Mr. Diarmaid Ó Corrbuí:

We have the buildings. Whether they are State-owned or not, the Carmichael Centre has had two buildings since 1990. That was the catalyst in that it provided a base which enabled people to come together. We need that physical space to make it happen. We have tried to replicate it around the country and one of the biggest hurdles, which was before NAMA and all the rest, was that local partners were needed, as we had initially with the Carmichael Centre, where the Eastern Health Board, Dublin City Council and certain individuals decided to make this happen. We tried this nearly ten years ago in Cork and, while it nearly happened, it did not. Unless there is follow-through at the early stage, it will not happen. It is like the position with seed capital. It is that initial push to get communities together and say this model works and it can be seen in the Carmichael Centre and in other parts of the world. It does work but it will not happen with local groups trying to get together and scramble together to get up and running. Some initial leg-up is needed, and when that is available, it can be a fantastic model.