Change at the top of Charleville Chamber

PJ MCCARTHY TO STEP DOWN

THERE will be change at the top of Charleville Chamber at the forthcoming annual general meeting as the president of many years, P. J. McCarthy, has indicated that he is stepping back from the position.

The meeting, which has been fixed for Monday, 17th February at 7pm at the E Centre in Baker’s Road, will elect a successor to take over the role of President, along with the other positions on the committee.

In a letter to the Chamber members Mr. McCarthy states that “It is with regret that I am announcing my resignation, stepping back from the role of President of Charleville Chamber. I have had the honour and privilege of representing and promoting the business community interests, while working with really dedicated and committed women and men, who have served on the Board of Charleville Chamber over the years.

“While I will continue to work with local business and colleagues in the Chamber, it’s now time for change and fresh thinking to lead and represent the interest of local business, address the everyday challenges and continuing the good work of our predecessors in the chamber.

“Charleville is a great town with a really solid, inclusive and diverse community, with amenities and clubs to encourage healthy living. There have been really positive developments in recent years with significant investment into Charleville, securing existing, and provide additional employment to the area in the retail and engineering sectors.

“Charleville has opportunity and potential to attract further investment to this location through indigenous existing industries, national and international interests, additional employment to rural Ireland, however connectivity has to improve, addressing climate change as a policy locally is essential and develop the tourism offering,” he said.

Among the many projects the McCarthy-led Chamber was involved in was the introduction of CCTV cameras to Charleville’s Main Street. The contract for the installation of the cameras was awarded to a contractor in November 2017 with a start date of February 2018. However, the project came to a halt owing to the GDPR regulations being introduced. There was a total lack of clarity as to who would have responsibility for data protection and control, the Gardai or the County Council.

This problem affected communities nationwide. The State Attorney General recently expressed an opinion that Local Authorities are allowed to have control and administer the data involved. This clears the way for Cork County Council to take responsibility for data control, consequently, it is anticipated that work on this project will start in the Spring.

During his tenure he was also involved in the setting up of Charleville Heritage Society and was on the delegation that travelled to Wales to propose the twinning of the Croesgoch Heritage Society with Charleville in 2016.

The twinning arrangement was signed in 2017 in a ceremony in the Charleville Park Hotel, and has been thriving ever since with exchange visits on alternate years.

P. J. has made a significant contribution to Charleville Chamber over the years and it is gratifying that his business experience will be available to the incoming committee, as he will continue to serve as a director of the Chamber.