CROSS-BORDER CORRIDOR INITIATIVE | FORUM AND ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS PROBLEMS

‘Bridging the Border, Reconnecting Communities’ launched in Monaghan

The border corridor ‘mayors and chairs’ with Cavan/Monaghan TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin and Gerry Adams

NEWLY-ELECTED Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty joined Gerry Adams MP and Cavan/Monaghan TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin in Monaghan Town on Monday night, November 29th, to launch ‘Bridging the Border, Reconnecting Communities’, a major Sinn Féin initiative aimed at resolving problems associated with the border.
The inititiave is part of the new Uniting Ireland campaign (see Page 7).
‘Bridging the Border’ is being rolled out by 10 Sinn Féin mayors and chairs of local authorities along the border corridor.
This Sinn Féin-led initiative will collate views from a wide spectrum of public and community opinion on the many disadvantages of the border.
The public engagements will be led by Sinn Féin’s mayors and chairs within each council area and will contribute to the compilation and public launch of a report looking to address these problems.
Three hundred people turned out even on an icy, wintry Monday night to hear Gerry Adams say:
“There is no better time than at present with the economic realities as they are that we tackle the issues of repetition and duplication of services within this island.
“Along the border corridor, many communities are separated and isolated from their natural hinterlands and this leads to economic and social hardships along that corridor.
“Sinn Féin intends to help reconnect these communities to lessen the impact of these hardships. Our mayors and chairs will begin the task of liaising with their local stakeholders to identify problems that can be addressed.
“It is in everyone’s interest that we get the maximum input from all stakeholders so I would appeal with them to engage and work with us in resolving some of these problems.”

TEN Sinn Féin local authority leaders will provide the focus for ‘Bridging the Border, Reconnecting Communities’ in its engagement with people on the ground:-

Jackie Crowe
(Mayor of Monaghan Council)
Michaela Boyle
(Chair of Strabane District Council)
Stephen Huggett
(Chair of Fermanagh District Council)
Declan McAleer
(Chair of Omagh District Council)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
(Mayor of Buncrana District Council)
Mary Doyle
(Vice-Chair of Armagh District Council)
Michelle O’Neill
(Mayor of Dungannon District Council)
Cora Harvey
(Mayor of Donegal County Council)
John McNamee
(Chair of Cookstown District Council)
Mick Murphy
(Chair of Newry and Mourne District Council)