Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 8 December 2020

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement

The Northern Ireland Economy: Discussion

Professor Edgar Morgenroth:

Yes, that last point is really important. Westport is one of the most remote towns on the island yet it is a thriving place and not just because of tourism. Westport does not have a motorway or anything like it so it is not the infrastructure. It is the quality of life. Graduates like a good quality of life. That is something Northern Ireland can really look to. Northern Ireland is a fantastic place. I live in south County Monaghan, which Deputy Brendan Smith knows, and I can see south Armagh from my house. I regularly, when allowed, cross the Border to visit the Mountains of Mourne, etc. There are some fantastic places in Northern Ireland. That is something to actually use. It is something Northern Ireland has and nobody can take it away. It is there - make the best of it. That is one investment that people in Northern Ireland will not regret either. I have already mention education and good quality of life. If it is going to have to be physical infrastructure, then, as Professor FitzGerald quite rightly pointed out, there must be a focus on retrofitting and environmental infrastructures. If it is going to have to be something more conventional, then broadband is where I put the money.

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