New road to be named after Sr Finbarr

A new road in Mullingar is to be named in honour of the late Sr Finbarr Breslin, who died in November of last year.

The proposal to the executive of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad came from Cllr Andrew Duncan who asked that in recognition of the many years of charitable work carried out by Sister Finbarr, the authority consider naming a street or erecting a suitable monument in her honour.

The formal written response to Cllr Duncan’s proposal stated that if the members were in agreement, the District can commence a non-statutory consultation process to name the new road serving the Primary Care Centre as the Sr Finbarr Road.

“She was a woman who dedicated her life to the people of Mullingar, and in particular, the women of the town,” Cllr Duncan said, recalling her work with the Women’s Community Project in Bishopsgate Street.

Cllr Duncan said that Sr Finbarr was responsible for getting a huge number of vocational training courses started, and she had been a true champion of women’s equality.

“This was a lady who was ahead of her time,” he said, adding that she had also been “the first port of call for many who were in need”.

“She was pretty much the Mother Teresa of Mullingar, but like most busy people, she shunned the limelight,” he said adding that now that she was departed it was up to the local authority to shine a light on the work she had done for Mullingar.

Cllr Duncan’s proposal was seconded by Cllr Mick Dollard who said he knew her for many years through her work in the parish community centre and her involvement with TEAM (Temporary Emergency Accommodation, Mullingar. He said that two years ago she was awarded a LAMA award.

“She was a tremendous lady and she brought a lot of light into people’s lives – particularly women,” he said, adding that she had helped a lot of people out of poverty.

Also in favour of the proposal was Cllr Ken Glynn who said Sr Finbarr’s influence had been enormous and the tribute was fitting, while Cllr Bill Collentine remarked that she had worked tirelessly for people and that she should get recognition and Cllr Hazel Smyth was also strongly in support as was Mayor Aoife Davitt, who noted that it was particularly appropriate that the road to be named after Sr Finbarr was that leading to the primary care centre.