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Ar agaidh le chéile,(Moving Forward
Together)- New Mayor asks all to unite to
face challenges of change
 Newry
and Mourne Slieve Gullion area Councillor
Colman Burns was tonight (Monday) elected as
Mayor. Describing his new position as a
great honour the Sinn Féin Councillor said
that in his role he would be committed to
working to deliver as best as practically
possible for all communities, for citizens,
and in particular for the most
disadvantaged. “The challenges of change and
progress are many, and ar aghaidh le chéile,
moving forward together, we will face them
and together, le chéile we will build safer,
healthier, happier communities.” said the
Councillor who becomes the first ever Irish
Republican from the Slieve Gullion area Ward
to hold the Mayors position.
Ar agaidh le chéile, (Moving Forward
Together)
Newry and Mourne Mayor Colman Burns
acceptance speech
 I
thank my comrades Terry Hearty and Charlie
Casey for their kind words and all my Party
colleagues, for their support, and I also at
this stage would like to pay tribute to
outgoing Mayor Michael Cole and Deputy Mayor
Charlie Casey for their hard work and
commitment to the people of Newry and Mourne
over the past year.
It is a great honour for me to be nominated
by Sinn Féin as Mayor of Newry and Mourne. I
accept this post fully aware of the
responsibility and expectations that it
carries. I am proud to be an Irish
Republican. I want to see a re-united
Ireland created by peaceful and democratic
means. I want to see the unity of the Orange
and the Green. That is my political
ideology, my beliefs, and my vision.
I am proud to be from south Armagh, an area
that has overcome many years of
discrimination, demonisation and conflict. I
am also proud to be a member of Newry and
Mourne Council and tonight it is with great
pride and humility; I accept the role of
Mayor of the District. As Mayor I will be
committed to working to deliver as best as
practically possible for all of our
communities, for citizens, and in particular
for the most disadvantaged. The challenges
of change and progress are many, and ar
aghaidh le chéile, moving forward together,
we will face them.
Our communities, our people, all want a
future for their children and prosperity at
a time when the cost of living is
spiralling. We want to live free of crime
and in an atmosphere of safety and
well-being. All our people want to feel
safe in their homes. We want proper social
and affordable housing, full and accessible
health care facilities and decent sporting
recreational and leisure facilities. We, the
ratepayers of Newry and Mourne all want
value for our money, openness and
transparency in all Council affairs.
We, as a Council must give that value for
money, and we also have to ensure the
continuing growth of the economy in Newry
and Mourne in order to generate wealth to
deliver jobs and prosperity for all.
Those are some of the challenges that lie
ahead, and together we must meet them, -ar
agaidh le cheile, (Moving Forward Together)-
we will build safer, healthier, happier
communities.
There is much hurt within every section of
our community. People have lost loved ones
and many others have been injured in the
course of the conflict. Together, we must
face the challenge of ending the divisions
and old hatred in our society, and helping
to ensure and encourage reconciliation and
healing for all where practically possible.
We all have our part to play to end the
divisions and old hatreds, not only here in
Newry and Mourne but throughout our island.
That means pro-actively tackling the scourge
of sectarianism. Difference in our past
meant division. In the future we need to
ensure that difference isn't seen as a
threat but instead as something to cherish
and celebrate.
We need to start talking to each other and
not at each other. And we as political
leaders must take the lead, particularly
here in this Council Chamber.
I read with interest the article in the
Newry Reporter and the tributes paid to me
from my fellow Councillors on my imminent
election as Mayor. I thank you for these
and add that it's just a pity the article
came out on a week when my parents were on
holiday. My father would have loved it and
my mother would have believed it.
I am very proud however of the fact that I
can confidently say that I do not have one
enemy on this council and can work with and
do business with every party and every
councillor from every corner of Newry and
Mourne. I want to use this as my starting
point and will do my best to embrace every
grouping, understand every position and
answer every invitation during this year; I
know this will take up the vast majority of
my energy, my time and perhaps my patience,
but I am aware of the responsibility that
comes with the privilege of office.
I do so in the knowledge that I will have
the full backing of my wife Kathleen and my
children, Aoife, Niamh, Colman and Medbh as
well as my extended family whose support and
advice I treasure.
We have many challenges ahead, decisions to
be made. We will make them openly and
honestly, with the guiding principle being
that what we do, say, decide will be for the
greater good of all our people. Ar Agaidh le
cheile- together, collectively we will move
forward. |
