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Fine Gael minister awards highest level of money from government rural funding scheme to own constituency

Mayo received over 10% of the total money awarded as part of the Clár funding scheme since 2016.

budget-day-2018 Minister for Rural & Community Development Michael Ring RollingNews.ie RollingNews.ie

THE CONSTITUENCY OF Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring was awarded more than one-tenth of the entire pot of money from a national scheme designed by his department to fund rural projects and groups.

An analysis by TheJournal.ie of funding provided under the Clár programme from 2016 to 2019 found that Mayo received 11.2% of the total money awarded over three years, more than any other county.

Projects and groups in the county received €2.7 million out of a total of almost €24 million over the three-and-a-half-year period.

The county also received the highest amount of funding in each individual year during that time, with the exception of 2016, when its projects and groups received the second-highest amount of funding.

A spokesman for the department said that Mayo has the largest area in any county which is eligible for Clár funding, under boundaries set out by the department in 2006.

The boundaries were originally set in 2001, and were selected based on rural areas which suffered the greatest population decline between 1926 and 1996, before being updated in 2006.

TheJournal.ie was not given evidence to verify which counties and regions have experienced the greatest depopulation since 1926, despite a request to the department, which said it did not have such figures at hand.

Galway, where projects and groups received €1.82 million, received the second-highest level of funding over the three-year period, followed by Kerry (€1.6 million), Monaghan (€1.41 million) and Clare (€1.27 million).

In contrast, groups and projects based in Wicklow have been awarded the lowest amount of funding since 2016, receiving just €406,811. Meath (€434,070) received the second-lowest amount, with Offaly (€551,943) receiving the third-lowest total number of awards.

Clár Funding

The Clár (Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais) programme, first introduced in 2001, targets investment in small-scale projects in rural areas that suffered the greatest levels of population decline from 1926 onwards.

Under the scheme, areas which lost 50% or more of their population between 1926 and 1996 were deemed eligble for funding. 

It was updated in 2006, when an analysis of Census data from 2002 was carried out by the NIRSA Institute (National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis) at Maynooth University, and areas with average population losses of 35% between 1926 and 2002 were included.

However, applications for the scheme were effectively suspended during the height of the economic downturn in 2010, before the programme was relaunched by Minister Ring during the second half of 2016, with applications fully opening again in 2017.

In a statement, the department said that counties in the south-west and the northwest have received the most Clár funding since, due to historical levels of depopulation there.

“The level of funding provided to a given county reflects the extent of Clár areas in that county rather than the overall area or population of the county,” the statement said.

The department also sought to explain why the Minister’s county received the highest level of funding since 2016, saying:

“It is important to note that Mayo has the largest area which is eligible for Clár funding of any county.”

Projects funded

The type of projects funded since 2016 include safety measures for schools and other community facilities, multi-use play areas, supports for voluntary first-responder emergency organisations and funding for vehicles to transport people to health centres.

Funding since 2017 has been released in four tranches: two tranches targeting school/community facilities; one targeting community infrastructure; and another targeting emergency and first response groups.

In December, the Minister replied to a Parliamentary Question outlining the importance of Clár funding to voluntary health services in particular.

“The one thing about Clár is it can identify programmes that help,” he said.

“Last year one of things that worked out very well was in regard to first responders, particularly in some rural areas where they do not have health board services.

“They depend on ambulances and voluntary organisations, like the Order of Malta, to bring people to hospital. That has worked our very well.”

According to TheJournal.ie’s analysis, Mayo received the highest total awards for emergency/first response groups, which were only available from 2017 onwards, as well as for outdoor play facilities in 2016, the only year when that type of funding was available.

However, funding awards for school/community facilities, local access roads and targeted community infrastructure varied across the three-and-a-half years.

Boundaries re-drawn

In its statement, the Department of Rural and Community Development told TheJournal.ie that while local authorities in eligible counties are invited to submit a maximum number of applications, not all avail of the full quota of funding available to them.

A spokesman pointed to two measures of funding under the programme in 2017, when two applications were submitted by Westmeath and Wicklow, but when 13 such applications also came from Mayo and 14 applications came from Leitrim.

All eligible applications from all local authorities under these measures were subsequently funded that year.

However, the department confirmed that it has initiated a review of the programme which will examine Clár areas by reference to data from the 2016 Census.

A spokesman said that as part of the review, the department will also consider whether there are other factors that should be taken into account in designating areas for eligibility under the programme in future.

Would you like to know more?

Through Noteworthy, we want to take a deeper look at how funding from government gets shared out.

We want to look at every government department in Ireland to see what discretionary funds are still available to ministers.

We will examine grants for sports clubs and community organisations to see where all of the money has been going over the past ten years.

You can help support this project by contributing to or sharing our proposal, which you’ll find here.

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80 Comments
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    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute TM B
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:09 AM

    Parish pump

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    Mute TamuMassif2019
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:47 AM
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    Mute Robert Phelan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:56 AM

    @TM B: snakes the lot of them

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    Mute DaMoons
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    Sep 15th 2019, 4:43 AM

    @TM B: The people of Meath have a short sharp shock coming for both FF and FG election candidates. Meath has the second lowest ratio of Gardai per head of population on the whole island. It has the lowest per capita county council spend. As a result, it has the lowest number of children’s playground facilities, the highest crime rate per capita outside of Dublin. Can’t wait to see them spin that one, all while their FF spokesperson keeps saying he supports keeping them in power.

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Sep 15th 2019, 6:35 AM

    @TamuMassif2019: Corporate Welfare, FG’s prime concern.

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    Mute Peter Carroll
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    Sep 15th 2019, 7:28 AM

    @TM B: Pork Barrel politics. It was ever thus.

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    Mute Anto Whelan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 9:25 AM

    @TM B: Michael ring . The minister for photo opportunities.

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    Mute ObsidianShine
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    Sep 15th 2019, 11:09 AM

    @DaMoons: If only that were true. It was public knowledge prior to the last election and yet lo and behold they still got 5 TDs.

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    Mute Steve O'Reilly
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:12 AM

    Sounds like hes doing what his constituents elected him for. Im sure anyone who had a local politician doing this wouldn’t be complaining

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    Mute Kevin O' Brien
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:37 AM

    @Steve O’Reilly: Very true but his constituents didn’t appoint him to a ministerial post for the entire country.

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    Mute Pat Farrelly
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    Sep 15th 2019, 2:20 AM

    @Steve O’Reilly: He was elected as a national legislator, not a county councillor. He is not a local politician, he is a national legislator. Educate yourself. We get what we elect thanks to the likes of you.

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 3:04 AM

    @Pat Farrelly: Also, the Clár programme is meant to support rural areas that have historically suffered population declines. The scheme aims to slow or prevent rural depopulation. 12.2% of Clár’s budget went to Mayo.

    “The CLÁR programme provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in disadvantaged rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population. Since I relaunched the programme in 2016, more than 1,200 projects have been approved funding of almost €27 million.”

    So about €3.3 million went to Mayo.

    Mayo’s population was 172,690 in 1926, it was 130,507 in 2016 at the last census. This is a population decrease of 32.3% (or 42,453). This is the 2nd greatest decrease in the State by percentage but greatest by number (Leitrim decreased by 74%, but it has a much smaller population than Mayo).

    There really isn’t a story here. The money was meant to go to areas suffered population declines, some money went Mayo and rightly so.

    https://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?maintable=CNA13&PLanguage=0

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Sep 15th 2019, 6:41 AM

    @David Jordan: From the article above: TheJournal.ie was not given evidence to verify which counties and regions have experienced the greatest depopulation since 1926, despite a request to the department, which said it did not have such figures at hand.
    Yet you seem to have the figures to hand. Who’s telling lies?

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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Sep 15th 2019, 8:27 AM

    @David Jordan: thanks for doing the research that the Department were clearly too lazy to do.

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    Mute Vocal Outrage
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    Sep 15th 2019, 8:57 AM

    @Dave Doyle: I would query why the Journal also didnt conduct what appears to be pretty basic research. If I was writing an article that required population figures the CSO is where I would probably look first.
    The amount of monies paid to Mayo doesn’t look great, but then again, the journal appear to have neglected a piece of basic research to sensationalise the story a bit. Remember, both sides can have an agenda, and both sides can be playing you

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    Mute johnkilleen
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    Sep 15th 2019, 11:19 AM

    @Kevin O’ Brien: he’s doing his job according to the Journal

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    Mute Shazam37
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    Sep 15th 2019, 5:20 PM

    @Steve O’Reilly: except that’s not what TDS are elected for.

    It really is a stunning indictment of our educational systems that people think they elect a local TD to scrounge as much lucre from the national budget for local issues. “Get us a hospital and a new road and a new Police station and new schools” and on and on.

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 11:31 PM

    @Dave Doyle: “Yet you seem to have the figures to hand. Who’s telling lies?”

    You can find these figures on the CSO website, took my 5 minutes to find them. It’s table CNA13.

    https://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?maintable=CNA13&PLanguage=0

    “Who’s telling lies?”

    Judge that yourself.

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    Mute Phil Keenan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:14 AM

    Good to see corruption is rife in Fine Gael

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 3:25 AM

    @Phil Keenan: I don’t see was is corrupt here. The money is meant to go to disadvantaged rural areas that suffered population declines, 12.2% of the budget went Mayo and rightly so. I’m actually surprised the county did not get more money.

    Mayo suffered a population decrease of 24.4% since 1926 (172,690 in 1926 v’s 130,507 in 2016, a decrease of 42,183). This is the 2nd greatest population decrease in the State by percentage but greatest in number. Also, looking at the census figures, Mayo’s population briefly increased between the mid-1990s and 2011, only to decrease again between 2011 and 2016.

    6 counties in the suffered population declines since 1926: Leitrim (-42.7%), Mayo (-24.4%), Roscommon (-22.6%), Sligo (-8.2%), Cavan (-7.6%), Monaghan (-5.7%) and Kerry (-0.9%).

    The figures are available on the CSO website:

    https://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?maintable=CNA13&PLanguage=0

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    Mute Shaun Gallagher
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    Sep 15th 2019, 7:08 AM

    @David Jordan: Exactly. This article is much to do about nothing

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    Mute Billy Davies
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    Sep 15th 2019, 11:33 AM

    @Phil Keenan: the article has a sensationalized heading to make it sound like corruption but the facts pointed out by @David Jordan are contrary to it and show that funding went to the right place giving the population decline and the vast size of the county itself. Sometimes it takes a bit more info to be added by a reader for the stats to add up, but here corruption would be a wrong term to use.

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    Mute Brendan Walsh
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:30 AM

    The West of Ireland never gets much. Suddenly a local minister gives them a bit extra and everyone is up in arms. Still only a fraction of what Dublin GAA gets compared to rest of country.

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    Mute Paul
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    Sep 15th 2019, 8:29 AM

    @Brendan Walsh: Plus Ring and his local team are going to be telling everybody in Mayo that this cash is available….here’s what you need to do to get it….it’s up to every other TD to do the same for their Constituency

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    Mute Billy Davies
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    Sep 15th 2019, 11:36 AM

    @Brendan Walsh: well noted point, exactly! Good to see that a lot of people here looked passed the misleading headline and actually read the entire article

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    Mute Shazam37
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    Sep 15th 2019, 5:23 PM

    @Paul: it’s really not – Tds are supposed to look after national issues.

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    Mute offtheball
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:37 AM

    €2.7m out of €24m in 3 and a half years to groups/ community projects in his constituency. So what?? I’m sure they were all very deserving projects.

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:32 AM

    It’s all well and good to read the headline and make an accusation but when you acyltually read the full article and realise what the grant is for it’s not all that bad at all. It’s one of those thst looks bad but actually isn’t

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    Mute Malcolm Smith
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:10 AM

    Pure coincidence surely?

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    Mute Dream Of Jennie
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:25 AM

    And 90% of that was to westport I bet.

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    Mute Kevin McDonnell
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    Sep 15th 2019, 9:46 AM

    @Dream Of Jennie: In fairness, no, it was well spread over the county, including areas of the county in the Galway West constituency where he will get no votes

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 2:54 AM

    “TheJournal.ie was not given evidence to verify which counties and regions have experienced the greatest depopulation since 1926, despite a request to the department, which said it did not have such figures at hand.”

    That’s not hard to find, it’s on the CSO website.

    https://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?maintable=CNA13&PLanguage=0

    Mayo’s population in 1926 was 172,69, it was 130,507 in 2016 at the last census. This is a population decreased of 32.3% (or 42,453).

    This is the 2nd greatest decrease in the State by percentage but greatest by number.

    Leitrim recorded the largest percentage decrease of 74.5%. Its population was 55,907 in 1926, but by 2016 the county had a population of 32,044. A decrease of 23,863‬. Roscommon is in 3rd place with a decrease of 29.5% since 1926. A decrease of 19,012 (83,556 in 1926 to 64,544 in 2016).

    Overall, 6 counties recorded a population declines since 1926: Leitrim (-74.5%), Mayo (-32.3%), Roscommon (-29.5%), Sligo (-8.9%), Cavan (-8.2%), Monaghan (-6.1%) and Kerry (-1%).

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    Mute Mike Murphy
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:15 AM

    As I said in another post ff fg are the same looking after themselves and looking to be relected…is there any kind of proof needed…things should be shared equally not for some chap looking to get relected….its a con job

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    Mute Pat Farrelly
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    Sep 15th 2019, 2:15 AM

    An this is exactly why we have a two billion plus children’s hospital instead of the half billion that it should have cost. Too busy looking after the potholes in their own parishes instead of the national interest. We get what we elect.

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    Mute P Mc G
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    Sep 15th 2019, 2:32 AM

    Long may it continue. Fair play to him.

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    Mute Billy Flynn
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    Sep 15th 2019, 5:46 AM

    Obviously deserved .Hope the communities will appreciate it.

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    Mute Conor Egan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:31 AM

    He will be definitely re-elected so.

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    Mute Joe Phillips
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:08 AM

    Ahh FFS will yiz please stop voting for them now?

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    Mute John Murt
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:17 AM

    Who said there was no corruption in Irish politics

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    Mute scanlanavia
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:09 AM

    surprise surprise…

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    Mute Leo Lalor
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    Sep 15th 2019, 3:46 AM

    The old boy network. Again

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    Mute Séan Ó Nuanáin
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:13 AM

    Nach bhfuil sé ag cabhrú lena cheantar?

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    Mute Darren Carroll
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    Sep 15th 2019, 2:08 AM

    Its the same as the current minister of sport and tourism shane ross in regards to PRIVATE schools being awarded PUBLIC funds for all weather pitches..FF AND FG are two cheeks of the same arse

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 3:42 AM

    @Darren Carroll: I don’t see what’s wrong here. Clár programme supports disadvantaged rural areas that suffered population declines. Mayo received 11.2% of Clár’s budget and rightly so, the count witnessed 2nd greatest population decrease in the State by percentage but greatest by number; a population decrease of 24.4% since 1926, or 42,183 (172,690 in 1926 v’s 130,507 in 2016).

    The money clearly went to a county that deserved this sort of support, it’s inline with the programs remit and objectives. However, if the minister was from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown this would be = funds for all weather pitches. But that is not what happened here at all.

    https://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?maintable=CNA13&PLanguage=0

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    Mute Vocal Outrage
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    Sep 15th 2019, 8:59 AM

    @Darren Carroll: yet the current minister of sport and tourism is a member of neither of those parties, humm, you’re not biased and pushing an agenda at all are you?

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    Mute Kevin McDonnell
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    Sep 15th 2019, 9:48 AM

    @Darren Carroll: Shane Ross in a member of the Independent Alliance

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    Mute Leo Lalor
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    Sep 15th 2019, 3:58 AM

    Another pee Flynn.

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    Mute james r
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:50 AM

    Corrupt corporate governance dictatorship

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    Mute herp
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:10 AM

    He built the roads….

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    Mute Thefallguy
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    Sep 15th 2019, 9:28 AM

    They are all at it. Ross approved a Grant to spend public money in a private college to upgrade their hockey pitch about a year ago.
    There’s no accountability what so every.

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    Mute Kevin McDonnell
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    Sep 15th 2019, 9:56 AM

    What is forgotten here is the hoops these community groups have to go through applying for these grants. Do you think Michael Ring personally assesses each application??? I have been involved in the applications and been successful with some and not with others. One error on the paperwork and it’s thrown out. I would interested to see what percentage of applications for the scheme came from Mayo. You will always think if you have a minister you have a better chance

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    Mute Seamus Gallen
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    Sep 15th 2019, 7:15 AM

    Normal practice is news?

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    Mute Karen Delaney
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    Sep 15th 2019, 3:14 AM

    And we should be surprised!!

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    Mute Keith Michael Gregg
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    Sep 15th 2019, 7:46 AM

    Surely Donegal would be the most eligible

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    Mute EillieEs
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    Sep 15th 2019, 10:49 AM

    @Keith Michael Gregg: maybe they didn’t have as many applications?

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    Mute The Irish Bull
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    Sep 15th 2019, 8:51 AM

    Blatant corruption. They all claim travel expenses when on their hols. In the UK you’d be jailed.

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    Mute Paddy Murray
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:51 PM

    Money well spent. Ballycroy National Park, the Achill Greenway, the Etruscan Head Loop Walk all for everyone and in the national interest, worth it on their own. Less begrudgery please.

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    Mute richard fennessy
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:42 AM

    I’m surprised and outraged

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 3:54 AM

    @richard fennessy: Why? The Clár programme supports disadvantaged rural areas that suffered population declines, some money went to a disadvantaged county that suffered a population decline, as it was supposed to. However, if the minister represented Dublin-Rathdown and the money was used to resurface an weather football pitch in a private school, that would be a different story entirely.

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    Mute shay o'brien
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    Sep 15th 2019, 8:45 AM

    Not afraid to do what he was elected to do, unlike our dear exleader Enda Kenny.

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    Mute Tim Quigley
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    Sep 15th 2019, 11:07 AM

    He won’t be there after next election

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 2:54 PM

    @Tim Quigley: of course he will, that’s the whole idea.

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    Mute Darren Bates
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:03 AM

    Disgusting abuse of power. Down with agrarian populism and parish pump politics. Money raised in Dublin should only be spent in Dublin.

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 3:37 AM

    @Darren Bates: I don’t see what’s wrong here. Clár programme supports disadvantaged rural areas that suffered population declines. Mayo received 11.2% of Clár’s budget.

    Mayo witnessed the 2nd greatest population decrease in the State by percentage but greatest by number; a population decrease of 24.4% since 1926 (172,690 in 1926 v’s 130,507 in 2016, a decrease of 42,183).

    The money clearly went to a county that deserved this sort of support, it’s inline with the programs remit and objectives. However, if the minister was from Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and Clár money ended up there, that would be a different story altogether.

    Six counties suffered population declines since 1926: Leitrim (-42.7%), Mayo (-24.4%), Roscommon (-22.6%), Sligo (-8.2%), Cavan (-7.6%), Monaghan (-5.7%) and Kerry (-0.9%). Population figures are available on the CSO website:

    https://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Statire/SelectVarVal/Define.asp?maintable=CNA13&PLanguage=0

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    Sep 15th 2019, 6:46 AM

    @David Jordan: You’ll wear out the FG drum you keep banging yet.
    People see FG and FF for exactly what they are corruption at work. 100 yrs of the FF FG merry-go-round have taught people well.

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    Mute John Mulligan
    Favourite John Mulligan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 2:53 PM

    Michael Ring was so keen to scatter money around Mayo that he awarded half a million euros of our money to a project in Kiltimagh that had no planning permission, against the advice of his officials.
    In some countries, you’d go to jail for that. At the very least, you’d lose your job.

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    Mute DK Innovation
    Favourite DK Innovation
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:37 AM

    Lads this is FG politician.. FF is a different party… could you please stop with you FFG crap…
    SF has been riddled in lies and corruption. Sorry but the is disappeared people which have not been explained..
    while we on it SF like attending parliaments they were elected for.

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    Mute Mike Murphy
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:43 AM

    @DK Innovation: lad stop coming up with ways to deflect what’s happening…ff fg are gangsters fleecing the normal Irish people and will continue to do so till a massive change happens and not sf incase you where wondering

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    Mute Stephen Walshe
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:19 PM

    Lads these guys crawl out from under a rock every once in while, what has this fella been at since be became minister seriously, taking huge wages and expenses and does f all

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    Mute Skimothy
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    Sep 15th 2019, 3:00 PM

    This is a none story! Very poor journalism as usual

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    Mute Joe
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    Sep 15th 2019, 6:58 PM

    Lower than a Snakes Belly that Bollix.

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    Mute Tommy C
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:23 AM

    Sure who gives a shite as long as he’s doing it for you come election

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    Mute Shayne O'Donoghue
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:27 AM

    Few Bob. Off it m

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    Mute Sean Mooney
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    Sep 15th 2019, 1:15 PM

    Nothing new there !!

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    Mute Paul Dooley
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    Sep 15th 2019, 12:37 PM

    Good man Mick save some for the fodder crisis in November
    It’s planned for the 11th if the media is quiet
    But whenever the we get a good drop of rain we will start whinging in the west and move across the country to RTÉ
    We might have another fodder crisis in March

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    Mute Paul Dooley
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    Sep 15th 2019, 9:31 PM

    The reason Nigeria would make a great uachtaran na heireann

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    Mute Paul Whelan
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    Sep 15th 2019, 4:05 PM

    well done

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    Mute Paul Dooley
    Favourite Paul Dooley
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    Sep 15th 2019, 9:29 PM

    Who paid for that new dome in the GAA Centre of excellence I wonder

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    Mute Paul Dooley
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    Sep 15th 2019, 9:31 PM

    The minister would make a great uachtaran na heireann

    1
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