Every community and society has gems that it has to protect. Whether they be social, cultural or geographic, there are aspects of life for which future generations will chastise us if we let them falter or disintegrate in any way.
We look back now at past generations when some buildings and infrastructural networks were left to disappear. I think of the Galway to Clifden rail line for example and just imagine what a valuable trek that would be by train in this modern era of experience tourism.
I look at some buildings that have been allowed fall into dereliction; of practices that have been allowed to fade in the face of modernity.
Here in the west, we have many gems that we have to polish because we are the custodians of their future and the beneficiaries of their past. One is the Irish language and kudos to all of the bodies and institutions that do so much to protect and enhance that valuable point of difference.
Another is our unique environment, here in the city, through the sterling work of the Terryland Forest Park and the Friends of Merlin Woods; and out in the county where Connemara, Portumna, Renville have been preserved and made accessible.
Yet another is our network of islands who offer so much to the uniqueness of life in this part of the world. But islands are mere rocks juxtaposed in certain places. What makes them unique are the flora, the fauna and the people who imhabit them. They are vibrant because of the life that mixes with their history.
The Aran Islands off our coast offer a rare glimpse of life on the edge of Europe; a gaze into the past and into way of life that enabled them to flourish.
So it was great this week to see that the Government have issued a PSO that will enable 68,000 air seats per year to be subsidised on flights in and out of the islands and the mainland.
The contract with Galway Aviation Services Limited, trading as Aer Arann Islands, will run until 2026.
Along with serving Inis Mór, the contract ensures the provision of direct services from the mainland to the smaller islands of Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr.
The contract will also see the introduction of a flexible scheduling scheme to service events and festivals. ‘Ad hoc’ and ‘scheduled non-PSO’ flights will also be provided by the operator to meet any demand above the agreed PSO seating allocation.
The flights to the three islands will operate from Aerfort Chonamara, which the State purchased in 2019.
Such a service gives certainty to the islanders who travel to and from the mainland, and to those who want to contribute to the economy of the islands. It also shows that living on the island can be a sustainable objective, so that they can be preserved for their uniqueness; to add picture and sound to the cultural images of a people and its place in our history.
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