Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuireann sé áthas orm deis a bheith agam cúpla focal a rá i dtaobh forbairt na tuaithe.

In the last eight years, despite the rural regeneration fund and the establishment of the Department of Rural and Community Development, the whole mechanism of permanent Government has had a death wish for real rural Ireland. One need only look at the spatial plan, getting rid of a word here and there that was put in to soften its message. Fundamentally, that message is that successful cities are the future and rural development is given token consideration down the list because it was known that there would be an outcry in rural Ireland. The whole lexicon of the current discussion refers to towns and villages as if the 1.5 million people who live in the countryside do not exist. We are following a geography based on the lecture room not the reality of rural Ireland. I am glad to see the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, here today. Even if the Corofin football team in his constituency could depend for players on town of Corofin in Galway, it would still not win the junior B league.

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