quality time with her family.
‘It is hard to find an inbetween when I have Ruby Rouge, the new software business and three children under the age of six,’ said Niamh. ‘At the end of the day I am not superhuman, I can only do as much as I can.’
However, Niamh’s year has been filled with many great highlights, including the new premises for Ruby Rouge and the Sean Kelly 100K cycle she took part in.
‘I took up cycling this year with the Gorey Cycle Club,’ said Niamh. ‘Surprisingly, I am enjoying every minute of it and thought I would never be able for it.’
She said she likes to shake things up a bit every five years, so they decided to move to a new premises on Esmonde Street.
‘It was a big job to do, but I am very happy with it,’ said Niamh.