Dún na nGall - pobail i d’teagmháíl Donegal - community in touch ISSUE 1 NOVEMBER 2008 / EAGRÁN 1 SAMHAIN 2008 Welcome Fáilte News 2 As Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Donegal Business 7 I am delighted to see Donegal County Council spearheading an Education and Learning initiative such as the “Donegal – Community In Touch” e-zine in 11 association with the Diaspora project. Social and Cultural 12 Donegal Community Links 14 I feel this concept has the potential to in Sligo and Letterkenny play a major become an effective and worthwhile part in ensuring our young people have tool in encouraging Donegal folk the opportunities to avail of third level domiciled elsewhere, and many others education and provide a skilled and Welcome by the Mayor, besides, to return to live, work and competent workforce for prospective County Donegal. invest in our county. employers. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this first edition of the Donegal The physical infrastructure in Donegal I compliment the Community, Culture Community In Touch e-zine. It is intended has changed utterly in the last twenty and Enterprise Directorate of Donegal through this e-zine to establish and to years and this newsletter will help County Council for coming up with the maintain contact with and between the keep our diaspora well informed of idea, subsequently compiling a very broad community of Donegal people and people with a the potential and the opportunities substantial list of recipients of this e-mail connection or interest in Donegal, wherever they may be available at home at the click of a and, most importantly, for the editorial located in the world. mouse. Our county has so much to content. While we do face challenges, offer, we are served by a network of we have the ability, the knowledge and I am aware of the extent of our Donegal diaspora, our roads which has improved beyond the spirit of enterprise and enthusiasm extended community in so many places, not least through recognition and will continue to do so. here in Donegal to clear whatever hurdles the key role played by Donegal Associations in countries Passenger figures at Donegal airport in present. such as USA, Australia, England, Scotland as well as other Carrickfinn also continue to increase, parts of Ireland. As mayor of Donegal, I am delighted to see while some of the largest cruise liners The importance of networking in all this project initiated and I trust that it will be of interest and in Europe are now a regular feature at aspects of life cannot be overstated, of use to our extended community on an ongoing basis. the new €50 million pier in Killybegs. spread the word and play your part in developing a sustainable and competitive Guím gach rath ar an obair. Councillor Gerry Crawford. The Metropolitan Area Network economy for the North West for this and and Project Kelvin will ensure that future generations. we are well served in terms of Welcome by the Chair of the telecommunications infrastructure, Ádh mór County Development Board while the Institutes of Technology Donegal County Development Board was Chuir an Tánaiste, Máire Ní Chochláin, established in 2000 in order to promote and Aire an Roinn Fiontar, Trádála agus co-ordinate economic, social and cultural Fostaíochta, fáilte roimh an tionscnamh development in County Donegal. Towards e-zine “ Pobal i dTeagmháil – Dún na this end we have prepared, and are now nGall”. implementing, a strategy for the development of the county. This strategy defines the community of Donegal as being Dúirt sí go mbeidh an tionscnamh seo ina not only people who live in the county, but also people with a uirlís chun taispeáint d’ár nDiaspóra ar connection to or interest in the county, no matter where they fud an domhain go bhfuil deiseanna agus live. Donegal County Development Board has initiated the poitéinseáil oideachais, cumarsáide agus Donegal Diaspora project in this context. We realise that the infreastruchtúra go leor sa bhaile anois broad Donegal community is a key resource for County Donegal de bharr mórfhorbairt na Contae le scór and that Donegal is a resource for our diaspora. I look forward to bliain anuas. seeing this e-zine establish itself and continue to develop as an ongoing means of communication for the Donegal Community. Mhol sí tacú leis an e-zine “Pobal i dTeagmháil – Dún na nGall” chun a bheith Guim gach deá ghuí ar an iris seo agus ar an obair a bheidh a páirteach i bhfhorbairt an Iar Thuaisceart chuir í gcrich san reímse seo. anois agus san todhchaí. Councillor Francis Conaghan. Donegal County Developme nt Board Bord Forbartha Chontae Dhún na nGall Donegal County Council Donegal - community in touch Dún na nGall - pobail i d’teagmháil News / Nuacht 2 Donegal Diaspora Events Take Place in Boston, London and Dublin Pictured at the Ireland North West reception in Boston: Matt Peachy, Derry City Council, Mr Bro McFerran, CBE - CEO Northbrook Technologies NI (Speaker), Ald Drew Thompson, Mayor of Derry, Timothy P Murray, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Cllr John Boyle, Mayor of Donegal, Mr Henry McGarvey, CEO Pramerica (Speaker), Ms Linda Watson, Lady Mayoress of Derry, Aeidín McCarter, Donegal County Council. The Mayor of Donegal, Councillor John Boyle and Sir Roy outlined the ambitious plans and the vision ILEX has for the Mayor of Derry, Alderman Drew Thompson Derry, and said they were also looking across the border at the wider region, working with partners such as Donegal County were in Boston on 23rd April 2008 to call on the Council. He said the diaspora event was “about making sure that Irish community in the US to help create a stronger we can all play a part in transforming the North West region, and in economy in the North West of Ireland. They creating the conditions in which the private sector can flourish and grow, to provide the jobs and prosperity that we all want to see.” addressed the US launch of the Derry/Donegal The Deputy Mayor of Derry, Mrs Patricia Logue, said that our Diaspora project in Boston, where the Lieutenant ‘Diaspora’ in London “are very much part of the wider North West Governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Timothy P Murray Community and your role in shaping the economic development of the North West region is vitally important.” was guest of honour. The Dublin Diaspora project event at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin Lieutenant Governer Murray said that he “believes that on 11th October 2007 aimed, in the first instance, at establishing a Massachusetts and Ireland are well positioned to work together to network of individuals, businesses and agencies with connections jointly grow our economies because, when you look at the important to the North West. industries for all of us, they are strikingly similar. In the areas of software and technology, financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, biotechnology and medical devices, the synergies between our economies are extensive and potent.” The Mayor of Donegal, Councillor John Boyle and the Mayor of Derry, Alderman Drew Thompson both highlighted the importance of diaspora for now and for the future. The Boston event was also addressed by Bro McFerran, Managing Director of Northbrook Technology, Northern Ireland’s largest IT company, and Mr. Henry McGarvey, Managing Director of Pramerica Systems in Letterkenny. The London launch of the Northwest Diaspora project took place on 29th November 2007 and was attended by over 100 key players in the public and private sector, education, Government and other Pictured at the London launch of the Northwest Diaspora project: agencies and was also addressed by Donegal-born Sir Roy McNulty, Cllr Gerard Diver (Derry City), Janice Treacey (London Chamber Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, and of the Derry urban of Commerce), John McGowan (Derry) and Simon Johnson regeneration company, ILEX. (EPI Centre - LYIT). Donegal County Developme nt Board Bord Forbartha Chontae Dhún na nGall Donegal County Council Dún na nGall - pobail i d’teagmháíl Donegal - community in touch News / Nuacht 3 him in the heart of the community. His community portfolio included a Director of the Lifford Credit Union, a member of the Lifford Civil Defence, Board of Management member of the Boyagh National School and a Shop Steward with the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (S.I.P.T.U). It was this and other community activities that introduced him to political life. He was first elected for the Fianna Fáil party to Donegal County Council in 1999. Councillor Crawford currently sits on the Letterkenny Electoral Area Committee, the Corporate Policy Group, Lifford Development Limited, the County Development Board, the Community, Corporate & Cultural Strategic Policy Committee (Chair), Donegal County Enterprise Board, the Border Regional Authority, the Strabane/Lifford Development Commission and L.A.T.C.H. He is both delighted and honoured to have been appointed Mayor of Donegal and has stated that he intends to focus on local community Pictured at the Diaspora event held in Dublin: issues, assisting the Tánaiste and others to work towards achieving Hugh Logue (EU Commission), Anne Logue, James a good quality of life for all the residents of the County. McGettigan, Martin McGettigan and Oliver McGettigan. Chief economist with the Bank of Ireland, Dan McLaughlin, is from Malin in County Donegal. He acknowledged that the border has always been a major factor in the economic fortunes of the region. Appointment of Tánaiste “In many ways, economic activity in Donegal appears to be more closely connected to economic activity in Northern Ireland than the rest of the Republic. So a return to more normal economic (Deputy Prime Minister) activity in NI will benefit Donegal to a greater extent.