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Mary set to steer town forward

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Mary O’Driscoll, the new Chairperson of Ballycastle Chamber of Commerce.

It has been a stormy start to the New Year for Mary O'Driscoll - quite literally!
The woman behind the Rathlin to Ballycastle ferry has had to contend with high winds and rough seas which caused havoc for sailings and resulted in an unprecedented number of cancellations. "It's been the worst weather since we came here," she said, adding that some islanders have deemed it the worst they could ever remember.
It will soon be four years since Mary and her husband Ciaran arrived in Ballycastle to take over the reins of the Rathlin Ferry.
Shortly after taking over the route, the pair introduced a new 'fast ferry' to work alongside the car vessel MV Canna, meaning trips to the island can now be made in as little as 25 minutes.
Originally from Cape Clear in County Cork, Mary has immersed herself into the local area, and her friendly nature and bubbly personality has seen her well and truly embraced as one of community's own.
She holds the position of Secretary in Ballycastle's newly formed Rotary Club and this week she is due to take up a three-year term as the new Chairperson of the Chamber of Commerce, taking over from Paul Cochrane.
Challenge
She told The Chronicle she is looking forward to the challenge and she is full of ideas about how the Chamber can work to improve life in Ballycastle and Rathlin for everyone - including greater integration between the two.
“Since beginning work on the ferry we have been trying promote it, and raise the image of the ferry and Rathlin, she said.
“Often it is out on a limb on it's own so I will be trying to make Rathlin more included, and hope to have a representative from the island become a member of the Chamber of the Commerce," she said.
Her first major project as the new Chairperson will be to secure 'Purple Flag' status for Ballycastle.
Purple Flag is an accreditation scheme that recognises excellence in the management of town and city centres at night and aims to raise standards and improve quality.
It brings a range of benefits including a raised profile and an improved public image, increased visitors, increased expenditure, lower crime and anti-social behaviour and creates a more successful mixed-use economy.
Belfast, Belfast and Derry already hold the flag, and Mary hopes Ballycastle will be next on the list.
“The Purple Flag would show Ballycastle is a safe place to be and it will be a project for the whole town," she said.
Links
Mary also plans to strengthen links with other coastal areas in the south, which share characteristics with Ballycastle.
“There are a lot of similarities, including being near the water and sailing and we have a lot of local produce so all that could be promoted. We have everything here - we just need to package it together," she said.
A number of months ago Mary organised a caberet concert in Ballycastle, featuring a wealth of local music and drama talent.
She feels such resources are an under utilised tourist attraction and wants to see the town using what it already has to add to its appeal.
Amid all this, Mary will continue to have a hands on roll with the Rathlin to Ballycastle Ferry, where she can often be seen working on-board during the crossings - weather permitting!
Mary will officially take up her position as Chairperson at the Chamber of Commerce AGM on Wednesday, January 18.

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