All Things Must Grass

Marie does her good seed for the day

atest press release from Greystones Tidy Towns, issued on Thursday, August 18th 2022…

Marie McCooey is stepping down as chairperson of Greystones Tidy Towns after nearly seven years in the role.

During her time leading the organisation, it has received three medals in the annual Tidy Towns competition — a bronze in 2018 and two silvers, in 2019 and 2021. The group also played a role in Greystones twice being voted as one of the World’s Most Liveable Communities.

Ms McCooey has also been praised personally by Greystones Lions, who pronounced her local person of the year in 2021, and by the Wicklow Community Volunteer organisation which declared her one of its local heroes.

Commenting on her retirement, Ms McCooey said: “It’s been a whirlwind few years leading the group and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. But none of what we’ve managed to do would have been possible without the foundations laid down by my predecessors, Colum Ó Broin and Frank Coyne — and the fantastic team of volunteers that makes Greystones Tidy Towns what it is. Week in and week out, they work to help make our community one of the best places to live in Ireland. They’re just great and I’m so proud of them all.”

Marie has been active with Greystones Tidy Towns for 20 years and took over as chair in 2016. Known for her considerable energy and enthusiasm in making Greystones’ public spaces more beautiful, Ms McCooey showed a flair for recruiting volunteers, chivvying them along, and building good relations with resident groups, business interests and officials in the local authority.

During her time leading Greystones Tidy Towns, the group has taken on several major projects. They include the design, planting and maintenance of a special sensory garden in Burnaby Park which was opened earlier this year. The park, which is the town centre’s only significant public open space, is part of the Burnaby Conservation Area. Tidy Towns also restored and replanted the park’s long flowerbed beside Mill Road, and the bed along the side of the Bowling Club.

The group has revitalised other flower beds and unkempt areas all over the town and recently restored and replanted the large roundabout at the junction of Mill Road and the Charlesland dual carriageway.

Elsewhere, during Ms McCooey’s tenure some 1,000 trees were planted near the Shoreline swimming pool and community centre, and a community orchard was created along the pathway between the Aldi supermarket and Three Trouts Bridge. Tidy Towns also planted and had seating installed at La Touche car park on the seafront behind the Dart station.

From a farming background and feeling a strong with nature, Ms McCooey has sought to increase awareness of the need to protect and enhance biodiversity with insect-friendly planting, and has worked to increase nature awareness, especially with young people through schools’ outreach. She was behind several environment friendly initiatives before they became popular, including every cup counts and no to single use plastic.

Commenting on Ms McCooey’s retirement, the chair of Greystones Town Team, Dermod Dwyer, said: “Marie’s leadership of Tidy Towns has been selfless, energetic and has ensured Greystones is a better place to live for our growing resident community and visitors. Her example and the TT teams work and initiatives – such as the Sensory Garden – had a major impact with the international judging panel which led to Greystones winning the 2021 LivCom global Gold Medal award.

“She is a shining example of adaptive community volunteerism. On behalf of the Greystones Town Team — thank you Marie!”

With Ross McParland, Colum O Broin & Mary-Kate Hardy

Retired Greystones Municipal District Administrator Myra Porter said: “During her time as Chairperson of Greystones Tidy Towns, Marie worked tirelessly and developed a very successful partnership with Greystones Municipal District. By working closely with Council staff it was possible to deliver on a number of joint projects throughout the town, which were completed by volunteers under her leadership.

Completing that Stream Of Conscience

“As the role of Tidy Towns expanded in recent years to include sustainability, conservation and biodiversity, Marie ensured that activities, policies and practices changed, in addition to all of the ongoing maintenance and litter picking activities undertaken by Tidy Towns volunteers.

“It was a pleasure to work with Marie during my time in Greystones Municipal District, I have no doubt that she will continue to contribute to Greystones Tidy Towns and will be a great support to the new Chairperson.”

The search is now on for a replacement.

Said Marie: “We need to find someone who has a great passion and love for the town and wants to make a contribution. They don’t have to be retired or willing to roll up their sleeves to rummage around beds and litter bins. But they need to be an organiser, a co-ordinator, some who can manage and enthuse people and help fashion a vision for the future.

“Tidy Towns is much more now that hanging baskets and the like. It’s about the whole health of the town — biodiversity, sustainability and the environment, waste management and education. The group structure has evolved to reflect this and so the next leader is someone who can inspire and lead but in a sort of non-executive chairman type of way — someone who can help bring the whole town along on this journey and, who knows, maybe one day winning the national competition. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Information on the role of the new chair and the individual qualities sought may be seen on the Greystones Tidy Towns Facebook page, and on their website here.