Sinn Féin EU candidate Pádraig MacLochlainn has welcomed the unanimous backing of Castlebar Town Council for the ground breaking report entitled Awakening the West: Overcoming Social and Economic Inequality. This report, the first of its kind in decades, was pioneered by Sinn Féin Senator Pearse Doherty and Pádraig MacLochlainn in an effort to bring together the voices of all the disparate groups across the west of Ireland and unite them in one voice. It was compiled after a major consultation process with community groups, local businesses, chambers of commerce, and councils all along the western seaboard.
Mr MacLochlainn said this is a very positive development. “Last February, this report received cross party and unanimous support by the joint committee on Arts, Sports, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and by members of the Seanad. Ultimately, this report is about a vision for the west of Ireland and requires that we work together to bring that about vision.
“Communities in the west of Ireland, and Mayo in particular, are fighting for their survival. The west has suffered the withdrawal and downgrading of vital services, such as public transport, post offices, and Garda services. The decline in traditional employment sectors, such as farming and fishing industries, has resulted in the depopulation, unemployment, and poverty for many people. Currently Mayo is suffering disproportionately from the downturn in the construction industry, making this situation worse. Government policy has proactively favoured the east coast of the country in infrastructure, job creation, and political influence. There is now a cross party vision in Castlebar for addressing the imbalance and disadvantage in Mayo and the west of Ireland.”
Castlebar Sinn Féin town councillor Thérèse Ruane added her delight: “I’m absolutely delighted that all members of Castlebar Town Council supported my motion at last week’s meeting and backed this report. I must say, I get really frustrated at the lack of investment in Mayo and the west. If you consider for example, that in 2007, only 8.1 per cent of new IDA supported jobs were located in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Clare, Limerick, or Kerry. Add to the equation that 21 per cent of these new jobs were concentrated in the gateways of Galway city and Cork city and we can see the minute level of investment in job creation in Mayo.
“This report identifies a range of realistic proposals and recommendations to address this inequity and imbalance. If properly implemented, the decades of economic and social inequality in the west could be addressed. Now is the time to have our voices heard to combat this decline. For too long, we in the west have taken second best and accepted the inequalities that exist. We deserve better.”
