Golden celebrations for Gort mart

GORT Co-Op Livestock Mart celebrates its milestone 50th anniversary this year.

To celebrate the achievement, the mart committee is organising a range of events, beginning on August 15 with a sheep show and sale. On August 16, the mart will hold a weanling show and sale. The following day it will host a traditional cattle show and sale, consisting of the original breeds from the first show and sale in 1962.
“We would appeal to all past and present committee members, who are still actively involved in farming, to try and enter some cattle on the day,” Colm Flanagan, mart chairman urged.
An open day at the mart and special celebration in the Lady Gregory Hotel, Gort will take place on August 18.
The mart is owned by local businesses and farmers and is run by a committee of 21 people representing all parishes in South Galway, North and East Clare, who meet at least monthly.
The mart has an annual turnover of €12 million and employs five full-time staff and 16 part-time seasonal workers. The canteen is leased out and also employs staff.
“All sales here are well attended, resulting in spin-off business for the town. As chairman, I urge all farmers to support your local mart. Buy and sell there and keep your mart in your catchment area. I have no doubt that Gort Mart achieves as high a price as you would get in any part of the country. It provides a friendly, professional service and also provides for working people with an evening sale,” Mr Flanagan said in his chairman’s address.
To celebrate its 50 years trading, it is working on a three-part entry in the St Patrick’s Day Parade.
The entry will highlight the development of the transport of cattle over the past 50 years, from a single cow box used in 1962, to a larger trailer used 25 years later in 1987 and finally a modern cattle trailer, which can carry over 10 heavy cattle. Each of the trailers will be drawn by a Ferguson tractor of their period.
The site of the original mart in Bridge Street was purchased from the late Robert Lahiffe. There were 30 small pens in the original mart, while today there are over 100 pens of a much larger size in the modern mart on the Tubber Road. A 9cwt bullock was worth £45 in 1962, £225 in 1987 and would fetch €1,125 today.
“The entry will fit in well with the theme of the parade, Our local Heritage, as the mart has played a big part in the life of the locality over the past 50 years,” said Padraic Giblin, one of the parade organisers.
Community, commercial, school and youth groups, sporting and other voluntary organisations are finalising their plans for the parade.