Castlebar: The Web Site 1998

Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland

If you live in Castlebar, Co.Mayo, you already know that it's a fast growing town with a population approaching 10,000 people and that it's in one of the most peripheral areas of Europe way out west on the Atlantic seaboard of Ireland - next stop USA.

These pages are intended to give an idea of what's going on in Castlebar as we head towards the end of the Millennium. Things to do, where to shop, where to stay, what's on in the cinema, what the local schools are up to, parish newsletter, walking, angling, night clubs, etc........

1998

Welcome to 98. Sorry for the slow start in getting the web page revved up again after the Christmas. Christmas and New Year seemed to be longer than usual this year - or maybe it's just old age catching up! We hope that 1998 will be at least as good as 1997 - or better if 1997 wasn't so hot for you. We hope to try out plenty of new stuff in 98 so watch this page.

So enough of the guff and NY resolutions and down to business.

First, and most important, we want your input to the Castlebar web site so please send us material - it can be anything Castlebar-related.

Second, we have been getting rather a lot of queries from people seeking relatives, etc. in Castlebar so we have started a new page devoted to these requests from people seeking information about Irish relations especially in the Castlebar and Mayo region. We have also devoted another page to include messages, names, e-mail addresses etc. from our on-line guest book. We will fill these from the archive over the next week or so. Keep those guest book entries rolling in.

Castlebar Info Town - £1 Million Award to Castlebar

Info Town History

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Castlebar Schools to go Online
As part of the prize for the Telecom information Age Town Competition Castlebar Schools were visited last week by Ednet (the company contracted by Telecom Eireann to put in place Telecom's investment in schools throughout the country) in order to assess the needs and potential of Castlebar's schools. Later this year Castlebar Schools will go online with a number of hours free Internet access provided by Telecom. Castlebar feels that it played at least a small part in encouraging Telecom and perhaps indirectly even prompting the Department of Education to provide the magnificent new investment aimed at meeting the information technology needs of all Irish schools which was announced in late 1997. The visit of the Telecom Competition judges to Castlebar's St. Patricks National school impressed them enormously as they saw what had been achieved with limited resources provided by the Parents' Association fundraising - fashion shows, cake sale, etc. - a full computer curriculum for all the pupils of St. Patricks. A sum of £10M is now promised from Telecom Eireann to put all Irish schools online - Imagine: e-mail addresses for all Irish children from the age of five up! The Government then announced a £250M programme aimed at beefing up IT capabilities of schools, both primary and secondary, and higher education institutions.

Castlebar wants you! Skills Register
The Castlebar chamber of Commerce and the Information Age Town Committee is now putting together aSkills Register aimed at promoting new industries in Castlebar. The aim is to draw up a database of people who are willing to work in Castlebar and who have experience and/or qualifications in a wide range of areas such as: information technology, software, hardware, networks, marketing, telemarketing, telesales, business, languages, editorial and writing experience, graphic artists, CAD, cartooning, film making, video production, TV and radio, web site creation, etc., etc.
We are looking for CVs from people with skills and experience in these and other areas who would like to come back to work in Castlebar from abroad, from Dublin or from other towns around Ireland. Send your CVs as an attachment by e-mail to E-mail Castlebar's Chamber of Commerceor in the post to Castlebar Chamber of Commerce, New Antrim Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Ireland. You may also call in to the Information Centre on Ellison Street to obtain further details. All resumes/cvs received will be treated in the strictest confidence and no obligations will be placed on anyone submitting a cv.
The skills register will form part of a package to be presented to prospective investors wishing to set up in Castlebar in the proposed Digital Enterprise Park and elsewhere in Castlebar. The human capital is as important as the technological infrastructure which is also being put in place at present. Availability of talent is a key factor nowadays in attracting new businesses in this high tech area. Castlebar is fast becoming a centre for content generation in the Information Age. Indeed, if you want to establish a business in Castlebar, be it small or large, let us know as there are a number of incentives available.
It is hoped that this will attract a lot of interest bearing in mind that Castlebar and the surrounding area has a lot going for it including: relatively low priced housing, no commuting, clean high quality environment, good schools, low crime rate, great place to rear children, a wide range of leisure, sporting and cultural activities all within a very small radius. If in addition to all this you have a well-paid, challenging job at the cutting edge of the Information Society it is very hard to beat living in Castlebar.

Castlebar Library Online!
Castlebar Library Online! As part of the Libraries Online! initiative led by Microsoft in partnership with the Computer Services Board, Tulip Computers and the Technology Resource Institute (US) to research and develop innovative approaches for extending information technologies to local communities. - Castlebar's Information Age library system was officially launched on Tuesday, October 14th, 1997. The Library staff are currently undergoing training and the system will be available to the public once this is completed.Libraries Online! will supplement and complement the Castlebar Information Age Centre which has provided public Internet access in Castlebar since last April. The Libraries Online! project in Castlebar will reach out to families, small business owners, students and others who may not otherwise have access to information technology in the Castlebar community. Castlebar along with Ballyfermot and Limerick is one of the chosen centres for the Libraries Online! initiative in Ireland. Library members will have full access to Microsoft multimedia technologies and a fast gateway to the wider Internet. As well as access to the full range of educational, entertainment and reference software, it will also be possible to undertake online training courses for selected software packages. The full value of software products with Internet links and updates will also be apparent. The system comprises eight public access computers run off a powerful Tulip server and a fast gateway to the Internet. This is another important step in developing Castlebar's role as a key player in Ireland's Information Society.

Castlebar Local Government goes online
Mayo County Council headquarters and Castlebar Urban District Council, both part of the local government computer network, have recently linked up to the wider Internet. We hope to provide e-mail addresses for public contact in the near future. In addition Mayo County Council staff will be enhancing and developing their web pages from their own Internet domain - watch this space.
This type of progress will be of increasing value as more and more households go online in Castlebar and Mayo. There are some encouraging signs that there will soon be a significant boost for higher levels of computer ownership and Internet connectivity in Castlebar - again watch this space!

Castlebar community web site

Castlebar wants you to provide us with material for this web site!

Current Update Tuesday 13rd January 1998

Castlebar Business Directory

Castlebar Old and New

The Arts - music, cinema, galleries, writing, etc.

Sports and Leisure Activities

Community Interest

Media
  • Radio
  • MWR FM
  • Radio na Gaeltachta
  • Newspapers
  • Connaught Telegraph

    • Education and Training

    Health

    Places to stay when in Castlebar

    Events

    Local Government

    Environment

    Agriculture
    • General Agricultural Background
    • Country Markets
    • Agricultural advisors - Teagasc, Davitt House,
      Philip Farrelly & Co, Church Street
    • Farm Development Service, Davitt House.
    • Irish Farmers' Association. Ellison Street, Tel: 094-23489
    • NCF - North Connacht Farmers' Coop, - Stores off Moneen Road, Springfield.

    Other Castlebar and Mayo Sites
    Page maintained by Castlebar Information Age Town Project, info@castlebar.ie
    Mayo Editorial Services mayoedit@iol.ieCopyright © CIAT. Created: 02 May 1997 Updated: 14 January 1998