14 Bags of Rubbish Filled in Village Clean-Up

14 large sacks of rubbish were filled up yesterday with rubbish collected along our main roads between Ballymoneen Road and Furbo - and the task is to be repeated again next Saturday.

‘Barna Tidy Project’ co-ordinator, Pat McCarthy (far right), with Cllr Cathal Ó Conchuir (far left), Cllr Tom Curran (centre back), Leonard Fay (front) and staff of Supervalu pictures before they collected 14 bags of rubbish from along the main roads yesterday.

Among the hardy volunteers were six staff members from Supervalu, who were generously paid by their manager, Leonard Fay, to take part.

The initiative was a few weeks in the planning - it all began on the morning of Christmas Eve when Pat McCarthy picked up rubbish along the road between Silverstand Filling Station and the Church “to honour Our Lord’s birthday.”

“It took me two hours,” he recalls.

“On the Thursday of Christmas week, I also picked up the rubbish from Joyce’s, Knocknacarra, to Silverstrand Filling Station, and then up the Cappagh Road - this took me five hours.”

The mammoth task prompted him to write to The Galway Advertiser, and his letter was published on January 3rd.

“I headed the letter: ‘A Tidier Galway’ and  highlighted what I had done and posed the question - When will we, as a nation, ever learn and, more importantly, what can we do about it -  particularly considering Galway's hosting of The European Capital of Culture in 2020.”

Subsequent to the letter, Pat got talking to Leonard Fay, the manager of Clarke’s Supervalu in Bearna.

“He offered to sponsor six of his staff to go out and pick up rubbish in the area on Saturday’s from 10am-1pm. I spoke to a number of relevant people in Bearna and Furbo to get the go ahead. Once it was given, ‘The Barna Tidy Project’ was formed.”

Yesterday, the group of staff and volunteers- including two local Councillors - filled 14 large bags of rubbish by targeting the route between Ballymoneen traffic lights and Cappagh Road roundabout, and then on to Furbo, while incorporating Silver Strand, Mag's Boreen, and Barna pier.

They will do the same again next Saturday, February 23 (weather permitting), meeting at Supervalu at 10am.

“We are not only indebited to Leonard Fay, but also to the tremendous work carried out especially by City Councillor, Cathal Ó Conchuir and County Councillor Tom Curran. A special thanks to the staff members in Supervalu, Padraic Joyce, and Garda Kieran Duignan and Garda Chris Dowry from Salthill Garda Station, who were invited to speak on the safety factor.”

If you would like to support this great initiative, please contact the co-ordinator, Patrick McCarthy 086 8065443.