Fianna Fail spokesman on countryside being forgotten
Knocknagree is a small village centred around the parish church, primary school, a handful of pubs and the local GAA pitch.
It’s nestled along the Cork and Kerry border where county rivalries run high during the summer championship.
Last Sunday it was lit up by a loud, colourful parade of blues and whites – the village colours.
Generations of locals gathered around for a special moment in the history of the village.
The local football team, fresh from winning the Junior Allireland Club title in Croke Park, were given a special Garda escort back home to greet the crowds.
It’s what the GAA is all about and says something really important about the strength, vibrancy and potential of rural Ireland.
The beauty of the Irish countryside, depth of community spirit and sense of place make it unique – an area that people are proud to live in.
The links between town and countryside are deep where so many of us have family in both.
However, after seven years in power this Dublin-centred government seems more interested in pitting rural against urban than ensuring each part of our country can fully live up to their potential.
The four out of 10 people in Ireland who live in rural areas seem to be forgotten about, as does the importance of recognising this is one country, rural and urban alike.
Take for example Broadband. This is vital to allow businesses to set up and expand and for homes to access what is now basic social infrastructure.
First the Government promised to deliver fibre to 90% of homes by 2015 then in 2012 it committed the Government to providing 100% broadband provision by 2020.
Next, in 2016 Fine Gael committed to providing highspeed broadband to at least 85% of premises by 2018 and to 100% of premises by 2020.
All these deadlines were missed and now the Government refuses to even provide a date by which the contract will be awarded.
The Broadband disaster is another in a series of government mistakes that is undermining the future of rural communities.
The draft National Planning Framework sets out how our country will grow over the next two decades.
However the Government plan emphasises expanding cities and large towns over any strategy for growth in our countryside.
The Leader programme had a strong record of supporting businesses and community groups but is now suffocating under red tape because of a government policy to take away its independence and claim credit for itself. The Government led cutbacks to Leader funding from €427million to €250million then buried it with bureaucracy that has meant a paltry €14million has so far Timmy been spent. The tragedy of all this is rural Ireland has such rich potential. And we can take a few clear measures to achieve that potential.
Rolling out universal Fibre to the Home Broadband is a vital step.
Investment in Leader and freeing it from political interference would help it live up to the programme’s complete role.
Fully investing in the Clar programme would help local infrastructure projects, as would boosting funding to local and regional roads to ensure people can easily connect.
Reforming commercial rates to THE Government is more worried about pitting rural communities against urban ones than working to fulfil the potential of both, a TD argues today.
Fianna Fail’s spokesman on communications, the environment and natural resources Timmy Dooley outlines the catalogue of broken promises on the rollout of 100% broadband connectivity.
He warns how rural Ireland is again being forced to take a backseat as the draft National Planning Framework maps out how our country will grow over the next two decades. help business in small towns and villages will boost job creation and keep people in their local area.
Putting balanced regional development at the heart of the National Planning Framework and capital plan should underpin all government policy.
After a long night of celebrations the Knocknagree team visited the local primary school to show the All Ireland trophy to all the kids.
We need to dream just as big about rural Ireland to ensure the next generation in those classrooms can live, work, play and raise a family of their own in their local community.