Fingal Mayor sends message of solidarity to towns and cities in the EU iPlace programme

Fingal Mayor Eoghan O’Brien has sent his best wishes and a message of solidarity to towns and cities across the EU which, like Balbriggan, are part of the iPlace initiative.

The initiative brings together places across the EU with similar issues to focus on identifying and strengthening local economic development opportunities through plans such as Our Balbriggan, and consolidates Ireland’s ties with Europe.

iPlace members exchange learning and experiences in dealing with their respective challenges to find niches for sustainable local economic development.

In a video, Mayor O’Brien sent his greetings from Ireland’s youngest town, and expressed his regret that he could not meet his fellow mayors in person.

“On behalf of Fingal County Council we are really pleased about the recent announcement by the EU’s URBACT programme that the town of Balbriggan will be joining you on Phase II of the IPlace journey,” he said.

“Just like our fellow iPlace members we have faced the challenge of Covid-19 in Balbriggan over the past few months, but restrictions have started to ease in the recent weeks, and will continue to do so into July.

“iPlace gives Balbriggan a great opportunity to learn from the experiences of other towns, to express our solidarity with them, and to share what we have learned from our own challenges and successes.

“This is particularly important now that Balbriggan is facing the aftermath of the restrictions, which will affect our lives for some time to come.

“Ireland’s lockdown was observed by the people of Balbriggan, who were restricted to within 2kms of their homes except for vital trips.

“Even now, when restrictions are easing and our businesses are beginning to re-open, people are maintaining two metres social distancing.

“The people of Balbriggan has relied on local businesses and shops throughout the lockdown, and in the coming weeks and months the businesses of the town will be relying on the community to help them recover from the economic impact.

“Of course, these are the kinds of challenges that are faced by all of the other members of the iPlace programme, and through sharing our experiences we can enrich each other, our economies and communities.”

The Mayor concluded his message by saying that he looked forward to a time when the mayors of the various towns and cities would be able to meet in person and celebrate their shared futures together.

“Fingal welcomes the opportunity offered by membership of the iPlace initiative to share experiences to rebuild the business sectors of our towns and cities in the coming months,” said Emer O’Gorman, Director of Economic Enterprise and Tourism at Fingal County Council.

“There is also much that Balbriggan has to offer to other towns and cities, such as the Our Balbriggan plan, to find niches for sustainable local economic development.”

The city of Amarante in Portugal is leading the iPlace Project, which also includes Gabrovo (Bulgaria), Grosseto (Italy), Heerlen (Netherlands), Kočevje (Slovenia), Medina del Campo (Spain), Pärnu (Estonia), Pori (Finland), Saldus (Latvia) as well as Balbriggan.