Madam, – Carl O’Brien’s article about Youghal, “How do you fix a broken town” (Weekend Review, April 2nd), resonates with other towns around the country. Tuam is a dormitory town of Galway, finds it difficult to attract large sustainable industry and awaits the re-opening of the Western rail station.
The article, which was accompanied by a photographic slideshow of Youghal by David Sleator, (“Uptown Downtown”, irishtimes.com), is a good example of on hope and despair. I, like some of the contributors in the article, see opportunities to improve, from the ground up. I see Youghal’s potential, its rich heritage and excellent geographical, scenic, location, while others express doom and a sense of powerlessness.
My answer to the question, “How do you fix a broken town”, is to examine all the negative images on the slideshow “Uptown Downtown”. Fix each unsightly image by boarding up broken windows and doors, replacing or wire-brushing and painting rusty gates and railings. Remove redundant signs with permission, clean large green building, wash and paint textile building, repair and wash clock in the process. Tone down auctioneers’ signs. Identify the town’s unique selling point.
If a Tidy Towns Committee is in place, get the community and businesses to support it. If it is not, develop a team which will drive things forward and discover the meaning of the word synergy, by utilising all groups in the town towards one common goal, ie: the marketing and improvement of Youghal. This will allow optimists and pessimists join forces to make a difference to their own area.
We hope to do likewise in Tuam this year. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – My heart breaks reading the article about Youghal – a town dying on its feet; a wonderful warm engaging place (Carl O’Brien, Weekend Review, April 2nd). It needs one big thing to be done for it – the train to be brought back. The train goes to Midleton; why can’t it go on to Youghal? Come on, new Government – help out here! – Yours, etc,