IT’s TWO YEARs today since you elected me to be an MEP in the European Parliament - it’s been a really hectic time with parliamentary duties in Brussels and Strasbourg, policy and legislation to work on at home and abroad , special interventions to assist constituents who are in need of help but of all the constituency clinics I have done in that 2 year period very few compare to the extraordinary visit to the village of Mullan in county Monaghan on Friday last.
Established in 2009 in the remote border Village on the outskirts of Emyvale, Co. Monaghan, Mullan Lighting set out with a goal to restore life not only to the amazing old shoe factory but to the village as a whole.
And the result is incredible: On Friday afternoon Michael Treanor and Killian and Mary from Monaghan Integrated Development CLG brought me on the most extraordinary village tour I was ever on. We began at a brand new village playground to support the families of the new generation living there now but in the course of an hour we had walked though a couple of centuries of history - in a building which once employed dozens of people in the manufacture of foot ware and today is doing it all over again in a new millennium with bespoke lighting of the highest standard - exporting to over 55 countries.
I spoke to Michael at length about the metamorphosis that’s occurred here - in a tiny village in Monaghan, once a thriving mill community built around linen production and later a shoe factory. But by the late 20th century, the village had slipped into decline. The factory closed in the 1970s, jobs vanished, homes were abandoned, and the village emptied out, leaving only a single resident at one point. With its location close to the border, Mullan also felt the full weight of the Troubles, adding to its isolation being in business - yet it bounced back - as the Monaghan Business website describes so well:
“Everything changed when local businessman Michael Treanor stepped in during the early 2000s. Seeing potential where others saw ruin, he bought up the derelict village, restoring houses and reviving the old factory. In 2009, his son Mike together with his wife Edel, founded Mullan Lighting, a design-led lighting company based in the restored mill.
What began as a small local design and manufacturing business has grown into a major local employer, with nearly 100 people.”
and yes - of course they live in the real world like us all with the everyday challenges - the cost of power - in the country with the highest electricity bills in Europe, the escalating cost of insurance on the factory floor and the challenges of recruiting and training staff - all on my agenda in the European Parliament - yet I came away from Mullan with such a positive feeling of a county that doesn’t know how to say no , a place where indigenous local industry is thriving and a border county with an ambitious plan for the future and the circular economy.
I absolutely loved Mullan : its history , its heritage and above all its present employment - in these photos I hope you can get the sense of pride and hope I brought away . It is true we have many challenges in the European Parliament when it comes to dealing with competitiveness and ensuring people have the right economic supports to have a real and genuine “right to stay” in villages like this - but Mullan Lighting shows it can be done - in the same way as Mullan did it before in the last century and I pray will do it again for years to come.
My sincere thanks to Michael Traenor for making me realise how important the job is that I must do in the European Parliament . A day like this beats 20 days writing amendments or making speeches in Brussels because it grounds you to what people really need from politics -supports, technology, aid and good representation going forward and I’m privileged to be able to try and provide it.
Thank you Mullan for a 2nd Anniversary eye opener I won’t be forgetting in a hurry . 👏👏