Galway Mountain Rescue and the Galway section of the Irish Community Rapid Response are set to benefit from funding of more than €90,000, allocated under a new measure of the CLAR Programme to support voluntary organisations which respond to emergencies.
Galway Mountain Rescue is to get €48,846 while the local section of Irish Community Rapid Response is to receive €42,901. The funding was sanctioned by the Minister for Regional Economic Development, Michael Ring.
The funding is part of an initiative under the CLAR Programme, designed to support the work of voluntary first-responder organisations, in particular, those which respond to emergency situations in rural areas.
News of the funding has been welcomed by Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs and Natural Resources and Fine Gael Galway West TD Seán Kyne.
“The organisations that have been allocated funding undertake often life-saving work on a regular basis in more rural parts of our county," he said. "The Galway Mountain Rescue Team regularly responds to accidents and incidents in Connemara and provides a vital service to locals and visitors alike. The Irish Community Rapid Response is a voluntary organisation which enables doctors and paramedics to provide pre-hospital emergency care on the site of emergencies.
The CLAR Programme – Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais – is funded by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and is a targeted capital investment programme for rural areas which have experienced depopulation. West Connemara, north and south Galway, excluding urban centres, are included in the programme.
