Josette Farrell is a Claregalway resident who is genuinely passionate about improving local facilities and making life better for residents. She is a community facilitator and creator of Claregalway.info and The Hub—both invaluable resources for everyone in the locality and beyond. Since moving to Claregalway to raise her six children over thirty years ago, Josette has been actively involved with a whole spectrum of community groups and activities, and evidence of her success is apparent on any trip through Claregalway village. In 1996 Josette established Claregalway Amenity Group with some like-minded neighbours and secured funding for a number of community projects. Over the following years this voluntary group accomplished many projects, including a system of townland name stones, as well as the ‘Welcome to Claregalway’ stones at each entrance to the village, commemorating the village’s history. Josette later spearheaded an initiative to unearth the Nine Arches, which at that point were buried by rubble alongside the N17 (now the N83), reintroducing this landmark structure to the village. This decade-long effort wouldn’t have even started without the passion and drive Josette had for bettering the lives of her neighbours. Never a stranger to hard work, Josette served as Editor of monthly community newsletter Nuacht Chláir for over twenty years, eventually compiling the archive into her project Claregalway.info, the community-curated website for Claregalway. This has been thousands of hours of voluntary work, all with the aim of improving the lives of local residents. More recently Josette established The Hub in Claregalway as a passion project, a welcoming space for all members of the community to engage with. This came about following her graudation from a community development course and after speaking with local residents on the ground and via Claregalway.info. It is clear that Claregalway village would not look the same if not for Josette’s presence. She is eager to pursue her passion at a higher level, representing the people of the Athenry/Oranmore electoral area and improving the lives of people in these communities. Josette’s proven track record proves her passion and drive for this vision. Please keep her in mind when you are voting on May 24th!
