*Former Chairperson of the Newmarket-on-Fergus Community Forum, Paddy Enright. Photograph: Joe Buckley
NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS community forum has announced its closure.
In existence since 2020, the group of volunteers have unsuccessfully attempted to bring a medical practice back to the village.
Formed following a public meeting in December 2019 over the future of medical services attended by in the region of 200 people, the community forum has primarily explored avenues to bring about a return of a GP practice to the village.
A town plan and a submission to the Clare County Development Plan was also made by the group since the Spring of 2020. Patrick Enright had been the Chairperson of the Forum. In July 2023, representatives of the group including Enright, Tom Neylon and Pat Keogh attended a meeting with the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly (FF).
At its AGM held in recent weeks, members of the community forum announced they were all stepping down. “Over the past year, we have continued to work on the retention of a medical practice in Newmarket-on-Fergus town centre as well as representing the interests of Newmarket with the County Council and other organisations whose actions impact Newmarket,” the group outlined in a statement.
Attendees of the AGM held members of the forum felt they “exhausted all avenues in pursuit of retention of a medical practice in Newmarket-on-Fergus. We regret that we have not had greater success in retaining a Newmarket based practice but the forum recognises that in the current environment where there is a shortage of medical practitioners that we are fortunate to have access to Saffron and Blue Medical Practice”.
Cllr David Griffin (FF) and retired councillor, Pat McMahon (FF) were among those to attend the AGM.
