The future of rural towns and villages will be scrutinised in moate tomorrow

Minister of State with responsibility for Rural Development, Ann Phelan, is due to attend a conference on rural Ireland in Moate tomorrow.  

Irish Rural Link(IRL) will examine the future of rural towns and villages at its Annual General Meeting in Moate on Friday, May 1.

IRL- a Moate based national organisation representing the interest of rural communities-has chosen ‘The Future of Rural Towns and Villages’ as the theme of its AGM.

Minister Phelan will be among those at the meeting which is designed to allow participants to reflect on the many issues facing rural communities.

According to IRL, “towns are losing Garda stations, banks and financial services. Shops and pubs are in trouble and for many young people job opportunities are scarce.”

“The conference will look at how the town of Moate is responding to these problems. Students from NUIG have been speaking to residents in the area. The conference will hear how the town of Ferbane stood firm in the face of the Ulster Bank closure. It will also hear from the winner of the 2013 Tidy Towns’ competition on how communities can fight back and make their area a source of pride.”

In addition the conference will be addressed by Village Planners, Peadar Casey - the Ogonnelloe Project, Co Clare and Philip Geoghegan, Planning and Urban Design.

Whether it's a need to influence policy makers to remember rural communities or simply to get advice on improving scores in the Tidy Towns competition, IRL will be delighted to welcome everyone to the event.

The conference starts in the Grand Hotel at 9.30am and continues until 3pm. It costs €40 including,  IRL AGM and lunch with presentation to IRL Rural Awards Winners.