Irish festival snub for mayor

Mayor of Clare Christy Curtin has expressed surprise that he wasn’t invited to accompany a delegation to the Milwaukee Irish Festival in Wisconsin this week.

A three-person delegation will seek to promote Clare as a “must visit” destination for US tourists. The delegation consists of Clare Tourist Council chairman and retired county councillor Flan Garvey, Siobhán Garvey, marketing and development officer with Kilrush Town Council and Katherine Webster, director of the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience.
The festival, which runs from Thursday until Sunday, was established in 1981 by members of Milwaukee’s Irish community. More than 140,000 people are expected to attend.
Mayor Curtin told The Clare Champion that he didn’t know who issued the invites to the festival and acknowledged that previous county mayors had attended. “I don’t know. I’ve had no communication since I became Mayor of Clare on the question of arrangements for Milwaukee,” he explained.
“My position is that, irrespective of the individual that occupies the role, the position of Mayor of Clare must at all times be preserved, protected and its dignity recognised for what it is. The Mayor of Clare represents 32 elected members of the county council. I was elected unanimously. My concern at all stages is that the position must be protected. I think there should have been a greater recognition of the role of the mayor. That’s my position,” the Miltown Malbay county councillor said.
Mayor Curtin said that he hopes the delegation will issue a comprehensive report when they return to the county. “I hope that there will be a dividend from the delegation’s work in Milwaukee and I hope that we’ll have a full report when they come back,” he said.
Asked who was funding the trip, Councillor Curtin said that he wasn’t certain. “I assume in this instance that the Clare Tourist Council are partially funding it and that the balance is from the Clare Tourist Forum. The whole question of promotion of the county and trips abroad will have to be revisited to see where the real benefits will come from. What we want in the county is pragmatism and we want tourists in. Rather than us having a debate about who goes where, the bottom line is that we should send the best delegation at the best time,” he added.