WHEN Skibbereen-based Councillor Joe Carroll was handed the mayoral chains his first official duty was to attend the annual service in Ahakista to remember those who died in the Air India Flight 182 plane disaster in 1985.
So it was only fitting that as well as attending the 40th anniversary of the disaster last week, his final duty as county mayor was to attend a special event last Thursday where certificates and plaques were presented to council staff from the Bantry area office who have spent four decades maintaining the memorial garden at Ahakista, ensuring that the memory of those who died continues to be respectfully preserved.
Reflecting on a memorable 12 months – on the very same day his namesake Joe (Duffy) retired from RTÉ – Joe said it was a great honour to have been the mayor of the biggest county in Ireland.
‘I shared all those council meetings with 55 other councillors. Some meetings were great, some weren’t so great but I got on very well with all my colleagues as well as the chief executive and council staff,’ he told The Southern Star.
‘I got to represent the county all over the country as well as abroad. I did travel to China and was extremely impressed with my visit and since my visit I’ve actually met three separate delegations in County Hall. They seem more keen to come to Cork and our trips abroad are of the higher importance.’
The Mayor’s Diary on any given year is not for the faint hearted and Joe thanked his fellow councillors around the county for deputising on his behalf at various events over the past 12 months. ‘If it wasn’t for them I’d have been run off my feet!’
He also has high praise for his driver, Tony Connolly from Leap.
‘He drove me all over the county. He was great company and good humour and he was my confidant too. I couldn’t have done it without him.’
Joe admits he couldn’t have taken on the role either without the loving support of his wife Sheila, who supported him throughout the past year.
‘I don’t think I would take on the role again though as it’s a long and tiring year. You do it once and it’s something I wouldn’t repeat.’
He wishes new county mayor Cllr Mary Linehan Foley all the best in her role, the second time she has been handed the mayoral chains.
