Plan holds promise for rural areas

AMID growing fears for the survival of large areas of rural Ireland, the Government’s decision to widen the CLÁR boundaries promises to breath new life into dwindling communities.

The review of this programme, designed to address rural areas of special disadvantage, will further highlight the insidious decline of the scattered population in outlying regions of the country.

The fight to reverse this blight has long been supported by Minister Eamon Ó Cuív who has responsibility for community, rural and Gaeltacht affairs.

By extending the concept to additional areas, the minister hopes to heighten awareness of the devastation in communities ranging from Waterford to the Cooley Peninsula.

Ominously, the expansion of the scheme to 890 districts in 18 counties shows the problem of rural decline is spreading.

It is also a sign of the times that despite increasing the scope of the programme, funding has dropped by 25% this year to €9.5 million. That is a bleak omen for struggling local communities hoping to get extra money for roads and other infrastructure developments.