Builder, Seán Nolan at his stand during last year’s Bank of Ireland Enterprise Town Expo at Castleisland Community Centre. ©Photograph: John Reidy
The busy scene at Castleisland Community Centre as the 2015 Bank of Ireland Enterprise Town Expo got underway. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Guest speaker, Gavin Duffy and then Cllr. Danny Healy Rae – now TD, visiting the Castleisland Day Care Centre stand and being welcomed by Nurse manager, Marcella Finn (left) with Eilish Moynihan and Kathleen Griffin at the 2015 Bank of Ireland Enterprise Town Expo. ©Photograph: John Reidy
It’s that time of year: Niall Murphy from Castleisland Tyre Centre showing his seasonal wares at the Bank of Ireland Castleisland Enterprise Town Expo last November. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Kerry footballer, Killian Young, Paddy Garvey,manager Bank of Ireland, Castleisland; Aoife Garvey, Bank of Ireland, Castleisland; Mick Galwey, Castleisland RFC; Munster, Ireland and The Lions Rugby star and event organising committee member, Donal O’Connor at the conclusion of the 2015 Bank of Ireland Castleisland Enterprise Town Expo. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Maria Galvin at her Galvin Optometrists stand at last year’s Bank of Ireland Two-day Enterprise Town Expo at Castleisland Community Centre. ©Photograph: John Reidy
John Naughton (left) and Con Horan at the Rhyno Mills stand at last year’s Bank of Ireland Enterprise Town Expo at Castleisland Community Centre. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Members of Mary Philpot’s Munster Set dancing Championship winning troupe performing on stage during the closing ceremony of the 2015 Bank of Ireland Castleisland Enterprise Town Expo. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Former Munster, Irish and Lions Rugby great, Mick Galwey re-enacting his Stringer / O’Gara moment with Bank of Ireland, Castleisland manager, Paddy Garvey (left) and committee member, Donal O’Connor at the 2015 Bank of Ireland Two-day Enterprise Town Expo in Castleisland. ©Photograph: John Reidy
On the Ball: Gerdie Murphy at the Vincent Murphy Sports stand at the 2015 Bank of Ireland Castleisland Enterprise Town Expo. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Shirley and Chris Higgins at their Castle Lighting stand during last year’s Bank of Ireland Enterprise Town Expo at Castleisland Community Centre. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Sports Discussion Panel: Kerry footballer, Killian Young, Mick Galwey, Castleisland RFC; Munster, Ireland and The Lions Rugby star; Charlie Nelligan, former All-Star Kerry goalkeeper and Siobhán Fleming, former Irish Women’s Rugby star and Six-nations medal winner at the 2015 Bank of Ireland Castleisland Enterprise Town Expo. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Summing up last November’s Bank of Ireland Enterprise Town Expo, I finished off my piece with the verdict of a man I encountered at the end of the first night at Castleisland Community Centre.
Manners took a back seat as he spoke between and through massive mouthfuls of a free-of-charge burger he had just been presented with.
It was praise in a veil when he said simply: “They should hold this again next year,” and then he tore straight back into the job in hand.
I doubt if local B of I Manager, Paddy Garvey or any of his fellow organisers would remember the quote – and much less be influenced by it. But they are doing it again this year.
Planning Stage
The Bank of Ireland Enterprise Town Expo 2016 version is at the planning stage for early November. Public consultations and meetings are due to be held at the River Island Hotel from next week. I also wrote in last year’s report that the event was a rip roaring success and that the people of the town embraced the concept as a kind of walking away from the all consuming period of recession.
“It brought the town out of itself and it badly wanted it.” That was another man’s observation on the Expo. It’s the kind of brevity and perfect summing up you’d find on a cave wall – one line – job done.
Free to Attend
Last year’s Expo was held on Friday, night, November 13th and on the following Saturday morning up to lunchtime.
Over the two days, a Business & Community Expo was held on the opening evening and a Sports and Community Expo on the second day. Events were free to attend and were open to both customers and non-customers of Bank of Ireland. Friday’s Business and Community expo was fully booked well in advance and had over 100 local businesses registered.
Consultation Process
Special guest speakers included: Gavin Duffy, entrepreneur of Dragon’s Den fame and Dr. Edmond P Harty, CEO of Dairymaster and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012. On Saturday, Mick Galwey held the full hall spellbound with his scheduled talk. Needless to say, you’ll hear a lot more about the Expo over the coming weeks as the finer points emerge from the consultation process.
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