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A HEADLINE in today’s Irish Independent, ‘How Dublin is eating Ireland’ has been highlighted by Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae as confirming what he has been saying for a decade.

The piece focuses on a report to be published today, the ‘Ireland 2040’ document, which will be launched by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Housing Minister Simon Coveney. The report shows that half the population growth in the last two decades has been largely centred on Dublin.

Speaking on the report Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae said: “It confirms what I have been saying for the last 10 years. This Government along with the last are perfectly happy to sit back and watch Rural Ireland die, what the Government ideally want is for everyone in this country to move into our nearest urban centre or move into the cities, close our rural post offices, our small schools, cut off our road network, never bring broadband to rural areas and totally cut off Rural Ireland because I believe they see us living in rural areas as nothing on an inconvenience to them.

Deputy Healy-Rae added: “Unless something radically changes, what will exactly happen is what is reported today, Dublin will eat Ireland. We do have a two-tier economy in Ireland – it is very real, if you go down to Valentia Island this morning and ask a resident there have they felt the turn of the economy, they would laugh at you. The recession never hit Dublin, it was always booming, we are starved of funding in Rural Ireland, a lot of places in Kerry and I would be glad to bring our Taoiseach there.”

The Independent TD highlighted how in parts of Kerry “we still have no phone reception, never mind broadband”. “How can we expect businesses to locate in Rural Ireland when the Government want nothing more only to shut us down?” he said “They can produce all the fancy plans and strategies they want, but at the end of the day, money talks and in Rural Ireland we are simply seeing none of it.”