Doochary Development-Tidy Towns going from strength to strength

It has been an exceptionally busy and very productive year for the Doochary Development-Tidy Towns committee and the results are there for all to see.

Over the past year or so this energetic committee has taken this sleepy west Donegal village and catapulted it into the 21st Century thanks to their imaginative and innovative approach to making Doochary a lovely spot to visit or just pass through.

There are so many people the committee feel they need to thank for their support over the last year. A spokesperson outlined their thanks and plans for 2023.

"The first goes to all those villagers that have come out to help and support us, we couldn’t have done it without you - you were there at the village clean-ups and providing support in so many, many ways. 

"There are so many local businesses that have also been there to support our village- the most prominent have been John Gillespie (Engineering) who has created three beautiful sculptures in the village. Everyone will agree that the large salmon is spectacular and what a wonderful welcome to the village. He has also created the heron and sculpture of Joe McKelvey equally stunning. Thank you, John.

"The second local business who has been so supportive is Signworx, who have created our wonderful 2023 Doochary Calendars and a number of large photographs for the Heritage Group situated throughout the village. Thank you to Anne and Donal and especially Jills and their team.

"These two businesses have supported us to help beautify the village, develop pride in our wonderful home and provide valuable infrastructure to our burgeoning tourism industry, which will provide much-needed jobs and revenue in the village’s future.

"We support local businesses and others who have been there for us have been The Village Shop, (the wonderful Caulfield family), The Corkscrew Bar, Brian and Seamus O’Donnell of O’Donnells DIY in Dungloe, and Sweeneys in Leitir.

A special thank you to Mary Kelly and Father Eddie Gallagher who have also been there for us all year.

"We have so many funders to thank, but the most support has been our local Donegal County Council itself which has provided much-needed revenue for our projects and those working in those departments that have assisted us like Eoin McCallion and Cllrs Micheal Choilm Mac Giolla Easbuig and Noreen McGarvey.

"We have provided weekly recreational classes with the support of the ETB, the ETB REACH fund, the Irish Foundation, What Darragh Did and Seeds of Change.

We have hosted seasonal Village Markets and events for our children and the elderly. We have set up two new groups, a Heritage Group and a Men’s Shed under the umbrella of DDG.

"The Heritage Group have hosted a number of heritage exhibits and begun a process of collecting village memories which we are working on publishing in 2023. The Men’s Shed will begin again after Christmas- with our new Ukrainian neighbours they built a beautiful village Nativity Scene and have constructed two free library boxes that will be erected after the holidays. 

"They will be working on a number of village projects including constructing a phone box to house the new village defib and build raised beds for a community veg patch. We have been so lucky that they have been supported by the ETBS REACH programme."

These groups are under the umbrella of Doochary Development and are open to new members and volunteers in the New Year. The spokesperson added they had worked hard to raise the funds for a new village defibrillator, after it was discovered that the existing one had been recalled a number of years ago.

"After this revelation, we set aside all projects to focus on this as the village needs a working defibrillator. This included organising a Christmas and Summer Market-tombola, hamper and a Fair during the summer. A special thank you must be extended to Janice Ward for her efforts to collect all the raffle prizes for the tombola and sell many of our fundraising items - the calendars and Christmas cards. Thank you, Janice and Brendan.

"A number of families have been very generous in their defib donations. A number of events were held to raise funds including a beautiful concert held by Catriona McElihenny Grimes. To date, the village has raised €3,870. This will cover the cost of buying a defibrillator, erecting it in the village and providing training and support for a new group of village first responders."

And what's more, Doochary Development has no intention of slowing down in 2023.

"We are looking forward to 2023 and we will be running art and craft classes, and are asking for any ideas you may have for events, classes etc. The Men’s Shed, Heritage, Group children’s events village clean-ups will continue. 

"Behind the scenes we are lobbying for funding for a children’s play park, a community centre and issues around traffic speed through the village, dumping of tar and if there are any other issues you wish us to highlight to council please don’t hesitate to contact us.

"We have also made an effort to support our new neighbours in the village from Ukraine. These families, many with young children, have escaped their lives from war and we need to extend our hands and efforts to support them in their refuge in our tiny village and make their stay as joyful as possible. 

Our Tidy Towns was a wonderful success this year - we moved up to be third in the villages section in Donegal, many of which have many more resources and volunteers. The work has been done completely by a small group of volunteers, as we were without a worker for many months.

"We have been blessed with a new worker Harry, in the last month. Say hello to Harry. He is an absolute gem, well versed in gardening he will be a great benefit to our work for 2023. 

"We have already begun our Tidy Towns preparations for 2023 with the erection of a series of heritage signs with the support of Signworxs, which will highlight a number of historic sites in the village including the Adair Evictions Cottages, Owenamarve Massacre and Joe McKelvey.

"The free library boxes will be going up, as will a number of bird boxes and a community garden."

For a small village, Doochary certainly packs a big punch!