Rural Clare Councillors Concerned About Over-Reliance On Tourism For Employment

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Concern is being expressed in rural Clare that an over-reliance on the tourism industry will see live register figures continue to grow.

It’s on the back of new figures which show the number of people claiming some form of unemployment benefit in Clare rose by 5% last month.

Clare FM’s James Mulhall reports:

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Latest figures from the CSO show that at the end of November, there were just over 5,700 people signing on in Clare.

The figure at the end of October was 5,445.

North and West Clare took the worst hits, where 154 and 83 people respectively joined dole queues.

Ennistymon Fianna Fáil Councillor Richard Nagle is putting this down to a lack of year-round industry.

Independent representative Christy Curtin agrees

The West Clare Councillor thinks action needs to be taken so that the rural parts of the county are not relying heavily on employment that dries up in the winter.

He believes there is huge potential in return to some of the more traditional industries in Clare.

Under the Ireland 2040 plan to rejuvenate the country over the next 20-odd years, rural development is outlined as one key area to tackle.

However, Lisseycasey Fianna Fáil councillor PJ Kelly still thinks their focus is too Dublin-centric and he’s sceptical the likes of Clare will see much change.