A ‘moonshot’ plan for regional development - Fergal O'Brien

Regional development is a key issue for business in the 2020 General Election. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to tease out this issue with Cliff Taylor of  The Irish Times and Maureen Walsh of DeCare Dental on Ibec’s “Business at the Ballot Box” Podcast series.

I had three key takeaways from our engaging and lively discussion: 
 
1. Business in the West is awake: Maureen Walsh of DeCare provided wonderful insights into the dynamic nature of investment occurring in businesses right across the West of Ireland and highlighted the major potential for the regions more generally.
 
2. Next Government must deliver ‘NDP plus’: effective delivery of the existing NDP is the minimum requirement but we also need more ambition for a ‘moonshot’ on regional development which will drive connectivity across our regional cities.

3. Ireland needs a counterbalance to the Dublin economy: in order to improve quality of life in Dublin and across the regions, we must prioritise investment in the Atlantic cities and ensure that we support a counterbalance to the existing dominance of the Dublin economy. 

To hear the full episode, please click below.