Macra Members from across Donegal are planning a protest walk tomorrow to highlight the need for investment in rural Ireland.
On April 25th and 26th Macra Members will walk from Athy in County Kildare where macra was founded in 1944 to the steps of Government Buildings.
The journey will cover 79kms, one for every year that Macra has been in existence. Members will walk through the night to carry a simple message: “We want a future in Rural Ireland”.
“Our members are not just coming with problems, though we have solutions, and on Wednesday April 26th we will hand in those solutions to Government to address these issues,” a spokesperson said.
Macra members and rural people from across the country will gather from 6pm April 25th in the centre of Athy before setting off for Dublin.
“The steps for our future action is organised by Macra Nationally and aims to highlight 8 key issues affecting Rural Youth.
- Accessing affordable housing and cumbersome housing planning guidelines
- Disjointed and sparse healthcare services for rural communities
- The Government’s definition of a family farm as ‘average’ and ‘typical’
- No recognition or engagement by Government on a farming succession scheme
- Lack of planning for the future of our rural communities informed by rural people
- Imposition of quotas on young farmers availing of grant aid support
- Lack of public transport for rural Ireland
- Proposals to reset large areas of rural Ireland
“Donegal Macra members are very exercised about these issues and ask all rural people to join with us in our days of action.”
