Mart closure a huge loss to Cootehill
“It’s a huge loss to the town, and the farming community in surrounding areas,” said local county councillor, Carmel Brady.
The closure of Cootehill Mart last week will be a “huge loss” for the town and local farming community, according to a local councillor.
After seven successful years, the closure took effect from January 15, but the Station Road Mart ran its last sale on December 18.In their brief statement announcing the closure, the mart’s directors Jimmy and Carmel O’Reilly remained silent on the reason behind the decision.
“The directors of Station Road Mart wish to express their profound gratitude to all their local customers, staff and suppliers. The directors further wish to state that Station Road Mart Limited is and always has been solvent,” read the statement.
When the mart was started up by the O’Reillys in 2013, it brought new life to the enormous metal edifice at the old railway line. The move was widely welcomed by the farming community and it quickly drew large attendances and generated good prices for all livestock sales.
“It’s a huge loss to the town, and the farming community in surrounding areas,” said local county councillor, Carmel Brady.
“It had got to be one of the biggest marts around – there’s no mart now in Castleblayney or in Monaghan [town], so it had huge numbers coming to both the cattle and the sheep sales.”
Since the news broke Cllr Brady said she had received a lot of phonecalls from people, particularly farmers, expressing their disappointment that the mart had ceased operating.
“I’ve been talking to men from all parts of Cavan, Monaghan, Meath, Leitrim and Louth – and they commented on how well the work was run - the sales were excellent, the way it was run so smooth.”
She notes that there will be less footfall in some of the businesses on what would normally be mart days.
“The farmers would check in their animals and then maybe fuel up in some of the local filling stations, or they would come into town to the cafes waiting to go back out to sell their animals. So it is a huge loss to the area.”
Cllr Brady wished Jimmy and Carmel O’Reilly well in the future.
“They give 110% and I know whatever they go into in the future will be a huge success,” she said.
Meanwhile ICSA Cavan chair Philip Maguire was shocked to learn the closure: “Together with their team, Jimmy and Carmel O’Reilly ran a great business with a huge weekly sheep sale and large cattle sales at peak times. It is very sad to see this come to an end.”
“Apart from the important commercial considerations, marts provide a vital social facility for farming people, some of whom have no other social outlet. Many local farmers would have been anxiously waiting to get back around the Cootehill ring upon the easing of Covid restrictions, and it’s a real shame that this can’t happen now,” said Philip.
“I would like to thank Jimmy, Carmel and all the staff for the fantastic service they have provided and wish them all the very best for the future.”