Rural Action Plan: Will it help Sligo?
WE TOOK TO THE ROAD TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU THINK OF RURAL PLAN
A mixture of indifference, fatigue, anger and hope greeted The Sligo Champion as we did a whistle- stop tour of rural Sligo to gauge public reaction to the Government’s Rural Action Plan.
It was launched amid much fanfare in Longford last week but has already faded from the national headlines and airwaves. We spoke to business owners in Dromore West, Cloonacool and Gurteen, some of the most rural but beautiful parts of our county.
Petrol Station owner Blair Feeney says we need more belief in what we have to offer in Sligo, as well as goals to go with the plan.
Tubbercurry accountant Tony Hession believes only jobs will secure a long- term future for his grandchildren in rural Sligo. PJ Tansey ( left) urges Gurteen householders to at least shop once a month in the village if shops are to survive. He also believes rates should be abolished for villages with less than 800 inhabitants.
They prove rural Sligo people are doing it for themselves.
DRIVING cross country through the back roads of rural Sligo last week I almost crashed several times, for two reasons - the beauty of the countryside around me, and the roads. The roads.
I was warned beforehand and they didn’t disappoint. Cutting across the Ox Mountains past Lough Easkey down to Cloonacool you bounce over the blind hills BMX Olympic track style with only a few ewes for supporters.
The rugged landscape is home to several rural businesses. The Rural Action Plan is to create 135,000 jobs in 600 towns and villages, at a cost of € 60 million over three years. This works out at € 100,000 per village.
Blair Feeney runs a petrol station and deli in the West Sligo village of Dromore West, employing 24 people. He is also Chairman of Dromore West Village Enhancement Group, Vice- Chair of Dromore West Community Council and Vice- Chair of Sligo Leader Partnership among others. He sees red tape as a huge barrier to voluntary groups gaining access to funding.
“Red tape has to come out to encourage community groups to get involved,” he said.
“We are blessed that we have two hotels in Enniscrone which do a huge amount of weddings and they’re a huge help. I’d love to employ more but it’s just not in it,” he said.
“There isn’t one mention of Mental Health in this and that is a huge factor in rural Sligo,” he said.
The lack of rural taxi services is another drawback for attracting both residents and tourists to rural Sligo he maintains.
“I had an incident at Grange agricultural show two years ago. Three elderly ladies came to me looking to get back to Sligo. They couldn’t get a taxi or a bus back. They hopped in my van and I was the taxi!” he said.
“We have great resources like Easkey, excellent salmon fishing facilities but who knows it? We don’t seem to have a belief.
“Enniscrone Golf Club is rated 9th in the British Isles. 9th. It’s struggling to survive,” he said incredulous.
Blair pointed to the lack of bins and toilets at Enniscrone Pier. Dromore West waterfall beside a derelict mill ( pictured left) is another hidden gem he said.
“The concept that you can’t do anything in rural Ireland without a grant is gone - forget it. Everything doesn’t have to have a grant. Local businesses should all come together and find out about local offerings. 28,000 tourists visited Carrowmore tombs last year and 90 per cent of those went on to the Céide Fields at Ballycastle, passing through our area,” he said.
“No plan, no results. No goals, no results. It’s up to individual communities to stop kicking the can down the road,” he said.