During the last few years, Monaghan has benefited from the housing and industrial boom in the country, while GAA supporters have seen an upturn in the county's footballers' fortunes also. Fianna Fail Councillor PJ McCague is well positioned to explain how all this has come about. Aside from his role as a public servant, PJ is founder and MD of Clones Poultry Processors, which is based in the Clones Enterprise Centre and employs 17 people in a town that has seen many changes in recent times. PJ's involvement with the community does not end their as he is also chairman of the Clones Hospice, while he is Secretary of the local golf club. Thirteen years ago, he made the brave decision to establish his own company and having worked for a number of years with Monaghan Poultry Products, PJ decided to use his knowledge of the poultry industry to good effect. And although he admits that it was a tough decision to make, the company managing director has never looked back as his firm goes from strength to strength. "Looking back now, it was a tough decision to make and I suppose I was a bit more naïve then. I was in my early thirties and probably didn't think things through as much as I would now," admitted PJ. "Fortunately though, the company is still going strong. We are a cut up plant that specialises in fresh poultry. "We are a nationwide firm that supplies poultry mainly to restaurants and hotels from Belfast to Cork." PJ has seen a lot of new businesses and housing developments built in his local area and he believes that the government have played a huge part in this. "There has been a lot of public money invested in Clones with the building or planned development of a new Fire Station, Library, Court House, development in Fermanagh Street; Primary and Secondary School, technology centre while the re-opening of the Ulster Canal has just got the go-ahead." "I would encourage any potential business to consider Clones as the place to establish their company as the town has the labour force available, while property is also relatively cheap compared to other towns in the county and surrounding area. If anyone would like to talk about establishing a business in Clones, I would be only to happy to help." Clones has also seen an upsurge in the development of new houses in the area and PJ revealed that all this work is a huge benefit to the community in general. "The community has certainly benefited from all the development work as more houses and jobs have been created, which in turn boosts the local economy and indeed the likes of the GAA and Golf clubs that have seen their membership rise in the last few years. "Clones Golf Course has gone from a nine-hole to eighteen and is one of the top venues in the county and that would not have been achieved were it not for the boost in the economy. The gold course is an important amenity in the town," he stressed. "The Government has shown terrific commitment in investing this money and this has sparked income from the private sector and hopefully that trend will continue." When asked why he became involved with politics, PJ revealed that he was brought up in a way of thinking that to give something back to the community was an important aspect of life. "It was a decision I made myself. There was no other family members involved in politics, but I felt that this was a way of giving something back to the community I was brought up in. "I grew up being taught that was an important thing to do and I am now midway through my third term having just completed 13 years with the council." PJ revealed that although he enjoys his role as a councillor, he stresses that there can be many drawbacks when it comes to getting a task completed. "It is very enjoyable and can be rewarding, but it can also be very frustrating at times, especially when I find all avenues blocked in pursuing a client's quandary." For 15 years PJ played in goal for the Eire Og club during which time he won two county junior football championship medals, while he also captained the side to Hackett Cup glory in 1989 in a game he recalls with mixed emotions. "It was a great honour to captain the club to win some silverware. However, I'll never forget the match itself as it was played in terrible conditions late on in the year and we won by a couple of points in a very low scoring encounter." Football in Monaghan has been reawakened by the performances of the county team over the last two years and although many were disappointed with their relegation from the top flight of the league at the end of this year's campaigns, PJ pointed to the fact that the defeat to Tyrone in the All-Ireland qualifier's in 2005 was a harder blow to take, mostly because of the excellent performance that Seamus McEneaney's side produced in the opening quarter of the match. "I really believe that the defeat to Tyrone in Croke Park was bitterly disappointing and even more so than anything that happened this year," he said. "Monaghan were outstanding during the opening 20 minutes against Tyrone and had scored 1-4 without reply. This just showed the quality of football that they can help and you wonder why the lads can not produce this kind of form on a regular basis. "That is why I found that result so disappointing, but knowing that they have the ability to produce performances like the one against Tyrone in the qualifiers, gives Monaghan supporters a great belief that they can win some major silverware in the next few years." Having been elected for a third term as a councillor proves that PJ is obviously a popular choice as the person to speak for the public and although he admitted that he did not know whether seeking a fourth term on the council is a foregone conclusion, the fact that PJ McCague is a people's person suggest that he has plenty to offer the role for some time to come. Tweet

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