Deputy mayor vows to fight rural depopulation

NORTH Clare will be “decimated” if something isn’t done to counteract rural depopulation according to Clare’s newly elected deputy mayor.
Tubber man Councillor Michael Kelly was unanimously elected Deputy Mayor of Clare at the annual general meeting of Clare County Council earlier this week.
While he has never held the position of the county’s mayor or deputy mayor before, the Fianna Fáil man is a former chairman of the North Clare Electoral Area.
Deputy Mayor Kelly believes the major issue facing North Clare is a dwindling population.
“We recently got into a Féile na Gael final. Tubber only had three young lads playing under 15. We had to join with Crusheen. The area is facing decimation if someone doesn’t do something. I believe the council should be more proactive in tackling this problem,” he stated.
“I would be very strong on rural planning because North Clare has so many designations such as Special Areas of Conservation or National Heritage Areas or scenic routes. Then you have a major input from the National Roads Authority, in the case of the N67, itvirtually prevented sons and daughters and relatives of locals building houses on their own property,” he added.
Councillor Kelly, who is an avid sports man having hurled with Tubber and played rugby with Gort, believes community involvement is vital to keep rural Ireland alive.
“Without family homes in areas, we are going nowhere. These families live in the area, work in the area and they spend money in the area. The post office and shop in Boston closed recently and that is because of population demise,” he commented.
The newly elected deputy mayor added, “The other ambition I would have would be to improve infrastructure in North Clare so it might attract businesses and enterprises to the area to create employment, to regenerate the rural population, to develop the tourist product which is a major industry given the amount of coastal area we have. I would like to influence or lobby to have these objectives brought in to make these areas more vibrant.”
The Tubber man said he is looking forward to working with incoming Mayor of Clare Christy Curtin and believes that the two are “very compatible,” and the relationship does seem to be off to a good start.
“I’d like to give my full support to the new Mayor Christy Curtin, who I have extreme respect for. In his acceptance speech, in which he said he would like to bring a number of agencies under the control of Clare County Council, I concur. This would make these agencies more accountable,” Councillor Kelly said.
“Our job is to work together. I am in a supporting role. My job is to work with Christy Curtin for the betterment of County Clare. I know Christy for a long time and he is a very straightforward man. He has been in the county council for 31 years and he knows the system as well as anyone. I would see us as very compatible. We will have disagreements of course but my job is to work for my constituents and he and I would be similar in that regard,” Councillor Kelly concluded.
Michael Kelly was co-opted to the council in 1997, was beaten narrowly in the 1999 election before returning in 2004 and topping the poll. Last year, he was re-elected with an increased vote. He was proposed and seconded for the position of deputy mayor by fellow North Clare and Fianna Fáil councillors Richard Nagle and Michael Hillery.
“This is a further chance to represent the views of my constituents. My number-one priority is to represent the people who canvassed and voted for me in North Clare.Without them and my council colleagues, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to be deputy mayor. I have to thank them for that chance,” Deputy Mayor Kelly said.