Established just over five years ago, Lough Sheever Corporate Park on the outskirts of Mullingar is in the process of becoming one of the biggest and busiest commercial parks in the country. The development is headed up by project co-ordinator Des Collins, who works in close collaboration with Sheever Developments managing director, Michael Kelly both of whom have strong links with Rosemount GAA. Is your company looking for an ideal location from which to operate? If so, Lough Sheever Corporate Park in Mullingar may be the place for you. Situated a few hundred yards beyond the Longford-Westmeath General Hospital on the Castlepollard Road, Lough Sheever Corporate Park consists of a mixed development of wholesale outlets, high tech unit office facilities and a number of major motor dealerships including Seat, Mitsubishi/Citreon, Honda/Mazda, Nissan, Peugeot and Toyota. A major attraction of the location is its proximity to both the Mullingar By-Pass and the town centre which are a short distance away. The new N52 By-Pass, which is currently under construction, will also ensure easy access to the Kilbeggan and Delvin Roads. "Since we turned the sod in October 1999, we have attracted a whole host of companies and businesses to the Park," says project co-ordinator Des Collins. "Given its location in the centre of Ireland, it is a perfect place for a company to operate from. At the moment, we have several car dealerships with more on the way. Among the companies operating from the Park are Finlay Communications, the Light Works, Mullingar Glass, Protia Pine, Lakeland Fuels and MIDDC (Out of hours doctor service) while the Health Board also have a number of units taken. It's a mixed development which in time could employ up to a 1,000 people." Lough Sheever is a 95-acre development, divided into three phases. Phase 1, which consists of 20 acres, is well developed at this stage and at the moment there are a number of exciting projects being planned for Phase 2 which consists of a further 22 acres. Phase 3, currently at pre-planning stage, consists of 54 acres; all of which has been zoned commercial industrial. Already, there is speculation that German grocery retail giants, Lidl, will locate their distribution warehousing units in Phase 3, creating 150 jobs. The development is self contained with excellent telecommunications including Optical Fibre Cabling, while particular attention has been paid to the building design and innovative landscape settings. A water feature has been constructed at the park entrance while currently under construction is the "Oval Park" which will be a restful green area with seating to add to the sense of community. Lough Sheever Corporate Park is a cul-de-sac park with site security. All landscaping is professionally maintained by an appointed management company. The Park is owned and managed by Sheever Developments, which is a sister company of Kelly Builders (Rosemount) Ltd. Both companies are headed up by Michael Kelly and Kelly Builders are the main contractors to the Lough Sheever development. With a long tradition in quality building and attention to detail, their involvement will ensure that this exciting development will be delivered to the highest standards. The combination of easy access, a central location, a young educated workforce and quality of lifestyle makes Lough Sheever Corporate Park a number one consideration for locating your company. A native of Rosemount, Michael Kelly is regarded as a great supporter of the local GAA scene. For many years, he has been the main sponsor to his home club. More recently, he has sponsored the Westmeath ladies football team who have qualified for this year's National League final. And before the recent under 21 football championship final, he presented Mullingar Shamrocks with a set of kitbags. "Michael is very proud of his GAA roots and has been a generous sponsor to Rosemount down the years. He also sponsors the Westmeath ladies who, by all accounts, have made great strides this year," explains Collins, who has been a regular on the Rosemount team for the past six years, having joined the club from his native Kilkerrin-Clonberne in Galway. "Michael retired from football at 21 to dedicate his time to develop the building company, but has remained deeply involved in the coaching sides of things with Rosemount and his two boys, Neil and Luke, are currently playing for the underage teams. Michael's brothers, James and Damien, were two of Rosemount's leading players when I first came to the club." When Rosemount surrendered their senior status after 72 unbroken years in 2000, it was widely predicted that their stay in the intermediate championship would be a brief one. But four years later, the black and ambers are still an intermediate club, desperately craving a return to the top flight. The breakthrough was almost achieved in 2001 and 2003 when they lost intermediate finals to St. Malachy's and Ballymore respectively. In 2002, they were beaten by eventual champions Tubberclair in the semi-final and last year it was a similar story when they lost to a St. Mary's team who also went on to lift the Peter Geraghty Cup. "We have been four years trying to win the intermediate championship and so far, the door hasnít opened for us. It has been very frustrating because Rosemount has traditionally been a senior club. What has added to our sense of frustration has been the fact that we have played in two finals and two semi-finals and have lost to the eventual champions each time," Des says. Collins is refusing to lose hope, however, taking great encouragement from the enviable crop of young players Rosemount now have at their disposal. "For a few years there, some of the old stalwarts were carrying the team but that's no longer the case. The young players are beginning to make an impact with the result that there is now greater competition for places. "Declan O'Flaherty, who was involved with the Longford under 21s this year, has taken over as manager and seems to be getting a great response from everybody. We feel we have something to prove this year after all the recent disappointments. If we do end up winning the intermediate championship this year, I think we'll be in a better position to compete at senior level than what might have been the case two or three years ago." Despite his strong Galway connections, Des was delighted to see Westmeath win their first Leinster senior title last year and was also thrilled to see his club colleague John Keane honoured with an All-Star award. However, Westmeath's form has suffered a major slump since then and he acknowledges that a major improvement will be required if they are to successfully defend the Delaney Cup. "Last year was great for Westmeath, but the signs aren't encouraging for this year's championship. They played poorly in the league and after the three heavy defeats to Kerry, Tyrone and Mayo, you couldn't see them retaining the Leinster title. But they were in a similar situation this time last year and they still managed to turn it around in time for the championship. I wouldn't write them off just yet, but I think Laois or Wexford are better bets to win Leinster at this stage," he concludes. Tweet

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