A huge dwelling-house surrounded by extensive out-buildings situated on thousands of acres of land and all owned by one family who rarely visit.
Properly utilised and developed this property has endless possibilities for promoting the local economy on one hand while providing a national asset on the other.
With a planned cultivation of the gardens and woodlands the estate would prove a wonderful tourist attraction providing much-needed employment locally.
Moreover, since this estate is in the heart of the Donegal gaeltacht it would open a door to a project dear to my own heart and that of many others … an Irish language campus specialising in teaching the native tongue to communities unfamiliar with the ancient culture.
Put simply, this is an issue of national interest and not one that should not be confined to Dún Lúiche or even Co Donegal.
Under such circumstances, I would invite the Guinness family to engage with the state in an effort to agree a strategy for the best possible use of this asset. A strategy that would be to the mutual benefit of all living on this island.
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| Micheál Choilm Mac Giolla Easbuig is an independent councillor on Donegal County Council. |
