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Moville Events to be revived to fight for Moville

Posted Thursday, September 9, 2010

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Moville Events

Moville Events was set up in early 2009 as an umbrella organisation for all the festivals and events that took place in the town.

The idea was for greater co-ordination.

Posters were printed with the names and dates for all the festivals and events taking place in 2010.

Flyers were printed too so that people who were visiting Moville could take them away with them.

All the festivals that year were a big success.

Said Moville Events Secretary Gerry McLaughlin "Moville Events didn't meet at all in 2010 which was a shame and, partly as a result, the numbers were down at some of the festivals.

"Now Senator Cecilia Keaveney has asked that Moville Events be reformed as it is an excellent vehicle for advancing the town in these difficult times.

"Indeed Cecilia has suggested that it should be expanded to include the business people of the town.

"Moville doesn't have town councils like Letterkenny or Buncrana.

"Those two towns also have Chambers of Commerce unlike Moville.

"Moville suffers from not having any representative vehicles for instigating change, so re-forming Moville Events is a good start".

There are many advantages to having Moville Events.

These including applying for funding to take advantage of spin-offs from Derry's 2012 Clipper race which is expected to attract over 100,000 people - greater than the population of Derry, and the 2013 Derry City of Culture.

Applications for funding for individual events are more likely to succeed if the whole town is behind them.

It is also a good vehicle to ask for, and effect, change in Moville.

At the first meeting of Moville Events it will be proposed that it should be expanded to include the business people of the town including tourist related activities like the kayaking and the Putting Green Cafe.

It will also be an ideas Forum looking for big and small ideas to increase tourism in Moville.

Said Gerry "One idea that Cecilia has suggested is to look at how Moville can take advantage of being the place where Field Marshal Montgomery grew up.

Moville has never taken advantage of its connection to one of Britain's greatest ever generals and its biggest miltary hero of World War Two, for obvious reasons, but with peace breaking out in the north, and efforts being made, like the Peace Bridge in Derry, to bring the two communities closer together, now may be the time to re-visit this as it could be a major money spinner for Moville".

Said Cecilia Keaveney, ""There is a huge level of great work going on in many committees in many towns and villages throughout Inishowen, the fruits of which are seen throughout the year.

"By working together we get economies of scale, equipment can be identified as being needed and can be shared, marketing can be most effective.

"This working together needs to start within areas but also, ideally move out between areas. I think we, in the context of the two major tourism events in Derry over the next few years, have to look at a much bigger picture and seek 'a share of the action'.

"Minister for Arts and Tourism, Mary Hanafin, TD, will be in the county on September 17th to attend a lunch set up by Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce to outline plans and define issues that they have identified. I believe that we, in Inishowen must come together in a business/event type manner that will be similar to the chamber of commerce idea.

"The Arts and Events provide great local fun days but if taken very seriously, on the right scale of co-ordination, can potentially give a big economic injection to local economies.

"There is a focus now in Derry and beyond on maximising the economic spin off of the City of Culture and the Stop over. In Inishowen we have the basic materials already there in the form of people with ideas and proven track records. We too have locally historically significant people and places as yet unexploited to their potential.

"This is definitely one wheel that works best when everyone is pushing in the same direction".

The first meeting of Moville Events will take place in the Caiseal Mara main function room at 8pm on Monday.

Chairman Eddie Harkin invites all representatives of Moville Festivals and Events to attend whether or not they were previously members of the group.