Mullingar cathaoirleach speaks of sorrow over Columb

The cathaoirleach of Mullingar Town Council, Cllr Peter Burke, has spoken of how difficult he found last week's closure of Mullingar's army barracks and the handing over of the 10 million-year lease on the building."To think that Columb Barracks survived centuries of challenging times and economic turbulence, it was a truly heartbreaking couple of hours for us all in Mullingar to see the end of an era such as this," said the Fine Gael councillor."I want to thank the thousands of people who turned out to show their support for those affected."A lot has been said about the issues surrounding the closure, but of even more importance now is the fight to ensure this great building is not left to become an eyesore."I am sure the former soldiers and staff would want to see it being maintained properly and that a suitable use is found for it."Cllr Burke said he had made representations to the cabinet on finding a potential use for the building. He sees no reason alternative usage of some description cannot be explored."In the meantime, I want to thank everyone in Columb Barracks for their outstanding service over the years. Obviously, they have my full support and best wishes."