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"They're sick, tired and afraid"
09.06.09
by Linda McGrory
A PROMINENT Inishowen businessman has warned of a
growing mental health crisis in the peninsula as a
result of the deepening recession. |
Muff's Jim McLaughlin
made his comments at the second meeting of local
business people concerned about the worsening state
of their companies and the difficulties they face
paying their commercial rates to Donegal County
Council.
Around 50 people including long-standing business
bosses, individual tradesmen, a local councillor and
local election candidates turned up for the meeting
at Moville's Caiseal Mara Hotel.
The meeting also heard from a Buncrana woman who
said the dole queue was |
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getting so long in her
town, it was stretching from the social welfare
office at Rockfield Terrace down to the sea shore.
Mr McLaughlin told Wednesday's meeting that bank
managers should be among those attending the
recently organised meetings around the peninsula. He
said six or seven years ago when a business person
or developer went to their bank for a loan they
"came out with €100,000 more than they went in
looking for".
But he said the financial meltdown was becoming
secondary to the mental stresses being felt by
people around Inishowen. "I honestly believe, and
this is my own personal opinion, that we are heading
into a worse problem. I think we are heading into a
serious mental health problem in this peninsula,"
said Mr McLaughlin, who ran Mary Deeney's bar
restaurant during the boom years and who also has
other business interests including development.
There are a lot of men with families who are under
serious stress. They're sick, they're tired, they're
afraid, they are avoiding people.
"It's affecting family life in general and it's
breaking up marriages. We are in serious
difficulties here. We are heading for skid row," he
said, adding that business people should consider
lobbying their banks collectively rather than
individually for breathing space. The meeting also
heard from then sitting councillor Marian McDonald
and local election candidates, now elected
councillors, 'Black Mickey' Doherty and Martin
Farren. They vowed to do all in their power to
represent business people at local authority level.
Marie Furey from Buncrana said she agreed with Jim
McLaughlin's assessment of a growing mental health
problem in the region.
"If you look at the dole queue in Buncrana, it is
snaking down to the shore. One of my sons said to me
today 'many of my friends won't look at you, they
put their head down'. He said the people are
standing with their heads down at the dole'," she
said. |
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The Moville meeting was chaired by Moville furniture
shop owner, Jim Bredin with input from veteran car
dealers Frank Faulkner and Michael Doherty, who has
penned a thought-provoking letter to the county
manager, Michael McLoone. Mr Doherty told the group
that Moville "was on its knees". Those gathered
discussed putting a proposal to Mr McLoone that they
would, perhaps, pay half their commercial rates for
a period of two years. Others suggested that little
could be done at county level to reduce rates that,
by and large, were dictated at central government
level. Others expressed concerned at the legal
implications of withholding rates. All agreed,
meanwhile, that a committee made up of two members
from each of Inishowen's largest towns and villages
needed to be formed. Buncrana businessman Brian
Flanagan suggested that the next meeting could be
held in the Plaza where the Inishowen-wide committee
of business people and their aims could be
consolidated. The Buncrana meeting is expected to be
held next week with date and time still being
confirmed. |
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