Anne Rabbitte (Fianna Fail)

Forty-five thousand cars going through a village is phenomenal. I am elected in Portumna when 4,500 cars come across the bridge every day. We are the gateway into Connacht, when you come across the bridge. We are the gateway, when you are going over the bridge the other way, into the midlands. We have not unlocked that, by manner or means, even though we have a blueway, a greenway and a forest park. We have it all, but we are struggling to have a piece of what Ms Coad has in how to unlock that.

It is an unfortunate piece. Waterways Ireland has set it out well that when it invests money, there is a certain economic benefit to a region for every €100,000 that is put in. Somewhere along the line, it is about looking at how, as a State, we are investing in outdoor recreation, in our walkways and in rural tourism. We need to look at what it is, how we can support groups on the ground and how we can learn from the likes of Ms Coad. Ms Coad's story is phenomenal, but connectivity, and people, and investment in that piece, with the skill set, is most important. Ms Coad, coming from Coillte, probably came with a huge amount of knowledge in her offerings.