The West’s Natural Attractions are Winners throughout the Region

The Western Development Commission’s (WDC) campaign to find the “7 Wonders of the West” has come to a close with over 1,800 votes cast by members of the public. The winning ‘Wonders’ are; Glenveagh National Park in Donegal, Surfing in Strandhill in Sligo, Croagh Patrick (The Reek) in Mayo, Glencar Waterfall in Leitrim, Strokestown House in Roscommon, Dun Aengus on the Aran Islands in Galway and The Cliffs of Moher in Clare.

Speaking about the campaign, Joanne Grehan, WDC Regional Development Executive said, “When we launched this campaign in November, we knew it would capture peoples’ imagination but we were completely overwhelmed by the passion it has evoked in so many voters. Based on nominations received during November, we shortlisted the top seven ‘Wonders’ in each of the seven counties and called on members of the public to vote for their favourite in each county.

“It must have been an extremely difficult choice because the shortlist included so many iconic sites, stunning landscapes, festivals, events and a number of unique experiences that make our region really special. I would like to pay a special tribute to all of those shortlisted because they all add tremendously to our lives in the Western Region. Notwithstanding the challenge of selecting from that shortlist, the voters came out in force and predominantly chose the region’s natural attractions which topped the leader board for most of the voting process”, she added.

The campaign to find the Western Region’s unique ‘Wonders’ was hosted and promoted via LookWest.ie, the WDC’s online guide to living and working in the Western Region. LookWest.ie is a one stop shop for people and businesses thinking about relocating to the Western region. It is used by over 21,000 people every month and can now be accessed in Irish.

“We knew LookWest.ie was an obvious vehicle for this campaign because of the relationships we have developed with visitors to the site in recent years”, said Ms Grehan. “Our work in the WDC is focused on promoting the benefits and economic advantages of the West of Ireland and through the ‘7 Wonders’ campaign, the public has underlined the quality of life we all enjoy in this Region. Over the past two months, voters have commended us on the ‘7 Wonders’ idea which has now resulted in a fantastic list of great things to see and do in the Western Region”.

Donal Healy, Sales and Marketing Manager, Ireland West Airport Knock said: ‘The Airport was delighted to be involved with the ‘7 Wonders of the West’ campaign. The West of Ireland really has some truly wonderful sights and attractions which to many remain undiscovered and unseen and this campaign helps to highlight the many wonderful attractions that the West of Ireland has to offer’.

Everybody who voted for their favourite ‘Wonder’ from the shortlist was entered into a draw for two special prizes and Teresa Kennedy has won an Apple iPad while Vinny Melvin has won two return tickets to the UK courtesy of bmibaby.com in association with Ireland West Airport.

“As the year draws to a close, we are absolutely delighted to celebrate the ‘7 Wonders of the West’. This has been a difficult year for many, but this campaign reminds us about the many strengths that make our Region special and we look forward to making the most of these ‘Wonders’ in the year ahead.

“We would like to thank our partners who supported this campaign; Kennys.ie – Galway’s world-famous bookshop which celebrates 70 years in business this year, bmibaby.com and Ireland West Airport Knock and the Sligo-based online poll and survey provider PollDaddy for hosting the vote. But most especially, we would like to thank the thousands of people who voted for their ‘7 Wonders of the West” and we wish everybody a very Merry Christmas, concluded Ms Grehan.

Stock photographs of the winning ‘Wonders’ can be downloaded from the following link. http://bit.ly/7WondersGallery

For further information please contact:

Joanne Grehan, Western Development Commission, 086 856 5802
Or
Bernadette Mullarkey, Bane Mullarkey, 086 806 2540

Continued Focus on Infrastructure, Innovation and Growth Sectors Required to Drive that Growth

The Western Region is well placed to achieve strong future growth, thanks to the investments of recent years and its educated and skilled workforce. In order to optimise that potential, not only for the good of the region but for national growth and recovery, continued improvements in infrastructure, innovation and the ‘3Es’ (enterprise, employment and education) are vital.

This assertion comes in a new Western Development Commission (WDC) Policy Briefing, ‘How is the Western Region doing? Measuring regional development’, which shows that although the Western Region experienced an overall improvement in its level of development during the boom years it continued to lag the rest of the state in critical areas such as income, poverty and labour force participation.

Gillian Buckley, Acting Chief Executive and Investment Manager of the WDC said: “We wanted to look at how the recession has impacted on the region and how this compared with other parts of the country. But more importantly we wanted to examine how the region is positioned for future growth, specifically in those critical areas that will unlock its growth potential.”

The Briefing reiterates that infrastructure is a fundamental building block for regional development. Despite very substantial improvements in the past decade the Western Region continues to lag the rest of the state. The region is well below the EU average in terms of its accessibility and broadband services are a continuing constraint for individuals and enterprises.

On employment, the figures show that rising unemployment since 2007 has been quite concentrated in construction, agriculture and industry. However, over the same period employment grew in some sectors, notably information and communications services, with 3,400 more people working in the sector in 2010 than 2007.

“Further diversification of the employment base and expansion of the knowledge economy are key to the region’s and country’s economic future. Our interpretation is that although knowledge sector employment is currently lower in the region, there is real potential for expansion. The region’s quality of life makes it attractive for knowledge and creative workers; ensuring they have the facilities and services they need to work successfully from here must here be a priority” according to Pauline White, WDC Policy Analyst.

Tourism and hospitality continue to play a big role, with the Western Region employing 1 in 5 of all those working in the sector in Ireland. “Efforts to drive increasing tourist numbers into Ireland must include highlighting the region’s many tourism assets. Any increase in visitors here will create jobs and that’s the top priority at the moment” continued Ms White.

One area of real concern arising from the data is the fact that the West and Border regions have the second and third highest consistent poverty rates in the country. In the case of the West, its share in consistent poverty rose from being well below the national average in 2007 to now being above the average.

A region’s human resource is recognised internationally as its key asset. The data show considerable improvements in the Western Region. Coming from a position of lagging the national average, the share with a third level qualification in the region is now about the same as the national average. 

“One worrying aspect of this however is the gender gap, with women faring better than men. Young male early school leavers are facing a ‘triple-whammy’ in terms of their risk of unemployment because of age, gender, and education. However the recession has meant that more males are choosing to stay on or return to education. This will have positive long term impacts, both for themselves and the region”, said Ms White.

A recent decline in the region’s younger aged population shows however that some young people are choosing to leave the region. “The region’s people are its greatest asset. During the boom the region’s ‘brain drain’ was reversed, but it now seems to be returning. The Western Region’s main priority for the future must be to provide the employment, education and enterprise opportunities needed to encourage our young people to stay. Our future prospects depend on it” concluded Ms. Buckley.

Ends

For further information please contact:

Pauline White, Western Development Commission, 086 832 8055
or
Bernadette Mullarkey, Bane Mullarkey, 086 806 2540