Brendan Smith: Backs Ulster Canal, Warns on Brexit Risks
Brendan Smith addressed a committee presentation on cross-border regional development, welcoming partnership work and urging progress on projects such as the Ulster Canal. He warned that Brexit, climate change and the COVID pandemic create ongoing challenges for export-dependent sectors including farming, agri-food, tourism, hospitality, engineering and construction.
Praise for cross-border partnerships
Brendan Smith welcomed the presenters and said the session demonstrated the value of meeting with cross-border partnerships such as ICBAN, the East Border Region and the North West Partnership. He noted their work in informing local communities, including useful material on Brexit prepared by Cathy Hayward, and encouraged continued contact with the shared island unit.
Call to progress the Ulster Canal
He strongly endorsed development of the Ulster Canal, citing existing government commitment and arguing restoration should proceed incrementally and as soon as possible. He pointed to the Ballycon and Ballymore canal restoration and the Shannon Waterway as examples of how waterway projects can generate economic activity and boost tourism.
Economic risks from Brexit and market dependence
Brendan Smith highlighted the heavy dependence of many local companies on the British market and the cross-border nature of early export patterns. He said businesses in Cavan‑Monaghan and neighbouring counties often start by exporting across the border or to Britain, making them vulnerable to Brexit-related disruption.
Education, skills and remote working
He argued for a greater emphasis on further and higher education on an all‑Ireland basis, including work to build capacity with colleges of further education in Northern Ireland and their counterparts here. He also raised the topic of remote working and sought information on cooperation with local authorities on that issue.
Rural dispersal and sector strengths
Brendan Smith underlined the challenges posed by a dispersed, rural population and the lack of a single major urban centre, noting strengths in farming, agri-food, tourism, hospitality, engineering and construction. He pointed to successful cross-border initiatives such as the Marble Arch Burran Park UNESCO Geopark, developments at the Shannon Pot and the Kilke boardwalk as models to build on for regional economic activity.
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Could I just welcome Eamon, the Cahirleach and Shane as well and welcome the presentation. It's a very positive outline of the potential of our region and I'm very glad that I'd suggested when this committee was first formed during the life of this Dáil that we meet with the different cross-border partnerships through the local authorities such as ICBAN and your presentation here demonstrates the value of meeting with yourselves. Similarly when we met with representatives of the shared island unit I emphasized to them that there was a huge amount of knowledge and cooperation model existing through the East Border Region, the North West Partnership and ICBAN and that that should be utilized. I understand that the shared island unit has considerable contact with yourselves and others and I sincerely hope that that can be built upon. Just could I also compliment you over the past number of years you've done a lot of work in the whole area of Brexit and I read all the material that particularly Cathy Hayward had put together or had contributed to and was very useful in informing our local communities and was very useful in informing our local communities of the particular challenges that exist due to Brexit. Could I also just welcome the fact that you identify areas of particular strength that we have in that general area. You mentioned about the importance of the farming and the agri-food sector, tourism and hospitality, also engineering and construction products and the particular challenges that are shared throughout this island and elsewhere. In dealing with Brexit, climate change and the COVID pandemic. Could I also just say with regard to, you mentioned in particular and Councillor David Maxwell would be a strong advocate for this the same as myself and other public representatives in the Cameron Monaghan region area is the development of the Ulster Canal. Well there's strong government commitment in that respect and that needs to be progressed as soon as possible. It was always on the basis that it would be incremental that it would be restored. And as I saw in my own home area, the restoration of the then Ballycon and Ballymore Canal that led to the establishment of the construction of the Earth and Shannon Waterway has been a powerful source of economic activity and an attraction for our major tourism attraction for our region. So I would wholeheartedly concur with you in regard to the importance of the Ulster Canal and the Blueberries, Greenways, all of that that can be downstream benefits as well from the Ulster Canal development. Could I also just say that I think as an area that I think as an area that's the central border area, you take other areas like the Dublin-Belfast corridor, regardless of what challenges there are, be it Brexit, pandemic or other economic downturns that will happen worldwide on a cyclical basis, the Dublin-Belfast corridor that will look after itself. It's areas like the counties that your partnership represents that will face particular challenges when there are economic downturns. And you just you highlighted the areas that we have particular strengths in agri-food, engineering, tourism, hospitality. Most of them where we're exporting products. The British market is the is the key market in that respect and dealing with companies both on both sides of the border. I know that many of the companies that initially the first export market for a Cavan Monaghan company is for Manit or Onarmac is to Northern Ireland. Similarly, our neighboring counties north of the border, they often depend on the southern market as the first export outlet. And then subsequently they go on to grow and export predominantly to Britain. So there are huge challenges there for many of our companies because of their heavy dependence on the British market. So we have to be conscious of the ongoing challenges of Brexit. Could I also just say you mentioned that we don't have one major urban center. You take our two neighboring partnerships area, naturally in the east border region, they have huge growth centers and huge urban centers, which are beneficial to them. And likewise, Derry Donegal, the Northwest partnership. It is Derry and Netterkenny, which are major centers. And fortunately for them, they have a university institute of technology. All of that are important ingredients in contributing to an area's economic success. So I think we have to keep focusing on the particular challenges that face us because of the dispersed nature of our population. And the fact that those counties by and large are rural counties. You also mentioned education. In the context of the development of technological universities in this state, I'm one of the believers who thinks we should have a greater emphasis on the provision of education, particularly farther and higher level education on an Ireland basis. Have you been doing any work with the colleges of further education in Northern Ireland and their counterparts here in this state in relation to building up the capacity in that respect to provide education and training in a much greater focused area in those particular areas? Could I also just say that when you talk about the Ulster Canal and the opportunities there are to grow tourism, we also should take as a relatively recent example of the Marble Arch Burran Park, UNESCO Geopark. That has been very, very successful. And thankfully, there will be further developments at the Shannon Pot and we know that the Kilke boardwalk and the success of it. So I think there are good examples of cross border cooperation that has been happening over the past 15 or 20 years in particular. And I think in advocating for a region, we must continue to identify other projects that can bring that additional economic activity to the area and build on the natural strengths as well. So I just want to conclude on that point. And I would just ask in regard to remote working, have you in cooperation with the local authorities been doing more advanced work in relation to broadband, quite rightly, but in regard to the possibility of more remote working and bringing people back to live in those areas that you represent? Because of the new way of doing work and the new way of doing work and the new way of maybe hybrid working model or working from home. So I would just like your particular comment on that, Cahir League. Thank you. I am going to have a question. Thank you. Thank you.
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