Man who arrived in Galway as an apprentice is new Mayor

A ‘COUNTRY lad’ from Portumna who came to Galway in 1975 as a starry eyed 17-year-old to start an apprenticeship with the AnCO training authority, was elected Mayor of the City last weekend.

Independent councillor Noel Larkin – a native of Corr, Portumna – was unanimously elected as Mayor of Galway City, when councillors held their AGM at City Hall on Friday evening last.

Mayor Larkin, from Corr just about three miles from Portumna, recalled in his acceptance speech at City Hall on Friday, how he had arrived in Galway city in the Summer of 1975 to begin his apprenticeship in toolmaking and fitting at the Mervue Industrial Estate.

Ten years later in 1985, he got married, bought his house and also set up his own engineering business – now he employs 30 people in his Larkin Engineering enterprise in Tuam.

He said that apart from a nine-month stint in Dublin, he had lived in the city for the past 40 years but probably never had envisaged that one day he would be Mayor of Galway.

“On an evening like this, it is appropriate for me to remember the people who walked the streets with me back in the Summer of 2014 and knocked at doors asking people to vote for me. This is their day, too,” he said.

The evening was laced with emotion as Noel’s daughter, Tracy, returned specially from Australia to be home for the election of her father as Mayor of Galway.

“It really is lovely to have my daughter back from Australia for this day and one of my priorities as Mayor for the coming year will be to do everything I can to improve employment prospects for young people in this city,” said Noel Larkin.

He said that it was a great few weeks for Portumna given the great leadership shown by another native of the East Galway sporting stronghold, namely John Muldoon, the inspirational captain of the Connacht rugby team, PRO12 champions for 2016.

Mayor Larkin, who has lived at Wellpark Grove in Galway city since 1985, is married to Rita and they have three children – Stephen, Tracy and Peter. He now faces into a hectic year of activity.

For more on this story, see the Connacht Tribune.