A Thank You From Mayo County Council
Date: 17-04-2023
Mayo County Council would like to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thank you and to acknowledge all of the organisations and individuals who assisted Mayo County Council in the preparation for, and delivery of, the historic visit of US President Joe Biden to County Mayo on Friday, April 14th 2023.
The success of the day is something that will live long in the memory of the County for generations to come but to deliver on such a historic event in such a short timeframe needed many organisations and individuals to come together to showcase Mayo and its people to the world.
Special recognition must be paid to the people of Mayo and beyond who came to Ballina in their thousands to witness the historic address by President Biden on the banks of the Moy and their cooperation with security and event organisers saw the event run without issue.
Over the past two weeks, and through the Easter weekend, Mayo County Council worked closely with the White House team and US Embassy Staff to ensure all elements of the day moved smoothly and was run to the highest of standards.
Chief Executive of Mayo County Council Kevin Kelly expressed thanks to everyone involved in the event and in particular to the staff of Mayo County Council for their positive and proactive approach to all of the preparations and to the problem solving that had to be undertaken given the key coordinating role played by Mayo County Council.
The Cathaoirleach and elected members of the council along with the Oireachtas members from Mayo laid out a massive Céad Míle Fáilte for President Biden and his team throughout his visit to the county
Mayo County Council worked side by side with several key government agencies and the cooperation between all of these groups including the Gardai, the HSE, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Rural and Community Development, the events team from Croke Park and Ireland West Airport were the foundation stones for the success of the event.
On the ground there are countless individuals and local groups who came out in force to make sure that Ballina and Mayo gave President Biden a real Mayo welcome. Staff across a number of Municipal Districts and departments of Mayo County Council worked diligently to ensure the success of the day including Ballina , Castlebar and Claremorris-Swinford Municipal Districts., Mayo Fire Service, Mayo Civil Defence, Mayo Library service, our Communications Department, our Arts Department and others did everything that was needed to ensure a successful and historic visit.
Local groups in Ballina including Ballina Chamber of Commerce, Ballina Community Clean Up, Mayo North Tourism, Ballina 2023, Ballina Local Link, the Order of Malta, Ballina Tidy Towns, North Mayo Heritage Centre and all the local businesses collectively ensured a brilliant event and a special thanks goes to the army of volunteers who were on hand all day long to assist the public and make sure the event was the success that it was.
Appreciation is also expressed to the public generally for their patience and understanding due to the various road closures and disruptions on the day and to BAM Wills JV for facilitating access to the new N5.
The visit provided an international focus on Ireland West Airport, Knock Shrine, Mayo Roscommon Hospice, the North Mayo Heritage Centre together with the towns of Castlebar and Ballina and Knock village and the memorable and historic visit from President Biden showcased all that is good about Mayo and its people.