A founder member of the Council for the West, Bishop Thomas Finnegan, said he is "very encouraged" by the new rural regeneration plan drawn up by the Minister of State for Rural Development, Mr Eamon ╙ Cu∅v.
Responding to yesterday's announcement by Mr ╙ Cu∅v, Bishop Finnegan welcomed the Minister's commitment. The programme, entitled Clar, was unveiled yesterday in Strokestown, Co Roscommon.
The new programme is intended to "fast track" the National Development Plan spending in 16 areas that have suffered the greatest depopulation in the last 75 years, with the exception of the Cooley peninsula, which has been included because of the impact of foot-and-mouth disease there.
A budget of £20 million has been allocated to the programme.
Bishop Finnegan, whose diocese straddles north Mayo and west Sligo, recalled Mr ╙ Cu∅v's words at a meeting of Killala Diocesan Pastoral Council last summer.
"He told us that the Celtic Tiger would not solve our problems without positive discrimination for rural areas like north Mayo and west Sligo.
"More importantly, he promised that he would ensure that this positive discrimination took place."
Since the publication of the Government's National Development Plan in November, 1999, parish councils in Killala diocese have been engaged in a continuous audit of the infrastructural, economic and social strengths and deficiencies of each of its parishes.
This covers parishes in north Mayo, including all of the Erris peninsula, and parishes in Co Sligo, including Tireragh.
The findings have been published in two editions, entitled Killala Diocese: Crusade for Survival 2000 and 2001.
