Many towns in the west of Ireland face an uncertain future, it is claimed, unless the Government redresses problems of poor infrastructure and inadequate rail services in the major urban areas.
The claim was made by independent TD, Dr Jerry Cowley, at a campaign rally in Charlestown.
He compared the vast amounts being spent on infrastructure in the Dublin region with the almost total neglect of much of the west. Towns such as Charlestown, he said, faced an uncertain future, unless the Government redressed the situation.
On Saturday, protesters walked to the disused railway tracks at Charlestown station, which played a part in inspiring John Healy to write his acclaimed Death of an Irish Town, nearly 40 years ago. During the rally there were repeated calls for the reopening of the railway between Sligo and Limerick.
The rally moved to a local car-park where speaker after speaker criticised the Government for its neglect of the west of Ireland and demanded that the reopening of the western railway line be part of an initiative to counter that neglect.
"Walk the Walk, Don't Talk the Talk," declared flyers which had been posted along the route by West-on-Track representatives.
Similar protests took place around the same time in other towns served by the western railway line - Tubbercurry, Swinford, Kiltimagh and Claremorris.
One of the rally organisers, Mr John Healy, said: "We've got a good quality of life here. The cost of living, housing is affordable. My guess is that if the trains came back, this place would experience a boom, the likes of which has never been seen here before."
Former schoolteacher, Mrs Delia Henry (93), was one of the first to sign a petition calling on the Government to reopen the line."My late mother, Winnie, was on the platform the day in 1895 when the first train puffed into Charlestown and she was there in 1962 when the last passenger train brought people to Galway for the visit of President Kennedy."
That was a happy occasion but Mrs Henry remembered many other occasions which were not. "Thousands emigrated during the forties and fifties which were hard times," she said.
"They left from the small station here in Bellaghy. Mothers would scream with emotion at seeing sons and daughters leave. We young ones watching would cry too with the sadness of it all, even though we might have no connection with those leaving."
Mrs Henry believes the line could play a valuable role in bringing commuters to major work centres such as Galway and Sligo, 56 miles and 25 miles away respectively.
Mr Eamon O'Hara, a retired electrical dealer, remembered the first black and white television sets arriving by train in the 1960s. These were treated as gingerly and respectfully as if they had been tabernacles for local churches.
"The old ways are gone but there is still a great need for a railway line," said Mr O'Hara. "There are great facilities in Charlestown, including Knock Airport three miles away. If the railway line was reopened, Charlestown would be an excellent commuter base for those working in places such as Galway, Sligo and Castlebar."
Local Sinn Féin councillor, Mr Gerry Murray, said it would cost €215 million to reopen the line, a paltry sum compared to the amounts being "squandered" on projects in Dublin.
"A staggering €200 million is being set aside for the refurbishment of the Abbey Theatre. The Government seems to attach greater importance to the cultural infrastructure of Dublin than it does to the physical infrastructure of the west of Ireland."