Demand for independent Connemara council

Ó Cuaig welcomes response from O Cuív to “Big Issue”

        

The election battle in Conamara has taken an extraordinary twist with the candidates being almost in total  agreement on "the big issue" that Conamara should have separate council status. It was Seosamh Ó Cuaig, a member of the Údarás Na Gaeltachta board and an Independent can didate in the local elections,  who raised the "big issue". Ó Cuaig argued that on the basis of the size of population and size of the area west of the  Corrib, Conamara should have its own local authority.

 

“We know Conamara is unique  with its own very specific problems, so different from the  rest of Co. Galway. We need  our own council to deal with them to control our destiny", said Seosamh Ó Cuaig.

 

“Unlike the rest of the county,  Conamara is one of the major tourist areas in Ireland. Part of that has been the huge growth in holiday homes, an issue that needs to be dealt with sens tively. We have sea all around us; any new council would need a good maritime section,   which is something Galway County Council does not have.

 

“And then there is the language issue,” continued Ó Cuaig, "which does not arise in East  Galway. Any new council would have to be bi-lingual to  its core. This would also help  to unite North and South Conamara, which isn,t happening within Galway County Council at present.”

        

To the unitiated listener, this talk of a Conamara County   Council might sound far fetched, but as Ó Cuaig pointed out so too did Raidió Na Gaeltachta, Údarás Na Gaeltachta and TG4 when they were all first mooted and  now they are all very much  vibrant realities.

 

As for the new-found unity of the candidates in the  Conamara electoral field it will be tested if and when Seosamh Ó Cuaig wins an  election seat, as he intends to pursue “the big issue” inside the County Council chambers.

 

Ó Cuaig has also welcomed the response of Minister for Gaeltacht Éamon Ó Cuív to his proposal. Minister Ó Cuív was speaking on Raidió na Gaeltachta when he said, "There are problems with County Council services - there is no doubt about that. I am not satisfied with the situation in Conamara: I believe there has to be a Conamara structure and in that context we must look at the role of Údarás na Gaeltachta - whether the Údarás should have some of the functions of a local authority."

 

The Minister went on to say in the interview that "Galway County Council could begin by introducing the type of regional system Cork County Council hopes to set up. That could be the first step of a process towards a local authority fr Conamara..."

 

In welcoming Minister Ó Cuív's remarks, Seosamh Ó Cuaig stated: "I feel the Minister is accepting what we all know to be a fact. Conamara has been consistantly under-funded by Galway County Council. The solution lies in establishing our own local authotrity. Why should Conamara be treated any differently that Leitrim or Longford, when we have 5000 more voters in our electoral district that either of these counties? My only concern about the groing consensus amongst the candidates around this issue is that some of them might think it can be quietly dropped after the election. If elected I will make sure it remains on the agenda within the council chamber."

 

Glór Chonamra 10-06-2004