HAVING served as administrator with Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce for a combined total of 10 years, Mick Hanly has announced that he is retiring from his position.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Mick, who worked in an administrative role within An Garda Síochána for 30 years before retiring in 2010, said that while he is retiring from this role, he will be keeping busy on another new business venture that he has been working on recently.
‘I was chair of Clonakilty Chamber of Tourism following my retirement but there was also the Clonakilty Business Association in operation too so it was decided to amalgamate both organisations for a more cohesive approach for the town of Clonakilty as there was a lot of duplication too,’ he said.
‘I was approached in 2010 to see if I wanted to set it up. I was working within the tourism industry as well as was operating a B&B in the town.’
Mick’s office was initially over the Courtyard Bar and he agreed to commit to the role for two years and would retire again. The position was then filled for another five years.
‘I was approached again in 2017 to take up the position which I agreed to do but work from home on a part-time basis. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working in the Chamber and it’s a very sociable position and I’ve met some wonderful people down through the years.’
However, he felt it just got to the stage where he was thinking of a new business venture and decided now was the time to make that change.
Mick said Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce has been tremendous in supporting Clonakilty and the recent success of the Clonakilty Street Carnival is another example of the members working together to create a wonderful festival atmosphere.
The launch of Clonakilty Voucher Scheme during Mick’s tenure as administrator was another huge success and he said he will continue to manage the Clonakilty Voucher Scheme.
‘If anyone wants to contact me on the voucher matter they can reach me by emailing [email protected].’
And if Mick wasn’t busy enough with his new business venture, he was also performing at last weekend’s South of Ireland Band Championships in Clonakilty with the Clonakilty Brass Band. As well as playing the euphonium he is also the secretary, pro and gig organiser.
The new postal address for Clonakilty Chamber of Commerce will now be 8 Wolfe Tone Street, Clonakilty, Co. Cork.
