Dr. Brian Hughes:

Absolutely. There is also the link from that same road to Tuam. It is very exciting to see that happen. However, it is about infrastructure priority. We put substantial amounts of money into upgrading the Galway to Limerick railway. How many thousand people are using that per day or week? It is a question of the return on capital employed. This goes to the heart of the Deputy's question. The Deputy referred to distance decay. That is undoubtedly a huge factor. In other words, it might take some time to get the Galway and Limerick population up to a point where it creates this urban agglomeration synergy between the two, but it is a hugely important issue in the Irish context. Galway and Limerick are, respectively, the fourth and third largest cities and cannot be ignored.

The Deputy's second point related to examples of local infrastructure. Through my in-laws in Mitchelstown and Kilbehenny it has been fascinating to see the work that has gone into the Ballyhoura initiative and the way it has been able to part-fund the extension and improvement of the community centre in Kilbehenny. What is happening there with the surrounding Knockmealdown, Galtee and Ballyhoura mountain ranges is that people can come and have showers, use the IT and so forth if they wish. Clearly, linked in with that is the need for better access to the mountains as our tourism increases. There are other very exciting examples such as local beer, local quality beef and quality deer. There is the hugely increased Dairygold plant and the resulting milk intake. All those developments are replacing the industry that disappeared and which greatly affected Mitchelstown 15 or 20 years ago. It is great to see how it is on the way back and to see the vitality. It is a fantastic place to visit and the golf club is super. I hope I have covered the Deputy's points.