Limerick community 'inspire' after hosting first key meeting to improve rural life

BALLYHOURA Development hosted its first meeting with the Regional Stakeholders Group in one Limerick venue to provide an overview of the INSPIRE Project.

On September 11, the organisations met at Coote Hall in Kilmallock, to discuss the co-funded EU project and its implications for communities, individuals, and enterprises in the Ballyhoura region on the Limerick-Cork border.

The meeting underscored the growing importance of digital solutions for rural communities and laid the foundation for future policy changes to drive local development. 

The aim of the INSPIRE Interreg Europe Project is to make rural areas in EU countries more appealing to residents, tourists, and new inhabitants - this is called the Smart Villages rationale. 

The project, which stands for Innovative and Smarter Policy Instruments for Europe, provides the opportunities to learn, adopt, and adapt innovative solutions for developing smart and digitised communities.

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The project also aims to encourage a smart shift in conscious and forward-thinking rural areas.

Amanda Slattery, development manager at Ballyhoura Development, said: “Utilising the Smart Villages rationale, specifically through digitisation, will go a long way toward lessening the urban-rural divide within the framework of community-led development.”

With participation from Limerick City and County Council, Teagasc, the Irish Farmers Association, Cork County Council, various social enterprises, and representatives from community and voluntary organisations, the event fostered a collaborative exchange of ideas.

This included the promotion of digital inclusion through the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP).

Key discussions focused on improving policy instruments, particularly SICAP, to foster digital inclusion across communities.