Sir, – Further to Rosita Boland's "'Half dead' – a town in rural Ireland" (Weekend, September 19th), sociologists, social economists and social historians have argued that the demise of the Irish town, particularly in the west of Ireland, was due to a number of factors, particularly the economic recession of the late 1950s and early 1960s. This recession led to mass emigration and social depopulation. Another factor mentioned by academics and commentators was the removal of the rail network in the west.
The resurgent destruction of small Irish towns, again particularly in the west, has been characterised by the closure of Garda stations, banks and post offices, the downgrading of bus and rail services, the removal of basic local government functions and the cessation of certain subsidised regional air services. These measures have been largely implemented by the Government.
In some notable instances, the arrival of retail companies such as Spar, Supervalu, Lidl and Aldi have halted the rot by providing much-needed employment in small rural communities, but for how long?
Rural communities cannot survive without vital infrastructure, such as public security and safety, basic financial services, basic health and education services and a fundamental system of local government, all of which have been systematically removed by the current Government. – Yours, etc,
CORMAC MEEHAN,
Bundoran,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – Rosita Boland in her excellent article on Kiltimagh did not mention an opportunity that is staring the town in the face.
Had she written the article about the Mayo town of Newport, about 20 miles from Kiltimagh, she would have been writing about the positive impact the Great Western Greenway has had on that small town, creating not only jobs, but also a sense of civic pride. The closed railway line that runs from Collooney in Co Sligo to Athenry in Co Galway runs through the centre of Kiltimagh; the last passenger service on the line was in 1963. The route is “shovel ready” to get the same greenway treatment as the Great Western Greenway. Using closed railway routes as greenways was one of the key recommendations of the CEDRA report into regenerating rural Ireland in 2014. What is happening on this report’s recommendation?
In 2013 Mayo County Council received almost 300 public submissions suggesting a greenway on the closed railway that runs through Kiltimagh. This amounted to 84 per cent of all submissions received on the county plan.
The council refused to accept the arguments about reinvention, regeneration and simple public desire for a greenway facility; instead the council stuck to a mantra that a railway line closed over 50 years ago is about to be reopened, despite consecutive ministers of transport stating this will not happen. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN QUINN,
Enniscrone,
Co Sligo.
Sir, – Rosita Boland’s comprehensive report on the town of Kiltimagh tells a sad story that I believe relates to so many other small towns throughout Ireland.
Dún Laoghaire, where I live, although not a rural town, is in much the same condition.
What I cannot understand is why the local authorities continue to give planning permission to huge national and indeed overseas supermarket chains to set up outside our towns. These monsters then proceed to suck the lifeblood from the town centres. leaving unsightly empty and derelict shops in our once-thriving towns and villages. – Yours, etc,
GEAROID KILGALLEN,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.