'Without our staff, we don't have a business'

Uncle/nephew business partners Pat and Aidan Davitt praised staff, as well as family and professional colleagues, when they hosted a small party to mark their 45 years of trading on Friday afternoon.

Both men addressed the gathering and welcomed another family member, Cllr Aoife Davitt, cathaoirleach of Westmeath County Council (the first woman to hold the position), to speak and to unveil a small plaque marking the anniversary of Davitt auctioneers.

The firm has its roots in Castlepollard, where Pat Davitt set up in 1981. He credited Donnie Cassidy (who sent apologies as he was unable to be present) for encouraging him, and Jimmy McDonnell, who was among the guests, with giving him advice on how to get an auctioneering licence.

The firm established, Aidan joined Pat and spent three years at college learning the theory and formal side of the property business – “three years, when everyone else spends two years on the course”, Pat reminded his nephew with a smile.

Pat recalled that the Davitt family have history going back to 1897 in the trade in Castlepollard. That was continuous till 1956, and there was a break of more than 30 years till Pat brought the name back to the Square.

Continuing, Pat said: “It’s great to see you here today and especially people that have worked with us for many years.” He said Aidan is longest working with him, and working out that Gary Corroon has 24 years of service, he said his father was well known in Mullingar as manager of the Irish Nationwide building society, and he asked him to take Gary on. “We sent him off to auctioneering school. He only spent two years (to laughs from those gathered) and he came back, and he turned into the fine fellow that he is today.”

A more recent member of the team is head valuer, Alan Bracken, who had been working at Mergon in Castlepollard and expressed an interest to Pat in working in the property.

Praising the rest of the team, at the offices in Mullingar, Castlepollard and Kinnegad, Pat referred to their children present and added: “One thing is we’re blessed with is good staff. You can’t do these things without staff, they’re fantastic, and of course the big thing for me was that my own young fella started auctioneering two years ago, and Aidan took him into the office here, gave him a job and sent him off to college, and he spent two years there (laughs), did the examination, got his licence and he’s working here now in this office, and he comes to Castlepollard as well, to the home of the Davitts.”

Concluding, Pat said they wanted to mark the 45 years in business “to make sure that people are aware of it, because the longevity of the company depends on the staff of the company, and also the service people get (from those staff members)”.

He said they joined Sherry FitzGerald in 1999, but “if Sherry Fitzgerald were gone tomorrow, the Davitt and Davitt would be left”.

“We have to do our own thing so it’s important for us to give a service to people and make sure that we do that well.”

Before Pat and Cllr Davitt unveiled the plague, Aidan, a senator, thanked Pat for his comments and added his praise for their employees. “We would be nothing without our staff – it’s all about our staff, and we’re glad to have two great partners in Alan Bracken and Gary Corroon, and thank you also to all the rest of the staff that are here with us for so long, because we’re only as good as our staff.”

Thanking the guests for their attendance, he concluded: “Without you, we wouldn’t have this nice event”, and putting on his politician’s hat briefly, he acknowledged the two newspapers in Mullingar and local radio. “I’m a great supporter because it’s amazing how untruths can become reality without your local press. I think it’s the most important thing, and we are lucky in Mullingar to have two well-established papers.”