Sligo should be developed as a major economic hub

Madam Editor,

It is nearly 50 years since the late great Journalist John Healy wrote the famous book entitled ‘ ’no one shouted stop’’ about the death of his hometown of Charlestown in Co. Mayo.

Many years later the decline of the West and the NorthWest of our country continues unabated.

In recent weeks, a general election candidate at the last election, wrote in a local newspaper, that a local submission made by a number of Sligo interest groups supported by Mayo and Leitrim County Councils to the “Ireland 2040 planning framework’’- promoting Sligo as the true capital of the North-West - has fallen on deaf ears.

The powers that be at the highest level seem to want to promote Galway and Derry as the major business hubs in the West and North-West, with almost 300km of dwindling towns and villages in between, creating a wasteland.

If current trends continue the city of Derry will be outside of the European Union by the time this framework comes into operation.

This does not make any sense whatsoever. What does make a lot sense is to grow Sligo city by up to 60 per cent, the same as the other Irish cities apart from Dublin which is choc-a-bloc already, which will in turn help to grow the surrounding towns of Ballyshannon, Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle, Ballymote, Tubbercurry and Ballina with ‘ ’Ireland West Airport’’ near Charlestown providing instant international connectivity.

For Sligo to function properly as a major economic hub its population needs to grow substantially over the next twenty years.

Our government needs to give priority to the development of the N4, the main Irish route to Sligo and the North-West, and not the A5 which is the northern section of the Dublin - Derry road, and which will not be in Europe in a few years time when Brexit goes ahead.

In order for Sligo to become a major economic hub, all the vested interests from all towns in the county, and with support from the neighbouring counties of Mayo, Donegal, Leitrim and Roscommon, with all the public representatives from the area to unite, and speak with one voice, this vision for Sligo and the North-West can be achieved. United we stand - divided we fall.

Lets get started now, before we live to regret it later.