Courageous Chamber

At what point in the coming century will Mullingar traders remove their collective heads from the sand? If one were to judge from their predictable comments in last week's Examiner, then probably not soon.Retail has been in the doldrums in Mullingar for the past 10-15 years and retailers did absolutely nothing to arrest the decline.In fact, they colluded with the Council in ensuring that aspiring high street entrants would not be allowed trade between "the two canals". In doing so, they effectively kept out the very lifeblood, which could have rescued the entire retailing sector. Even the much-anticipated Central shopping centre was inexplicably blocked, and high street outlets, which had been destined for Mullingar, ended up in Tullamore and Athlone. Both of these towns now enjoy robust retailing business and as a result, many Mullingar shoppers travel there each weekend and avail of the brands and value which they should be enjoying at home.The Chamber, through their president Paul O'Brennan, hit the nail on the head when he spoke of Mullingar's trading decline. Telling the truth and setting the record straight is apparently a step too far for the traders. A classic example of "shooting the messenger".Mullingar is a wonderful town, but continues to ignore its prime natural resource, its waterways, Lakes, rivers and canals, which would be the envy of any town in Europe, could/should be developed with walking, cycling and wildlife amenities. It could be developed into a massive tourist attraction with everybody benefiting from the resultant footfall. The Council should have seized this opportunity many years ago, instead of putting their energy and money into glass palaces.The Chamber should be congratulated for voicing this very contentious issue which hopefully, as a result of measured and informed debate, will see Mullingar rise again to be the premier business town in the Midlands.Well done Mullingar Chamber, well done Paul O'Brennan.Yours faithfully,JohnO'Rourke,Gaybrook