Stand up and shout stop to dismantling of the west

IT’S time to cry halt as regards the dismantling of services in the West of Ireland, according to a senior farming representative – following the latest news on a local post office closure and the axing of a key bus service.

Connacht IFA Chairperson Pat Murphy said that given the trend of recent months with closures – most notably Kinvara Post Office and the Galway-Dublin Bus Éireann expressway service – the question now to be asked was: ‘what’s next for the chop in the West’.

“These closures and cutting of services all add up at the end of the day and are very bad news for communities across the West of Ireland.

“We hear all the lip service about improving connectivity in the West of Ireland and enhancing the services at local post offices but the reality on the ground is that buses are being taken off the road and post offices are closing,” Pat Murphy told The Connacht Tribune.

He added that it was absolutely shocking to think that a busy South Galway town like Kinvara was due to lose its post office this week, just days after Bus Éireann had axed a vital bus route between Galway and Dublin.

“The axing of the bus service will impact especially hard on younger people like students who really rely heavily on an accessible transport system, and also on older people using the service to travel to their local town or city.

“I am calling on the Government to take heed of what’s happening here. This is rural Ireland and if this chipping away at vital services continues on, the way it’s going, then it paints a very bleak picture for communities across the region,” said Pat Murphy.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now – or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie