Sir, - The difficulties for industries and services establishing in Donegal are much overstated. Remoteness and poor roads are often trotted out as obstacles. Donegal Town is 140 miles from Dublin. Cork is 160 and Tralee 188. The main roads are as good now as anywhere else. So is the telecommunications network.
One limiting factor that is constantly being put forward is that the necessary pool of skills is not available in places such as Donegal town. This is largely a chicken-and-egg situation.
A survey carried out by transition year students at our school of 1,000 pupils among past students at home and abroad (50 per cent of them have had to emigrate for employment) shows that 70 per cent of those with third-level qualifications and experience would return to Donegal if similar employment were available here. Thus a skilled pool of people would be readily available for a start-up of, for example, the small, high-value computer products industry that is less dependent on road transport.
Where there's a will, there's a way. - Yours, etc., Alexander Reid,
Deputy Principal, Abbey Vocational School, Donegal Town, Co Donegal.