Michael Ring says ‘democracy is a very precious thing’ as his 45 years of political service honoured
On Friday evening, former Minister Michael Ring was honoured with a civic reception at Westport Town Hall.
In recognition of his decades of service to Westport, Mayo, and Ireland, Mr Ring received the highest honour a local authority can bestow. His political career spans 45 years, and he has made significant contributions both locally and nationally.
Surrounded by family, friends, colleagues, and public representatives, Mr Ring expressed his gratitude to Cathaoirleach of the Westport Municipal District, Peter Flynn, and to Mayo County Council, saying: “It's a great honour that your own citizens recognise you, it's a great honour to be alive to see it.”
Cllr Flynn welcomed Mr Ring with heartfelt words and noted the symbolism of the reception taking place ten years to the day from the opening of Westport Town Hall. He told the audience how without Mr Ring’s intervention, the town hall would not be what it is today.
Mr Ring was acknowledged for his many achievements over the years including the huge impact his creation of the Department of Rural and Community Affairs had not only on Mayo, but on rural communities across Ireland,
“I remember a time when there was a grant for nothing, but if you look at the stream of grants that are available right across the board, every community, village and town right across the county. This would not have happened without the Department of Rural and Community Affairs. It made a difference in every part of the country,” said Cllr Flynn.
Several key projects that benefitted from Mr Ring’s influence were highlighted, including his role in the Lough Mask to Westport Water Scheme, advancing the N5, and improving rail connections in the west. Mr Ring had been a vocal advocate for maintaining the rail link with Irish Rail beyond Athlone, helping ensure the west remained connected to the rest of Ireland.
His personal qualities were also celebrated. “It doesn’t matter who the person is, their age, background, political affiliation, he has the same warm welcome. His ability to remember names is amazing, even with age,” joked Cllr Flynn. “His ability to mix in the room, to meet everybody, and the way he can speak to people. It really is incredible. We will be forever grateful.”
Joanne Grehan, Director of Services at Mayo County Council, captured the sentiment of the evening: “With humour, heart and unwavering dedication he has given many years to the place he proudly calls home. A man we know who has walked with purpose, spoke with passion and served with his whole heart. This evening we offer him our words, our thanks, and our deepest appreciation.”
The audience then heard from the guest of honour himself. With eager attention, they hung on to Mr. Ring’s every word. His remarkable ability to captivate a room, making people laugh, reflect, and feel deeply engaged, was on full display.
Mr Ring thanked Mayo County Council for bestowing what he described as a wonderful honour on both himself and his family. His deep appreciation was evident as he reflected on a political career spanning more than four decades. He recalled his first steps into politics in 1979,
“I will never forget the vote I got in 1979. I got elected on the first count with 216 votes. Every election I stood in after that, I was lucky enough that the people of Westport and Mayo all supported me.”
His recollections and stories from the campaign trail were enjoyed by the audience. He stated that the best day in his political life was being elected to the Dáil in 1994 and spoke candidly about a moment of self-doubt he had after being elected: “I remember leaving the town centre in Castlebar and I said to myself, ‘Do I know what I’m doing? Am I fit for this?’ I thought about it and from that I got strength. I said I am going to represent those people that saw fit to elect me today.”
He paid special tribute to his wife Anne, and his office staff members Susan and Maggie calling them the “three best people in Ireland who were with me for the good days and the bad days.”
Mr Ring spoke about the evolving nature of politics and the toll it can take: “In politics you have great days and you have bad days, it's not an easy life and it's getting more difficult,” he noted, “It's getting more demanding and social media has destroyed, not only politics but it has destroyed life.”
He continued, expressing concern for the wider impact of social media: “The damage it is doing to society, to families, to children and governments will have to tackle it at world level, European level and national level. It has to be dealt with and it can't go on.”
He offered words of respect to his political colleagues across Mayo: “I want to thank them for putting their names on the ballot paper because democracy is a very precious thing.”
Acknowledging the precious concept of democracy, Mr Ring spoke about the current state of international relations: “When we look at what’s happening all over the world now, when we see all the wars and we see what is happening, it's wrong. It’s wrong to see people dying, to see people being starved in the world when there’s plenty of food, money and wealth.”
He reflected on his role in organising The Gathering in 2011: “I think I did every town hall in every city in Britain and central America to try and get people to come back for the gathering. The people from Mayo and from Ireland who had gone abroad, they never forgot where they came from.”
The proud Mayo man closed his remarks with a message rooted in the hope of humanity, reminding the audience that kindness goes a long way and people are inherently good.
“People are good and people are nice. It’s all about how you treat them. In my job, you meet people at their best, at their worst, and at their most difficult. Sometimes they only need someone to talk to them, someone to listen, and someone to advise them,” he said,
“It’s a difficult enough world out there and it's easy to be nice to people and people will respond.”
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme