2023 YEAR IN REVIEW A LOOK BACK AT THE SLIGO WEEKENDER’S TOP STORIES JANUARY
2023 began with the sad passing of Trish Galvin. Trish was a popular local figure, best-known as a volunteer with the annual Warrior’s
Run as well as being the long-time secretary of St Edward’s National School in Ballytivnan. Her friends and colleagues at St Edward’s said in a tribute: “At the beating heart of our school every day for the last 21 years, our wonderful secretary, friend and colleague will be truly, deeply missed. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílís.” Many who remember Trish through the school also left tributes, with one saying: “So sad. Trish was the backbone of St Edward’s for so many years. A truly lovely lady who always offered a helping hand or kind word to any of us who had the pleasure of working alongside her. Sincere condolences to all her family. Rest easy Trish.” The death also occurred of Vincent Sweeney, whose creative designs could always be seen around Sligo, especially at Christmas time. Vincent, who was a stand-up paddle boarding enthusiast, was in-demand for his innovative ideas but he was most synonymous with Toher’s Pharmacy and Wehrly’s Jewellers. Paying tribute to Vincent, the team at Wehlry’s said: “Vincent Sweeney always told us one of his favourite jobs was to dress our building each Christmas because he could see live-time reaction to his creations as unsuspecting people walked around the corner and saw a man or santa or a sleigh hanging off our building! Vincent made our building sparkle every year, what he produced for us over the years was incredible- with good craic and a few hairy moments thrown in! But we wouldn’t have had the craic without the scares and we wouldn’t have had any displays but for Vincent. He was an incredibly talented man with a big heart.” The project to build Queen Maeve’s Square in Sligo town formally began on January 16. The development, which is now well under way in what was the Stephen Street car park, began with a prediction of being completed in 2024 and appears to be well on its way to meeting that target with a completion date
Marian McGowan with a papal medal awarded to her in St Anne’s Church in recognition of her 40 years of service to her local parish. possibly being as early as this coming February and a festival planned to mark its official opening in May or June. The square is intended to be a central location that visitors and locals alike will gravitate to where they can enjoy live performances, cultural events, farmer’s markets and much more. Commenting on the commencement of the development, Cathaoirleach Cllr Michael Clarke said: “It is great to start the New Year with this hugely significant project. We have worked very hard with our partners in Fáilte Ireland to secure the funding needed and it’s exciting to finally arrive at this point. This is a flagship development that will completely change the heart of Sligo, transforming it into a space that everyone can enjoy.”At their annual general meeting, Sligo Credit Union revealed that they generated a surplus of €461,000 in 2022, with members’ loans increasing by 6.8% to €39.2 million. Furthermore, a total of €20.4 million was lent to almost 5,000 members. Having reached a €40 million loan book at the end of 2022, this highlights momentous growth in 22 years since crossing the €5 million mark in 2000. Chairperson of Sligo Credit Union, Shona Heffernan, said: “In a world where service levels of financial institutions seem to continually disappoint, we are firmly focused on providing the highest standard of member service we can.”