Pride of Jobstown Facebook page promotes all that is positive and good

By Mary Dennehy

ALL that’s positive about Jobstown and its residents is being promoted through a new community-led Facebook page and local awards programme, which has gathered more than 1,400 followers in just over one month.

The Pride of Jobstown was created to showcase all that’s great about living in Jobstown and the many volunteers, community services, groups, sports clubs and businesses that have helped to build the area into what it is today.

Nationally, according to those behind the page, Jobstown is not always portrayed in an accurate light – with the area’s pioneering and progressive community-led projects and positive success stories at times overshadowed by negative stereotypes.

In response to this, the Pride of Jobstown Facebook page was launched, and in recent weeks hundreds of residents have been voting for their local hero from a list of more than 20 nominees.

After more than 2,500 votes were cast for a diverse selection of worthy nominees, one winner was chosen – the late Paddy Hyland, founder of Golden Cobra Boxing Club in Jobstown.

Sadly passing away in June of last year, Paddy (54) was one of the area’s leading lights and since establishing his boxing club in 1990, he encouraged, nurtured and inspired Jobstown’s young – including his own three sons, who held national titles in their respective divisions simultaneously.

This week, Paddy’s son Eddie Hyland accepted the award on his dad’s behalf.

Eddie told The Echo: “I am delighted to receive this award on behalf of my dad, I just wish he could be here to accept it himself.

“My dad was involved with the community for 25 years . . . and he worked with many people of the area and helped kids to get off the streets and out of trouble.

“He helped so many people turn their lives around, and some of those people would say he saved their lives.

“Myself and the Hyland family would like to thank the Pride of Jobstown page and everyone for their ‘likes’ on Facebook and the lovely comments, it really touched our hearts.

“Jobstown is a wonderful place to live and the Pride of Jobstown Facebook page is a delight to go on and see all of the great things about our community and the people who work hard every day for our community.”

Initially set up for two weeks, the Pride of Jobstown Facebook page is, due to the response, going to continue.

An administrator on the Facebook page said: “The Facebook page has linked the community together in recent weeks and really helped to promote all of the great things going on in Jobstown.

“Sometimes the representation of Jobstown nationally is not a true representation of the area and this stereotypical view can have a negative impact on the area and the people living here.”

The administrator added: “There are so many amazing things going on in Jobstown and so many residents who have positively changed people’s lives.”

“We hope that everybody in the area engages with the page and keeps us posted on all of the great things happening – anything positive happening in Jobstown we want to hear about it!

“Whether it’s a sporting achievement, a local event, a bargain from a local business, a thank-you to a neighbour for keeping a street clean, let us know.”

The award was presented to the Hyland family by Jobstown youth club the Little Monsters, which hopes to build on the success of the Facebook page and bring back the Pride of Jobstown awards on a larger scale.