Welcome to a sun filled summer! A time of escape, ice cream, picnics and holidays. When the sun shines, you find it is a little easier to smile and relax.

Those niggling problems can, for a moment at least, take a back seat. I know that, at present, there is a frenzy of studying around Ballaghaderreen and Ireland. Throughout the country Junior Cert, Leaving Cert and university students are frantically cramming and exhausting the retail industry in record cards. Good luck to all of you currently revising for exams and we, here at The Ballagh Advertiser, wish you every success!

I find it amazing that even when the sun shines, the weather is still a cause of complaint. Commenting on what a beautiful day it is you can be met with “there’s too much drying” or “it’s promised bad later today/tomorrow/the weekend”. What has happened to us, as a nation, when we no longer appreciate what little sun we receive? We should be welcoming the sun with open arms, with a huge party, not jinxing it with complaints of drying the ground or its temporary state. Although, our designer has just informed me that it is currently lashing rain so I think I spoke too soon.

Summer also brings the local elections. Taking place on 5th June, these elections will determine who will serve us locally in the County Council for 5 years. I am, in truth, apprehensive. I remember a history teacher emphasising to a class of 30 girls the importance of the vote and the act of voting. She taught us about a world in which women had no legal standing, where a man could forcibly hold a woman captive in her own home with no retribution. She told us of the women who fought for suffrage – those who endured barbaric forcefeeding through a tube as part of the Cat and Mouse Act, who chained themselves to gates of governmental buildings, who threw themselves before the King’s horse in the Grand National. How lucky we were to have such a right and how we should, with no doubt or hesitation, exercise that right.

Emily Wilding Davison’s sacrifice, her act of defiance in throwing herself under that horse, her unwavering belief in her cause, haunts me. Hers and the many others who sacrificed so much in their fight for suffrage – their dignity, reputation, health, relationships and lives so I could make that choice on 5th June. It haunts me because, at times, I just want to deny my vote. Because, at times, I do not believe my vote will effect any change, will improve the situation. I need to know, I need to believe that with my vote I am making a difference.

But how can this be when the politicians, the governments, the leaders have all failed us? They have made promises they failed to keep. They have made mistakes. They have ignored the problems. They have lied. Instead of models of diplomacy, of democracy, of truth and justice they have become models of avarice. Not just Ireland, not just Europe but worldwide. We have seen the fall of leaders, the outbreak of endless conflict, the crumbling of economies, the punishment of the weak and the elevation and protection of the greedy.

Party affiliation has proven so crucial in choice. It appears even that an individual’s politics, what they stand for, means very little in the light of the party they are representing. To vote blindly for a party irrespective of the individual who is standing is not being politically aware. To vote blindly for a party just because you are a [ ] man, your father was a [ ] man and his father was a [ ] man is not using your vote to the best of your ability. It is not doing justice to your vote. If you believe in the party’s politics, truly believe, then I applaud you. If not, think, research, make an informed decision.

When I vote on the 5th June I will not be voting for a party, I will be giving my vote to the person, I believe, is best capable of serving the people of the Ballaghaderreen Castlerea electoral area. The person who has the capability to fulfil their election promises, who can achieve a better place to live, who will fight for our causes and who can be our voice in this political world in which bureaucracy dominates. Knowing that I’m making an informed vote means I will be making a difference with my vote and, perhaps, doing justice to all those who fought so hard for me to have this choice.

In this month’s edition of the Advertiser we celebrate summer with our What’s on This Summer guide. It is your go-to for all this summer’s events and festivals in the West of Ireland. We also give you exclusive news of Ballaghaderreen’s new festival – the Solas Summer Festival. Jim O’Kelly once again reassures us in these recession-ridden times with his Money Matters and we update you on the successes of Ballagh’s Community Games teams. Connor Ryan gives us a compelling opinion on mental health services in Ireland and asks the questions we all need to be asking in today’s society.

May’s edition of the Advertiser is Noel D Walsh’s last edition. We thank him for his controversial, thought provoking, entertaining and, sometimes, infuriating columns over the last number of years. And we mustn’t forget the Rossie View, which, with Con Moynihan’s Mayo View, has generated debates galore among all you sport fans.

In entertainment, we take a look at the return of Optimus Prime and co in their fight against the Decepticons in Transformers 2. If action and alien robots don’t take your fancy then check out our film listings. We also review two of the latest book releases, perfect for summer reading and our budding novelists bring you two new short stories, including a continuation of Sam’s Story.

In sports, we give the latest in darts news and the Ballaghaderreen Golf Club. Featuring this month is the Ballaghaderreen Rugby Club. Written by Gerry Forrest, the feature traces its reformation and year so far in the sport. Let’s hear to more success for the fledging club in the future.

As you know, from this month onwards, The Ballagh Advertiser will be a quarterly publication. The next edition will be out mid-September. Don’t forget us – we welcome any submissions, photos or reviews. See you in September and remember that sun block (it always helps to have a positive attitude!)

Note: The views expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not the Ballagh Advertiser.