Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was delighted to visit Moate last year. There is an excellent local action group in place down there that is doing powerful work in the town. I have used Moate as an example of how communities can come together within a town because what they are doing in Moate is wonderful. I was delighted to be able to support them with funding under the town and village renewal scheme. As the Deputy said, I met the Moate performing and visual arts club and the local dance troupe - full of young performers. They put on a wonderful show. As the Deputy said, it was a very cold day. It is a great community facility and they take great pride in it. They had all of their pictures and awards displayed from down through the years. There was a vast array of costumes as well.

That is the sort of community-based facility in rural Ireland that I want to see supported as part of the small scale grant scheme that I will be announcing shortly. The third stream applications will be much less onerous than the applications for the first and second streams in order to make it easier for the local community groups to apply. I would certainly encourage them to get the forms filled out and get them in as soon as the scheme opens. Those are the types of facilities that I want to see supported. That type of vibrant community-based facility is at the heart of the community. One sees young children learning how to dance and families coming together and meeting. It is wonderful. We want to support that kind of vibrant community right across the country.

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