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Post by Ballyfireside on Oct 24, 2015 7:58:08 GMT
Having read this, I think it is the first time we have touched on the underlying causes, in contrast to scratching the surface and talking about the effects.
Pat Spillane Q&A: "Templenoe must be the only club in Ireland which doesn’t have a national school”
These are exciting times for Pat Spillane’s native Templenoe and the surrounding Kenmare District. But the Kingdom legend fears for the future of rural GAA areas like this corner of Kerry.
Q: This a big weekend for your club, Templenoe?
A: “We’re in the county junior final for the first time in 40 years, and most of the lads are also involved in the Kerry SFC semi-final (with Kenmare District) this weekend, so there’s fair excitement around the place, we’re a long time out of the limelight.”
Q: Not bad for a small country club - a good sign for the future?
A: “Not really, unfortunately. We just have an exceptional bunch of players at the moment, but after they go, we’re back where we were. We have no numbers coming through for us from underage – playing13- a-side minor, we need to come together with other teams - Sneem, Derrynane - and ourselves.
“We have an exceptional bunch of players right now and we look very close to getting into Division One in Kerry, which would be amazing, considering we must be the only club in Munster, or Ireland, which doesn’t have a national school. None.
“We had five national schools to draw from in the sixties, but none now, which is a huge drawback.”
Q: So an exceptional bunch masks a deeper challenge?
A: “It does. Most of these fellas are in college, or just out of college, so they’re around now, or will be for another couple of years.
“The doomsday scenario is what happens after that – two of them got teaching jobs in the last year, but those are in Dublin, a handy spin of 240 miles up the road. Another lad is in the Garda College in Templemore. The jobs are the problem, plain and simple.
“Because there aren’t any jobs around here the players have to go away, and they can only do the commute home for so long. It’s that simple.
“We’re enjoying this golden era but we know that it’ll only last as long as we can hold onto those 18 or 20 players. Afterwards it’s back to where we were.”
Q: No handy housing estates being built that would yield a harvest of kids?
A: “Not at all - I’d say 80% of the houses being built around here are holiday homes or retirement homes.
With the best will in the world, the vast majority of those people aren’t going to integrate into the community at all, never mind providing players to fill underage teams.”
Q: You’ve been vocal on rural depopulation in recent years, is it getting worse or better?
A: “Whatever about the rest of the country, the Iveragh Peninsula is fairly decimated in terms of population generally. If you go from Killorglin to Kenmare by car you could count on one hand the number of cars you’ll meet coming against you, and that’s two-thirds of the Ring of Kerry, which should be a fairly busy route.
There’s a buzz in the big cities, there’s some kind of recovery going on there, but it’s trickling down very, very slowly to places like ours.
“The only upside is that for the first time ever in an Irish election, rural issues will be on the agenda. That’s a start at least.”
Q: Is there more the GAA can do or is that outside its brief?
A: “The GAA is the glue that’s holding these areas together, pure and simple. What the GAA is doing is unbelievable for rural Ireland, and it’s hard enough to keep the games going in these areas without sorting out employment and health and all those other issues.
“I think they’ve enough on their hands to keep the games going without spreading their wings any wider into areas where strictly speaking other organisations should be working.”
Q: Tough times ahead for Kerry generally, then, given depopulation versus the economic power of Dublin?
A: “Not necessarily. If you go by the logic of population and employment and so on Kildare, Wicklow and Meath should be next in mind, along with Cork. As a county Kilkenny is number 16 or so in Ireland in terms of population, yet look at their success in hurling. It’s all about utilising the resources you have.”
Q: Will Kerry stay to the forefront for the next few years?
A: “I think they will – even though in population terms they’re only around 13th – because they have the coaching structures in place, the development squads, all of that.”
Q: I’m agnostic about the development squads, are you a believer?
A: “I have my doubts about them – basically I think they’re too elitist, too exclusive. One thing about the squads in Kerry, though, that unlike in the past they have very good coaches over them.
“It’s not fathers following their kids or club stalwarts who are dedicated but might not be great technically, but good qualified coaches who are pursuing a common theme from the U14 squad through to minor, a Kerry style of play that’s being brought through. But I’d agree that there are issues with them as well.
“For instance, if you don’t break through with the development squad at 14, then your chances of making the county minors four years later are slim unless you’re with an exceptional college team, or maybe your club minor team is very strong. That’s a problem.
“In theory they’re a good idea, but in practice there are issues.”
Q: The notion of GAA coaching is much better now - how necessary was that?
A: “It’s better, and it had to be better, but more needs to be done still. I taught inside in Bantry for 33 years, and the first time I saw a GAA coach come into the school to do some work there was with a few months left in my 33rd year in the school.
“Fair dues to him, he took 100 kids out onto the field by the school - by himself - for the afternoon and did some great work with them, but that’s not enough.
“More resources have to be put into coaching, because for too long we had too much of a focus on capital projects, and in some places that’s still the case.”
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Post by ballynamona on Oct 24, 2015 10:19:25 GMT
Very interesting piece, thanks for posting.
I think the development squads are 100% necessary, but as Spillane says, getting into the U-14s is an '11+' type moment for young players - one moment which could determine their entire future.
He touches on a few other things there. One is the completely unbalanced nature of this country regarding employment, and the other is the focus on capital projects in favour of the grass roots. Unfortunately this is still the case and is a huge bugbear of mine.
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Post by glengael on Oct 24, 2015 13:56:32 GMT
Thanks for posting this.
It deals with a query I had put up on the Junior Championship thread about the population that Templenoe have to draw from. I don't know the area very well but driving around it (and other parts of South Kerry) in the depths of winter, you'd get the real sense of just how many houses are holiday homes.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2015 14:20:34 GMT
It's amazing what Templenoe have done for what they have. Like Spillane said keeping them around will be the problem. Unless they get jobs in Killarney Tralee or Cork then won't probably be playing in with them in 4 or 5 years. The future looks bleak for clubs like Templenoe without a National School.
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Premier
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Post by Premier on Oct 24, 2015 14:31:37 GMT
Since when have Templenoe not had a school
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Post by Ballyfireside on Oct 24, 2015 15:37:34 GMT
Bleak as it is, not all such remote areas even have holiday homes and what limited seasonal economic benefit they bring.
There is a massive knowledge gap here of the ways of the world and I have a bit of knowledge from research I was involved in down the years. Without getting in too deep, I believe that it is a damage limitation exercise and I would advise that people familiarise themselves initially with the factors at play, I suppose as one would do with any subject. One key stat is that the GAA is the most significant amateur sport globally, well relative to our population and that ain't the only world record at play.
As ballynamona said, there is an imbalance although I'd say he may be more right that he thinks, and I am not talking left and right wing, although that is also out of balance, even to the detriment of both would you believe. Anyway let's see how the debate develops and maybe we will be a bit the wiser from the perspective of the GAA as a community sport, if nothing else.
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Post by An Ciarraíoch Taistealaíoch on Oct 25, 2015 11:03:24 GMT
Since when have Templenoe not had a school Can only think of 3 schools, Templenoe,Blackwater and Direendarrach. They must be closed with at least 40years.Perhaps RuralGAA can add to this? He's covering old ground here (not that he's wrong in any way) I remember him talking about this in 1999
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Post by kerrygold on Oct 25, 2015 11:05:05 GMT
Maybe south Kerry is too self pitying and defeatist in its outlook?
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Post by Premier on Oct 25, 2015 11:59:05 GMT
Maybe south Kerry is too self pitying and defeatist in its outlook? Should people from south kerry tell everyone that the resources they have is spectacular and that there are 15 lads coming out of each of the schools each year and they will rule the roost for years to come?
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Post by kerrybhoy06 on Oct 25, 2015 12:18:18 GMT
Maybe south Kerry is too self pitying and defeatist in its outlook? Ah jesus- way to generalise all people from a whole area! We dont always see eye to eye over things, which is fine, but are you trying antagonise people with this?
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Post by Ballyfireside on Oct 25, 2015 13:32:39 GMT
Re self pitying, that is a national phenomenon in areas that don't make inward investment lists; some Donegal folk see themselves as the forgotten county, West Cork claimed likewise on Vinnie Brown despite being in the top 20% of wealthy constituencies, Listowel claims it doesn't get any IDA visits, etc.
For me there is no more beautiful place on planet earth than the west coast of Ireland, but beauty only puts bread on a few plates. As I said, there is no silver bullet solution. To me the first step is to disenfranchise the vested interests, pigs nearest the mess, etc. The Troika even told us to do it and we refused despite having the dearest legal profession in the world, and they are the words of the World Bank, not mine. This is a significant factor in knocking the GAA of the shelf and insurance is now going through the roof again with the demise of Quinn. The GAA player is hardest hit yet not a single politician will upset the apple cart and maybe Pat Spillane might give us his views. From an economic perspective the magnitude of this issue is say €10,000 per person per year, well in fact it is much more but the masses that benefit muddy the waters to the extent that this figure is used, and a considerable amount it would be in people's pockets.
Look what it would do for our tourism, not to mention the benefit of reduced insurance costs in the leisure sector. I know of certain sites that have to be closed as solicitors know how to stage claims where there would be no credible defence. I hope people are now beginning to see the merit in this change but don't be surprised if we have a few detractors seeking to, well muddy the waters so that ordinary folk get confused. Those involved are experts at manipulation after all so we must take a stand on this. I'd challenge any and all of them to fair debate in the open, but they won't, well they can't defense the indefensible. And in case anyone thinks I have an ulterior motive, I said NO POLITICIAN, and I am not a member of any party nor would I be.
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Post by Ballyfireside on Oct 25, 2015 13:33:20 GMT
Re self pitying, that is a national phenomenon in areas that don't make inward investment lists; some Donegal folk see themselves as the forgotten county, West Cork claimed likewise on Vinnie Brown despite being in the top 20% of wealthy constituencies, Listowel claims it doesn't get any IDA visits, etc.
For me there is no more beautiful place on planet earth than the west coast of Ireland, but beauty only puts bread on some plates. As I said, there is no silver bullet solution. To me the first step is to disenfranchise the vested interests, pigs nearest the mess, etc. The Troika even told us to do it and we refused despite having the dearest legal profession in the world, and they are the words of the World Bank, not mine. This is a significant factor in knocking the GAA off the shelf and insurance is now going through the roof again with the demise of Quinn; the numbers and values of claims are all up 12% pa and what is worse is that genuine claimants (yes, there is such a thing!) are discriminated against because their losses are too small to pay experts who prefer to work on the bogus inflated, 'multi-million' claims as I saw on one solicitor's web site. The GAA player is hard hit yet not a single politician will upset the apple cart and maybe Pat Spillane might give us his views. From an economic perspective the magnitude of this issue is say €10,000 per person per year, well in fact it is much more but the masses that benefit muddy the waters to the extent that this figure is used, and a considerable amount it would be in people's pockets.
Look what it would do for our tourism, not to mention the benefit of reduced insurance costs in the leisure sector. I know of certain tourist sites that have to be closed as solicitors know how to stage claims where there would be no credible defence. I hope people are now beginning to see the merit in this change but don't be surprised if we have a few detractors seeking to, well muddy the waters to confuse people. Those involved are experts at manipulation after all so we should take a stand on this. I'd challenge any and all of them to fair debate in the open, but they won't, well they can't defend the indefensible. And in case anyone thinks I have an ulterior motive, I said NO POLITICIAN, and I am not a member of any party nor would I be, nor do I give a hoot about any of them, all of them!
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Post by Mickmack on Oct 25, 2015 14:10:12 GMT
A quick scan of the Kerry minor panel from 2015 tells us how critical to the GAA the small rural club is.
The GAA club is critical to the well being of the small community and the success of small clubs like Templenoe, Brosna, Glenbeigh Glencar etc gives hope to other clubs to organise (to borrow a Phase from the song Joe Hill). They too can aspire to a day in Croke Park.
The tie between economics and the GAA is so close that one only has to consider the importance of the decision of Darragh O'Se's grandfather to return from London and open a shop back West. One or other of the clan has been on every winning Kerry team since 1975.
The drift all over the world is for people to move from the Countryside to the village, the town or to the City. A few months ago this topic was raised and Tom from Annascaul told me that high speed broadband would be the key to bringing jobs to rural Ireland. He didn't say how this would be done exactly. What kind of jobs...hardly manufacturing.... so are we talking about tourism? Can anything be done to renegotiate the loss of Irelands fishing rights to get back to something like it was prior to 1972. I was in Dingle in September and I commented to a local that the fishing boats were huge in the harbour. He said that they were all Spanish and the fish was being shipped out to Spain and the same fish was imported and being sold in the local restaurants. Meanwhile the locals have to meet stringent rules before they can fish. I don't know enough about this topic but it does seem crazy.
And to those who will no doubt try to say that this topic should be shut down...consider this... Gaelic football was introduced to Kerry by people who came to Kerry to work on the railway line from Killorglin to Caherciveen (I thing it was that line). Laune Rangers grew out of that. One of the these men was Eamonn OSullivans father. Eamonn as we know went on to coach Kerrys teams over 5 decades.
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Post by Ballyfireside on Oct 26, 2015 10:03:26 GMT
Weren't Darren O'Sullivan and Henry Shefflin born in the UK also?
Still, the kernel of the issue is in the 'dual' aspect of the economy, 'two speed', 'insiders/outsiders', 'traded/sheltered', call it what you will.
I'd say if we could get Spillane up to speed on it he'd walk through concrete for the cause, he'd be a martyr when he knows he's on the right and it is what he is about, he is fair and the stage he is at he is in the mood for doing service to the community.
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Post by kerrygold on Oct 26, 2015 10:30:08 GMT
There's plenty of talk about what is wrong but none on solutions.
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Post by ruralgaa on Oct 27, 2015 11:30:45 GMT
Since when have Templenoe not had a school Can only think of 3 schools, Templenoe,Blackwater and Direendarrach. They must be closed with at least 40years.Perhaps RuralGAA can add to this? He's covering old ground here (not that he's wrong in any way) I remember him talking about this in 1999 The schools in Blackwater & Templenoe closed in the early 80's. All children from the area got to national school in Kenmare.
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Post by An Ciarraíoch Taistealaíoch on Oct 27, 2015 23:49:59 GMT
Can only think of 3 schools, Templenoe,Blackwater and Direendarrach. They must be closed with at least 40years.Perhaps RuralGAA can add to this? He's covering old ground here (not that he's wrong in any way) I remember him talking about this in 1999 The schools in Blackwater & Templenoe closed in the early 80's. All children from the area got to national school in Kenmare. Sorry Rural,Was actually inquiring about the 5 schools Spillane mentioned.(Was very unclear there) Templenoe,Blackwater and Direen are the only ones I can think of.
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Post by watchdebreakswillye on Oct 28, 2015 1:51:15 GMT
I'm wondering here to myself - how many rural GAA clubs are in Kerry? My definition of 'rural' would be a club that operates in a catchment area where there is no town or village. It could be argued that there are lots of clubs who have small villages as their central point eg Asdee, Templenoe, An Gaeltacht (which has a cluster of small 'villages'), Currow, Scartaglen etc. I think, going on my definition, that there are only a handful of truly rural clubs in Kerry. They include St. Senan's & Kilmoyley,.. Bigger centres of population have an advantage as more players and mentors are available. However, numbers alone does not guarantee success (Listowel is an example of this). The one big thing that Kerry has going for it is tradition. Every year young players (both male and female) are watching their heroes and all they want is for one day to follow in their footsteps and don the green and gold. How we nurture that talent is the key to the future. It is important that players with potential are given the opportunity to prove themselves, whether they're from a 'marquee' club or a very small rural club. Young players develop at different rates and speed, and by and large I think we endeavour to treat all young players with dignity and respect in Kerry. We need to because when you compare us to the likes of Dublin, then all of Kerry is truly rural and we need all hands on deck. The National School is a very important place for young people to develop their skills in Gaelic football as well as developing a sense of place. It is unfortunate that so many small schools have been amalgamated over the years, but we all accepted these changes from 'on high' at the time. Perhaps the bigger schools are better resourced and may be better in the long run? Another big factor is jobs. Without jobs we're bate. Young people will move to where the jobs are or emigrate. Nothing new in that, says you. John B was writing about it 50 years ago when he penned Many Young Men of Twenty. You could go on and on. We've survived so far and have won 37 Sam's. No harm talking and thinking about it though. Figuring out how we continue to survive and thrive in this beautiful corner of rural South-West Ireland is for the visionaries and leaders among us.
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Post by ruralgaa on Oct 28, 2015 15:41:34 GMT
The schools in Blackwater & Templenoe closed in the early 80's. All children from the area got to national school in Kenmare. Sorry Rural,Was actually inquiring about the 5 schools Spillane mentioned.(Was very unclear there) Templenoe,Blackwater and Direen are the only ones I can think of. I don't know the others he speaks of. Just the three that you have mentioned.
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Post by ruralgaa on Oct 28, 2015 15:45:27 GMT
I'm wondering here to myself - how many rural GAA clubs are in Kerry? My definition of 'rural' would be a club that operates in a catchment area where there is no town or village. It could be argued that there are lots of clubs who have small villages as their central point eg Asdee, Templenoe, An Gaeltacht (which has a cluster of small 'villages'), Currow, Scartaglen etc. I think, going on my definition, that there are only a handful of truly rural clubs in Kerry. They include St. Senan's & Kilmoyley,.. Bigger centres of population have an advantage as more players and mentors are available. However, numbers alone does not guarantee success (Listowel is an example of this). The one big thing that Kerry has going for it is tradition. Every year young players (both male and female) are watching their heroes and all they want is for one day to follow in their footsteps and don the green and gold. How we nurture that talent is the key to the future. It is important that players with potential are given the opportunity to prove themselves, whether they're from a 'marquee' club or a very small rural club. Young players develop at different rates and speed, and by and large I think we endeavour to treat all young players with dignity and respect in Kerry. We need to because when you compare us to the likes of Dublin, then all of Kerry is truly rural and we need all hands on deck. The National School is a very important place for young people to develop their skills in Gaelic football as well as developing a sense of place. It is unfortunate that so many small schools have been amalgamated over the years, but we all accepted these changes from 'on high' at the time. Perhaps the bigger schools are better resourced and may be better in the long run? Another big factor is jobs. Without jobs we're bate. Young people will move to where the jobs are or emigrate. Nothing new in that, says you. John B was writing about it 50 years ago when he penned Many Young Men of Twenty. You could go on and on. We've survived so far and have won 37 Sam's. No harm talking and thinking about it though. Figuring out how we continue to survive and thrive in this beautiful corner of rural South-West Ireland is for the visionaries and leaders among us. I'd be very slow to class Templenoe as a village. No cluster of buildings as such, granted there are many buildings in a short stretch of road but I wouldn't classify it as a village.
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Post by ballynamona on Oct 28, 2015 19:55:30 GMT
There's plenty of talk about what is wrong but none on solutions. I am guessing that proper broadband might mean that people who are natives of the area could live there and telecommute rather than living in the cities. That would be a step in the right direction. To keep young people in the area you would need other outlets, such as a factory or two.
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Post by Annascaultilidie on Oct 28, 2015 23:15:38 GMT
There's plenty of talk about what is wrong but none on solutions. I am guessing that proper broadband might mean that people who are natives of the area could live there and telecommute rather than living in the cities. That would be a step in the right direction. To keep young people in the area you would need other outlets, such as a factory or two. No to factories anyway...you lose a factory and it is a terrible blow and increased capital and labour competition imply that those days are over. In fact this country leans too much on multinationals as it is. We need a strong indigenous SME sector with a fairer tax system for wealth creators. Before any if this we need proper broadband.
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Post by Mickmack on Oct 28, 2015 23:27:29 GMT
I was watching a programme the other night on a SME in Cornwall (I think) that was making goats cheese from the goats milk. It seemed to be thriving. They have come up with something called "the knowledge box" as a devise to drop the tax on multinationals profits to 6%. There should be schemes that discriminates in favour of indigenous businesses along the west coast of Ireland.
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Post by kerrygold on Oct 28, 2015 23:37:47 GMT
Agree re the factory to some extent, although one wouldn't be frowned upon. 100 small businesses each employing 1-2 people is probably more valuable than a factory providing 200 jobs. At least the 200 jobs won't go at the same time.
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Post by Ballyfireside on Oct 29, 2015 8:58:37 GMT
The problem is that SMEs live off of major industry, all to do with where the are in the value chain. A 200 job Multi National supports/sustains hundreds more jobs in SMEs, and if it goes so too do they. i.e. Restaurants, garages, shops, doctors, etc serve people who work in bigger firms.
The problem is that these bigger firms can choose where to locate, and so SMEs follow tem. And this issue will have increasing impact as Eastern European firms compete for FDI, their cost base is a fraction of ours. Dell moving out of Limerick is a case in point and Kerry, and indeed the entire western seaboard has been crucified by this.
One cannot be optimistic about the future of rural Ireland and you can forget about farming and fishing as they are now multi-nationals too. The family farm is gone and you now have one commercial enterprise and the min acreage is increasing, I suppose a family would need 100 acres of good land to survive these days but I don't know if at that level a farmer would be better off selling up and getting out as the investment requirement to expand and stay competitive is not viable, it is all about scale.
Tourism is the key and while Kerry is tops at that, this is still not enough to eliminate the curse of emigration.
People complain that Dublin gets all the jobs but multi nationals don't look beyond major cities, and as they go Dublin is one of the smaller capitals. I'd be familiar with rural Britain and quiet simply, there are no people there, villages are gone and towns are dead, depressing. A ray of hope is that with broadband people can work from anywhere but I wouldn't be so sure how much of the issue this solves, as they also need to meet customers at some stage.
Having lived abroad I think Ireland's western seaboard is paradise, even when the Heaven's open, but beauty doesn't put bread on the table. A man said to me lately that all you have in places like London is work and drink and that is a reality for some who don't embrace what it has to offer and which is not what we would be used to, therein lies the difference between voluntary v forced emigration.
As families are now smaller and off-spring move to cities there are fewer children so rural depopulation snowballs.
I often wonder of the contrast between North and South Kerry; Killarney would be a massive lift for South while what tourism is in the North is more national than global. Tourism is not the highest paying sector so more grim news again. Ah sure, health is your wealth, better born lucky, sure we might all win the lotto, or maybe better, win Sam back, again!
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Post by ballynamona on Oct 29, 2015 20:36:07 GMT
Fair point on the factories. The Clash Industrial Estate in Tralee can feel like Detroit.
I suppose the Skellig chocolate company would be a good example of an SME in the area. I am not sure how many are employed there.
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Post by buck02 on Oct 30, 2015 11:34:04 GMT
The problem is that SMEs live off of major industry, all to do with where the are in the value chain. A 200 job Multi National supports/sustains hundreds more jobs in SMEs, and if it goes so too do they. i.e. Restaurants, garages, shops, doctors, etc serve people who work in bigger firms. The problem is that these bigger firms can choose where to locate, and so SMEs follow tem. And this issue will have increasing impact as Eastern European firms compete for FDI, their cost base is a fraction of ours. Dell moving out of Limerick is a case in point and Kerry, and indeed the entire western seaboard has been crucified by this.One cannot be optimistic about the future of rural Ireland and you can forget about farming and fishing as they are now multi-nationals too. The family farm is gone and you now have one commercial enterprise and the min acreage is increasing, I suppose a family would need 100 acres of good land to survive these days but I don't know if at that level a farmer would be better off selling up and getting out as the investment requirement to expand and stay competitive is not viable, it is all about scale. Tourism is the key and while Kerry is tops at that, this is still not enough to eliminate the curse of emigration. People complain that Dublin gets all the jobs but multi nationals don't look beyond major cities, and as they go Dublin is one of the smaller capitals. I'd be familiar with rural Britain and quiet simply, there are no people there, villages are gone and towns are dead, depressing. A ray of hope is that with broadband people can work from anywhere but I wouldn't be so sure how much of the issue this solves, as they also need to meet customers at some stage. Having lived abroad I think Ireland's western seaboard is paradise, even when the Heaven's open, but beauty doesn't put bread on the table. A man said to me lately that all you have in places like London is work and drink and that is a reality for some who don't embrace what it has to offer and which is not what we would be used to, therein lies the difference between voluntary v forced emigration. As families are now smaller and off-spring move to cities there are fewer children so rural depopulation snowballs. I often wonder of the contrast between North and South Kerry; Killarney would be a massive lift for South while what tourism is in the North is more national than global. Tourism is not the highest paying sector so more grim news again. Ah sure, health is your wealth, better born lucky, sure we might all win the lotto, or maybe better, win Sam back, again! I know it suits the agenda of certain people to ignore facts like a Pharma company Regeron will, in a couple of months, employ 500 people in the former Dell manufacturing facility and Dell have a big R&D operation in Limerick employing 1000 people. But its much easier to say Dell has closed and has wiped out the mid west. Go to Raheen Industrial Estate or the 2 Industrial Estates in Shannon and you will see the actual truth.
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Post by Ballyfireside on Oct 30, 2015 14:06:26 GMT
The problem is that SMEs live off of major industry, all to do with where the are in the value chain. A 200 job Multi National supports/sustains hundreds more jobs in SMEs, and if it goes so too do they. i.e. Restaurants, garages, shops, doctors, etc serve people who work in bigger firms. The problem is that these bigger firms can choose where to locate, and so SMEs follow tem. And this issue will have increasing impact as Eastern European firms compete for FDI, their cost base is a fraction of ours. Dell moving out of Limerick is a case in point and Kerry, and indeed the entire western seaboard has been crucified by this.One cannot be optimistic about the future of rural Ireland and you can forget about farming and fishing as they are now multi-nationals too. The family farm is gone and you now have one commercial enterprise and the min acreage is increasing, I suppose a family would need 100 acres of good land to survive these days but I don't know if at that level a farmer would be better off selling up and getting out as the investment requirement to expand and stay competitive is not viable, it is all about scale. Tourism is the key and while Kerry is tops at that, this is still not enough to eliminate the curse of emigration. People complain that Dublin gets all the jobs but multi nationals don't look beyond major cities, and as they go Dublin is one of the smaller capitals. I'd be familiar with rural Britain and quiet simply, there are no people there, villages are gone and towns are dead, depressing. A ray of hope is that with broadband people can work from anywhere but I wouldn't be so sure how much of the issue this solves, as they also need to meet customers at some stage. Having lived abroad I think Ireland's western seaboard is paradise, even when the Heaven's open, but beauty doesn't put bread on the table. A man said to me lately that all you have in places like London is work and drink and that is a reality for some who don't embrace what it has to offer and which is not what we would be used to, therein lies the difference between voluntary v forced emigration. As families are now smaller and off-spring move to cities there are fewer children so rural depopulation snowballs. I often wonder of the contrast between North and South Kerry; Killarney would be a massive lift for South while what tourism is in the North is more national than global. Tourism is not the highest paying sector so more grim news again. Ah sure, health is your wealth, better born lucky, sure we might all win the lotto, or maybe better, win Sam back, again! I know it suits the agenda of certain people to ignore facts like a Pharma company Regeron will, in a couple of months, employ 500 people in the former Dell manufacturing facility and Dell have a big R&D operation in Limerick employing 1000 people. But its much easier to say Dell has closed and has wiped out the mid west. Go to Raheen Industrial Estate or the 2 Industrial Estates in Shannon and you will see the actual truth. What you say is reality and both big and small companies open and close, if for different reasons, and this will always be the case. I assume we are not getting mixing up with Reagecon and which is an Irish multinational pharma firm; how we get more of these is the issue, think Dairymaster in Causeway, McHales in Mayo, Keenens in Carlow, etc, all successful Irish firms that grew from start-up to multi national, and all based in rural Ireland. Then look at why Kerry Group had to move R&D to a big facility in Kildare despite Kerry being a better place to live in terms of coastal amenity, quality of life, etc.
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Post by Ballyfireside on Oct 31, 2015 11:35:33 GMT
We should invite Pat Spillane to grace this thread with a comment, if anyone have his email/mobile give him a bell?
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Post by seasiders on Oct 31, 2015 12:11:13 GMT
We should invite Pat Spillane to grace this thread with a comment, if anyone have his email/mobile give him a bell? I'm sure Pat is too busy getting the bonfire ready and bar stocked for next Sunday night.
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