Castlebar has played host to the launch and first leg of a series of nationwide personal finance meetings organised by the Irish League of Credit Unions. The event entitled ‘Managing your Money in 2011’ opened to a capacity crowd at the Harlequin Hotel last Thursday.
The nationwide series of public meetings was planned by the Irish League of Credit Unions to address the difficulties faced by ordinary people when it comes to personal finance and money management issues in the current challenging economic times.
The Castlebar meeting was addressed by Brendan Keenan, economics editor of the Irish Independent, and Frank Conway of MoneyCoach.ie The ILCU CEO, Kieron Brennan, also gave a key note speech in relation to the challenges currently facing the credit union sector.
All three members of the expert panel presented and answered questions at the event; Brendan Keenan spoke about the current economic environment and the challenges facing the next government in light of the EU/IMF bailout. He also spoke about the difficult times that Irish people face from a personal finance view in the year ahead.
Frank Conway of MoneyCoach.ie said: “Irish people are currently facing growing mortgage arrears, increasing health insurance costs, and falling incomes as a result of wage reductions, government levies, and the new Universal Social Charge. Indebtedness is not a result of over-borrowing, it is generally as a result of a change in circumstances. Irish people need to stop blaming themselves and know that they are not alone.”
In his keynote speech, Kieron Brennan, ILCU CEO, outlined the proud history and the uniqueness of the Credit Union Movement in Ireland, stating that “credit unions have served their members successfully in towns and villages the length and breadth of the island of Ireland for the past 50 years.
