Paidi O Se on rural depopulation, and why he's wrong

[Bojangles]

Paidi RIP was spot on in this article. Spatial awareness or future planning never came into it with our politicians over the last 10/15 years. We drew down BMW funds from Europe to sustain our rural regions, but all was invested in the urban sprawl around Dublin. No development of the regions, no growth in the other cities while Dublin continues to struggle with traffic, waste disposal, ghost estates and water shortages. While the LUAS now serves shiny new stations that nobody uses, post offices, garda stations and pubs close throughout the countryside! And to compound the problem they have now changed the electoral boundaries to ensure more politicians in the urban and less in the rural areas. And the onslaught continues: close the bogs, cover the country in pylons and, oh yeah! - drain the Shannon and divert it to Dublin because all its waterpipes are leaking! You couldn't make this up, only in Ireland!!

[Jinxy]

Paidi RIP was spot on in this article. Spatial awareness or future planning never came into it with our politicians over the last 10/15 years. We drew down BMW funds from Europe to sustain our rural regions, but all was invested in the urban sprawl around Dublin. No development of the regions, no growth in the other cities while Dublin continues to struggle with traffic, waste disposal, ghost estates and water shortages. While the LUAS now serves shiny new stations that nobody uses, post offices, garda stations and pubs close throughout the countryside! And to compound the problem they have now changed the electoral boundaries to ensure more politicians in the urban and less in the rural areas. And the onslaught continues: close the bogs, cover the country in pylons and, oh yeah! - drain the Shannon and divert it to Dublin because all its waterpipes are leaking! You couldn't make this up, only in Ireland!!

Have you ever been to Dublin?

[Bojangles]

Green Line, Wicklow stops - at least three with no infrastructure at all around them. Check it out yourself sometime Jinxy.

[LeoMc]

Paidi RIP was spot on in this article. Spatial awareness or future planning never came into it with our politicians over the last 10/15 years. We drew down BMW funds from Europe to sustain our rural regions, but all was invested in the urban sprawl around Dublin. No development of the regions, no growth in the other cities while Dublin continues to struggle with traffic, waste disposal, ghost estates and water shortages. While the LUAS now serves shiny new stations that nobody uses, post offices, garda stations and pubs close throughout the countryside! And to compound the problem they have now changed the electoral boundaries to ensure more politicians in the urban and less in the rural areas. And the onslaught continues: close the bogs, cover the country in pylons and, oh yeah! - drain the Shannon and divert it to Dublin because all its waterpipes are leaking! You couldn't make this up, only in Ireland!!

What! they are giving the areas with a bigger population more representation!

[johnneycool]

Was there not a policy of de-centralising Government bodies to more regional towns in the south, possibly 10 plus years ago and it died a death as no one wanted to move out from Dublin to these new office buildings?

[Rossfan]

Was there not a policy of de-centralising Government bodies to more regional towns in the south, possibly 10 plus years ago and it died a death as no one wanted to move out from Dublin to these new office buildings?

That was a McCreevy back of an envelope plan announced on a Budget Day because he had nothing else to say to grab headlines.
Then it became a case of send some Office, Dept, Body to any town where there's a FF TD. Of course if land could be bought from some FF supporting owner at a big price all the better. ( FÁS to Birr e.g - Director of FAS was a Biffo....)
Meanwhile a few years later Longford, Mullingar and Cavan? Barracks were closed. Proper planning would have seen various Offices re located to those buildings when the Army were moved out. But that would mean no land sales, no new buildings......

Mind you some folks from these parts were able to transfer back to Carrick on Shannon and Ros town.