Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will have to go soon as I will be speaking in a debate in the Dáil Chamber but I would like to make a few brief observations. There are lots of things that could be done in Passage West but the key to opening it all up is the docklands site. It is huge and is right in the middle of what is a very narrow town. Retail is something to be cautious about in the sense that we have seen what out-of-town retail centres can do to towns. I can see the attraction of such centres from a local authority point of view in terms of rates, employment and so on but they can have a very detrimental impact on old town centres. I have even seen that happening in some city locations like Blackpool in Cork city. I am not sure we got that quite right.

Finally, in my experience, in the stronger towns and villages, while there may be pessimism or fear, people can see a future. The existential problem is in places that are scarcely even a village, places that are probably referred to as a settlement in a county development plan, where there might be a public house, a two- or three-teacher school and a few houses. We might call them villages but they would probably not be considered a village in any other country. It is in those places that there is a real fear for the future of the community. That is where it feels quite existential. I am not sure what the solution is but they are the places where people feel they are losing the infrastructure of their small community. That is where it feels really close to the bone and that is a challenge.

I am afraid I have to go now. I thank all of our guests.