Dingle business community must step up to the plate

TOO much of the work of organising community events and promoting and developing the business life of Dingle is being done by too few people and more volunteers are urgently needed to put their shoulders to the wheel, according to Dingle Business Chamber.

In a strongly worded letter sent to local businesses last week, Chamber Co-Chairperson Gary Curran pointed out that the chamber has been very active in lobbying Kerry County Council on local issues, promoting job creation, Tidy Towns work, pressing for a better broadband infrastructure, tourism marketing and organising events such as the St Patrick’s Day parade, the pre-Christmas Féile na Soilse, and the New Year’s Eve fireworks, which helps attract thousands of people to West Kerry during the festive season.

However, all of this work is done by the same ‘old reliables’ in the Business Chamber and not enough people from the broader business community in Dingle are coming forward to share the workload.

“It has become apparent over the past few years that the ever-increasing workload has been falling on the shoulders of a few people, and a certain amount of what the Chamber does is in jeopardy,” the Business Chamber’s letter states. “This is in contrast to other towns where much larger groups of people care actively involved in the promotion of the business interests of their own areas.”

The letter adds the cautionary note: “We cannot expect a few people in Dingle to voluntarily carry the workload into 2017 and beyond.”

In an effort to get more people actively involved in developing the town’s business and tourism interests the Chamber is to hold a general meeting in Benner’s Hotel on Monday next, March 13, at 7.30pm. The Chamber is appealing to all business outlets in Dingle and its hinterland to nominate at least one representative to attend the meeting and to become involved in the activities of the Chamber over the next year.

Meanwhile, Business Chamber PRO Risteard Mac Liam told The Kerryman this week that Dingle faces immediate issues such as the need to complete the relief road around the town and the lack of adequate parking spaces during the summer. However, the town also needs to address the broader issue of how it should develop over the medium to long term. He said more local business people need to get involved with the Chamber and use it as a forum to express their views on such matters to help form a long term vision for the town.

“We have to think of Dingle in 20 years time – not just for this summer – and it’s up to local people to come forward with their views on where we should be going,” he said, adding: “To be representative of the town the Business Chamber needs more involvement of business people.”