24 April 2023
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Macra gets ready for 16 hours through the night to Government Buildings
Tomorrow evening at 6pm Macra will lead a group who are embarking on a 79km walk from Athy in Co. Kildare to Government Buildings on Merrion Square. The group will leave Athy where Macra was founded in 1944 and carry a message from its roots to the Gates of power. Macra President John Keane said ‘our message is clear, we want a future in Rural Ireland, we want our Rural Communities to survive and thrive into the future. We are walking for our future and for the future of our local communities’.
Macra has written to all TD’s and Senator’s asking them to join with them on their walk and to meet them at 1pm on Wednesday at Government Buildings. Macra President Elect Elaine Houlihan said ‘ we are taking steps for our future, to ensure young people, families can live and prosper in Rural Ireland as the youth are the backbone of these communities’.
Macra has 8 key issues:
1. Accessing affordable housing and cumbersome housing planning guidelines
2. Disjointed and sparce healthcare services for rural communities
3. The Governments definition of a family farm as ‘average’ and ‘typical’
4. No recognition or engagement by Government on a farming succession scheme
5. Lack of planning for the future of our rural communities informed by rural people
6. Imposition of Quotas on Young farmers availing of grant aid support
7. Lack of public transport for rural Ireland
8. Proposals to rewet large areas of rural Ireland
Macra will be coming with solutions also and we will hand deliver these to the Office’s of The Taoiseach and The Tánaiste at 1pm on Wednesday April 26th. Macra President John Keane concluded ‘anyone who wants to join us is welcome at any stage from Athy to Merrion Square, or along our route through Kilcullen, Naas, Kill, Newcastle and into The Irish Farm Centre in Bluebell and from there to Merrion Square.
