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6th March 2012 • Volume 19, Issue 08 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • ISDN 8139966 • Tel: 8•400•200
Top Man Pat Retires From Council L
eading County Council official, Pat Keane has retired after serving in the local council since its inception in 1994. Keane headed up the Finance section and was a particularly popular member of staff.
By Patrick Finnegan
Pat Keane, who has retired as Finance Director at Fingal County Council is pictured at his retirement party in County Hall Swords with his wife, Margaret and daughter, Orla.
A retirement party was held for him in County Hall last Tuesday evening, 28th February and was attended by a large gathering of his friends and colleagues in the local authority. Originally from Listowel in Co Kerry, and now domiciled in Ashbourne, he is an avid Kerry GAA supporter and goes to see them at every opportunity. “I have seen some great players wear the green and gold over the years, but Jack O’Shea was the greatest of them all,” he said. At the last full Council meeting last month, tributes flowed from all sections of the Chamber and everyone was full of praise for the budgets and other work presented by Pat in the course of his work. He was also renowned for his dry
Local Chambers Get Ready For Year Ahead The five local Chambers of Commerce in the North County are in the process of getting themselves ready for what many analysts believe will be a challenging year ahead for many of their members. Working closely with it’s members, the Chambers are constantly reviewing and updating policies to promote, lobby and influence the decision-makers on all matters of concern to local business. They are always active in encouraging and nurturing new and established businnesses in their areas. Fingal Dublin Chamber and Balbriggan Chamber held their annual AGM’s last Thursday,
1st March and vowed to continue the great work of the previous chambers. CEO, Tony Lambert said, “The year ahead promises to be both exciting and challenging for our chamber, with a new structure and a council of 30 members to guide the chamber. We will be building a stronger, more sustainable structure to represent businesses.” Lambert continued, “For many businesses, the chamber is
an essential part of their companies. We provide many unique networking opportunities for business men and women in the North County area,” he concluded. The Balbriggan and District Chamber AGM was well attended by members wishing to hear about the Chamber’s performance in 2011 A new Executive Council was
Outgoing President, Joe English hands over the Chain of Pic: Tony Healy Office to new President, Kevin Tolan.
elected along with Executive Officers. Joe English the outgoing President was succeeded by Kevin Tolan who said, “I am looking forward to working with the newly elected Executive Committee. We have much hard work to do to combat the difficult economic climate, but I believe Balbriggan Chamber has a pivotal role in achieving continued success for Balbriggan.’ Malahide Chamber have announced a new arrival in the form of their redesigned Chamber website which is now on-line. President Al Ryan told the County Leader: “We try to play our part. The Chamber is a place to represent business with one voice and to help us coordinate business in
the community for the benefit of community activity. We are fully supportive of community events, as we know that any contribution we can make will come back to the benefit of all,” he said. The Malahide AGM will be held at the end of March in conjunction with the Business Awards, and this year, they are looking for a new President as Al Ryan’s term ends in March. He had one final rallying call for all chamber members when he said, “We need to remind ourselves that not all is bad out there and there are strong positive things happening. The hard times can sometimes bring out the best in people and we need
sense of humour and County Mayor, Gerry McGuire recalled the visit of All Ireland champions, Dublin to County Hall, with the Sam Maguire Cup at the end of last year. “The place was festooned in blue and navy, but a Kerry flag mysteriously made it’s way into the famed cup. All eyes turned to Pat, who had a mischievous look on his face,” he said. He started work with Kerry County Council and four years later moved to Dublin, where he took up a similar position with Dublin County Council. He remained with them until the formation of Fingal County Council in 1994. He has always been involved in finance and his motto is simplicity itself - “You can’t spend what you haven’t got.” Pat is a keen golfer and is a member of Elm Green Golf Club and is now in an ideal position to reduce his handicap. In his time at the local authority, he served under four County Managers, Davie Byrne, Willie Soffe, John Tierney and David O’Connor. His attention to detail and keen wit will be sorely missed by all.
A Fond Farewell For Swords Sergeant
Pictured at his retirement do is Sergeant Pat Thornton with CEO Fingal Dublin Chamber, Tony Lambert. See story on page 3
to look after each other,” he concluded. Likewise, Skerries Chamber will hold their AGM at the end of this month and President
Martin Scully was very upbeat about the prospects for the year. “We are planning our St Patrick’s Day parade and thereafter, we
have great plans for a community garden in the town which will benefit everyone. It will be a trying year Contd. on page 9