Further Government investment in services and infrastructure is vital if we want our island communities to survive and thrive, according to Social Democrats Galway West by-election candidate M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich.<\/p>\n
M\u00edde made her comments during a visit to the Aran Islands over the weekend. Speaking from Inis M\u00f3r, she said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to match the beauty and unique character of these islands, which continue to be a jewel in Ireland\u2019s tourism crown, attracting more than quarter of a million visitors a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cDue to a decline in traditional activities such as fishing and agriculture, tourism is now the main economic driver on the islands, particularly on Inis M\u00f3r. While this is a vital financial lifeline for islanders, it comes with a fear that any fall in tourist numbers due to global instability could spell economic disaster, and that development and services for the local community have lagged behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWastewater treatment on the islands continues to be a major issue, as does energy resilience due to more frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change.<\/p>\n
“Lack of regulation of Airbnb and difficulties with planning have also left the next generation of islanders without a place to call home.<\/p>\n
“In addition, there is considerable concern about the impact that low fishing quotas is having on the livelihoods of small fishermen, with many now struggling to survive in the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor our island communities to survive and thrive, it is important that fishermen are not left behind.<\/p>\n
“The Government needs to help our island communities to diversify by supporting the development of new businesses, ensuring there is robust energy infrastructure in place, and that there is an absolute right to remote working.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very grateful for the warm response I received from the people of Inis M\u00f3r during my visit and it was so interesting to hear first-hand about some of the challenges they face.\u201d<\/p>\n
April 27, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Further Government investment in services and infrastructure is vital if we want our island communities to survive and thrive, according to Social Democrats Galway West by-election candidate M\u00edde Nic Fhionnlaoich. M\u00edde made her comments during a visit to the Aran Islands over the weekend. Speaking from Inis M\u00f3r, she said: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to match the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":17482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[836,12,806,803,479],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aran-islands","category-galway","category-galway-west","category-mide-nic-fhionnlaoich","category-unlisted"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n