A strong belief in teamwork, recognising that change brings opportunity and the importance of negotiation is a good way of summing up Mary Walsh, who has been at the helm of Carlow County Development Partnership for the past 13 years. Mary Walsh grew up in the rural village of Carrigeen on the Kilkenny-Waterford border, but very definitely on the Kilkenny side of the border. She went to secondary school at the Mercy Convent in Waterford.
A strong belief in teamwork, recognising that change brings opportunity and the importance of negotiation is a good way of summing up Mary Walsh, who has been at the helm of Carlow County Development Partnership for the past 13 years.
Mary Walsh grew up in the rural village of Carrigeen on the Kilkenny-Waterford border, but very definitely on the Kilkenny side of the border. She went to secondary school at the Mercy Convent in Waterford.
The school offered a broad range of subjects but Mary knew she was destined for a career in business or management.
“My dad always said that from the age of six he knew I’d have something to do with management. When I was that young I used tick off every item on the shopping list before it was packed away and, would you believe, I had a well organised press for stock items too.”
She completed a business degree at Waterford Institute of Technology and even though she always did office work during school holidays she felt she needed something more practical to offer prospective employers. And what could be more practical than a six-month commercial course from which she emerged as student of the year.
“Doing the commercial course made great sense. I was able to leverage it to get me on the first steps of the career ladder.”
But Mary was far from finished with education.
“I remember being in Cork with my dad and we passed the gates of UCC. The students were all about the place and I said to dad: ‘Aren’t they lucky.’ A short while later, I went on to do a Masters in Business Entrepreneurship at UCC.”
“The masters programme included modules on rural development and LEADER. I could just close my eyes and visualise the theory in action. It made perfect sense to me. I knew firsthand the importance of rural development in rural villages such as Carrigeen.”
One of her lecturers was Dr Seamus O’Reilly, who noted her interest and invited her be part of the team on some research the university had been asked to undertake.
“I thought, great, this is some opportunity. The work was to research the needs of the agricultural sector in north Cork and, unbeknownst to myself, I was now working on a LEADER project.”
Mary made this project the subject of her thesis and it must have been good as she secured a first-class honours in her Masters.
Making her mark
There’s one bit of advice that Mary offers time and time again and it is this: “You are being interviewed for your next job on a daily basis.” It’s advice she can personally vouch for.
“I remember making a presentation to the north Cork group and I didn’t realise it but a woman called Maria Moynihan was in the room. Maria was also secretary of Comhar LEADER na hÉireann (CLE) at the time. As luck would have it, CLE was recruiting for a national co-ordinator. I applied and I ended up being offered the job.”
This was the career breakthrough any 25-year-old would give their right arm for. CLE was the support network for all the LEADER groups in the country and was recognised by senior people in the EU Commission. Based in north Cork, it gave Mary the opportunity to see LEADER groups in action locally, nationally and across Europe.
“I have a clear memory of being in Brussels supporting the Irish LEADER delegation. The job taught me how to listen, negotiate, how not to be intimidated and how to gauge the mood in a room.”
That experience would be put to good use in her next job. It was 2001 and Carlow/ Kilkenny had been split into two separate LEADER groups.
“Lo and behold, CLE had a new member in Carlow LEADER. They needed a manager. I wasn’t slow in applying.
“I had a desk in Ger Deering’s office, Carlow’s Local Authorities director of service at the time. Ger was a former LEADER manager in Laois and was a great sounding board for me. My first task was to set up the company. I had contacts and the promise of €1million, with a note saying this was a trial run and if we wanted more money we’d have to prove ourselves. Most importantly, I had fire in my belly and was up for the job.
“We’ve grown from having that single offer of LEADER funds to a company today managing millions of euros of public funding, operating seven programmes with 22 employees.
“Over the past five years, we have managed a budget of over €25m, merged with two social inclusion companies and, more recently, secured a three-year contract to deliver the new social inclusion programme for Carlow, which was a great boost for the team.”
An integrated approach
Mary believes it works best to have a social inclusion strategy running in parallel with an economic development strategy. Add in a labour market activation strategy and she says they plait together to deliver results for the local area.
“The success of our company can be attributed to a wide portfolio of programmes and the team that work here. As a leader, my job is to build teams and empower them to deliver results for the local community – and they do a great job.”
Legacy of LEADER
The legacy of LEADER in Carlow is very clear to Mary Walsh.
“LEADER is the blood that flows through the veins of communities – it is what gives them life. I believe that a vibrant local community can offer real solutions to the many challenges the country is currently facing, including unemployment, brain drain and youth disadvantage.
“Carlow County Development Partnership Ltd has secured multiple investment contracts for Carlow and the impact of this investment is evident inside and outside the farm gate.”
At the moment, Mary’s team is closing off a successful tourism investment programme for the local economy. She adds: “There are excellent examples of local business people seeking our assistance to convert natural resources into business opportunities. For example, Blackstairs Eco trails are really successful in bringing walking groups to the local area. Eric Osbourne identified a gap in the market for accommodation for walkers and has developed fantastic bunk house accommodation at the foot of Mount Leinster. It is entrepreneurial spirit like theirs that will kickstart the rural economy.
“We have also supported local groups by providing expertise, information and finance to projects which they have identified as a priority for their area. For example, in Ballon we have a state-of-the-art community centre. This really has the wow factor and deserved the €460k the project secured. Mix a strong community group with a good community centre and the possibilities are endless.”
Her experience shows that it is rare for a community group to seek out just one single support, rather, to realise their vision, a community group will require an integrated package of supports. Mary maintains that for LEADER to reach its full potential and have an impact on the community, it must remain as one cohesive programme. It cannot be divided because this is how it creates synergies with other programmes managed by local development companies and that makes sense.
“LEADER is not about ticking boxes or performing an administration function. You need to partner, respond, listen and visualise in order to inspire, empower and create.”
She firmly believes the partnership companies are best positioned to respond to the needs of communities and it is important that this is maintained in the context of the alignment proposals which propose that Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) are as the LEADER Local Action Group.
Where there is change there is opportunity
The government policy to establish the LCDCs does not overly phase Mary.
“My view is that where there is change, there is opportunity. I’m not afraid of change. I will manage it, but there is still a bit to go for alignment to make sense. With so much change and budget cuts taking place, my focus right now is to re-evaluate our business model to ensure viability.”
Negotiation at local level will provide a solution that is best for each area. She says there is scope for partnership with the LCDCs if that makes sense for the area involved. In other areas, she is certain that the local development company will secure the LEADER contract.
Whatever happens, any new arrangement would have to be far better than what is there at the moment to justify the upheaval currently being experienced by employees and local communities.
But even in these uncertain times, Mary can readily list out some new opportunities the team is pursuing in order to ensure the continuation of supports and services in Carlow.
Mary Walsh profile
Mary Walsh is married to David and they have two children. Anna (five) and Tim (two). She is a working parent who is a big believer in teamwork.
“I have a demanding job and I am a parent of young children and I am fully committed to both. With young children, I find you need three layers of back-up – creche, granny and the wider family. It can be done with support.”
Hobbies:I love tennis and play all year round with Kilkenny tennis club.
TV: News, Prime Time, Sherlock Holmes and Grand Designs.
Clothes: Has to be smart for work. You’d never see me in a tracksuit.
Keeping fit: No smoking and running after two young children keeps me fit.
10 years from now: I will be working. I’m certain that continuing professional development will have played a huge part in where I end up.
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