A major feature of life in Ireland from the late 1940's up to the early 1990's has been the steady stream of emigration by natives from this land, building on a sad century old tradition.

Ireland did not have the post war recovery and growth boom of the UK, Australia and the US. At the time native industry was subsistence based and largely agricultural. These offered little in the way of meaningful work to a large portion of the population. People were poor and there was no body of capital to re-balance that downward trend. As a result for many, the only way to earn a livelihood was to follow the emigration trail of previous generations.

However, there were three major differences in this emigrant population, particularly in those that have left Ireland in the last 30 years:

The Irish education system was starting to turn out highly educated people who given the opportunity to advance were likely to be very successful in their chosen careers. Where previously most people could only aspire to low paid, low value-add jobs (with little prospect for career growth), these newer emigrants were able to aspire to better quality careers.

In the era of mass air transportation, the old “one-way ticket” style of emigration was no more. Emigrants had the ability to return home on a regular basis, as well as having the ability to host relatives visiting from home.

Mass communications such as phone, internet and television ensured that regular contact with the home country became much easier, as did awareness of economic conditions back in Ireland.

With these developments of the late 20th century, the world became a much smaller place. Globalisation was starting to create opportunities for advancement and development almost anywhere. Distance was no longer the stumbling block it used to be.

There have also been issues with this explosion of major commercial advancement and globalisation. As larger cities attracted more people and commercial activity, the cost of living and the physical infrastructure/logistics of these places have begun to choke under the pressure of their own success. The world's cities are groaning at the seams.

Ireland - a tale of two coasts?

Let's look to the situation in our own capital, Dublin. Un-employment is at a historic low but the downside is that the average home in the Dublin region costs at least 10 times the average annual salary. This creates a scenario where it is often imperative that married couples both have to work not because they wish to, but because they have to in order to maintain mortgage repayments. On top of that the average commute to work is now 2 to 3 hours, which may not even involve a large distance (2 hours drive from Kilrush and you're definitely in Galway or beyond it, 2 hours from Dublin city centre and you may just be at Naas)! If that couple have children then the cost of crèche facilities amount to another mortgage for them to carry. In short, quality of life has eroded significantly for many people.

Today there is a great divide between the empty communities of the west and the cramped and chaotic industrial heartland of the east coast. This creates an opportunity for the west of Ireland.

Companies are now beginning to realise that this has to be addressed if they are to have contented workforces who will not burn out. Additionally a spiral of wage inflation can render it un-economic to operate from Ireland's east coast.

An opportunity for Kilrush

So what is the answer to the issues that face these employers and their workforces? This critical situation represents a marvelous opportunity for smaller communities like Kilrush to attract global and home grown business towards locations that not only have the infrastructure, but with it offer lower cost of living and a better work-life balance for employees. The big question is how to attract these employers and their staff?

Utilising our own “Wild Geese”

As previously detailed Ireland has always supplied large numbers of people to other countries by way of emigration. Today there is also massive migration to the east coast of Ireland, where realistically most companies have wanted to base themselves up to now due to the lack of a good road infrastructure in the west (hopefully this is now changing). These roads are being addressed but today often the more important highways are electronic in nature.

What can these “Wild Geese” do for their own native places like Kilrush? Would they want to do anything? Has anyone ever asked them in a co-ordinated fashion?

I'm too busy!

One of the problems that faces everyone today is that we are all very busy. We'd all love to help but with this and that there never seems to be time to get around to it! How do we get around that issue - by structuring an approach to make it easy for them to help Kilrush? Central to my approach is utilisation of the internet and the co-operation of the people of Kilrush.

The Internet

For almost everyone under the age of 30 the Internet is as common at the TV set or telephone. Even for those in older age groups it is now increasingly common to know at least a little about the Internet. What is certain is that most people are fascinated by the Internet and how it makes the world such a small place.

One key benefit of the Internet is that you can contact thousands, even millions of people without it costing you a fortune. You can also utilise the Internet to gather detailed information without having to involve large numbers of people in the collation of data. Prior to the Internet if you were to phone or send mail shots to a large group of people it would cost you a small fortune. Additionally contact by phone and regular mail is less likely to guarantee a response. Responses in writing have to be laboriously transcribed to some form of database, again a resource heavy approach.

A small business can reach the world!

Let me give you an example of the efficiencies the Internet offers. Let's say I have a bed and breakfast in West Clare and I want to attract customers. I have decided that the way to do this most effectively is to use the Internet. What can I do? If you create a website for your bed and breakfast and you have a PC at home then you can achieve the following:

With online photos potential customers can see every room of your house in colour without it costing you an arm and a leg. People like to see what they are getting.

You can maintain an online booking system so that the potential customer can check for themselves for availability on any given date. If you maintain an e-mail address you can offer a service to tell them more on their requirements.

You can update your rates or availability in seconds just by changing it on the website. If you had previously advertised in magazines or newspapers it is impossible to change the rate on media that is already issued and costly to do it on new paper media. With the Internet you change the rates or availability once and it gets to all your potential customers.

By getting your bed and breakfast on the appropriate Internet search engines (basically roadmaps to the internet) then your business is viewable by approx. 500 million people. Tell me anywhere else that you can advertise to 500 million people for an insignificant fee?

Your website can have a guest book where guests can detail their experiences to others to view. Word of mouth is the single best way to convince others that your offering is as good as you say.

By displaying additional information on transport, local pubs and restaurants, things to do etc., you build up an asset to your entire community and end up convincing others to use the Internet. A rising tide lifts all boats!

Is everyone on the Internet? No. Will you reach everyone? No. The reality is that you are focusing your efforts on one medium and focusing your efforts maximises your opportunity for success. This will be the cornerstone of my roving ambassadors' approach.

So how can we utilise the Internet to encourage industry and tourism to come to Kilrush?

Here is the central point to my proposal. Every mother, father, uncle and grandparent in Kilrush has contact with their sons, daughters and other relatives that no longer live in Kilrush. It may only be once or twice a year but they keep up that contact. These are the key resources you will use to spread your message and it will depend on their dedication to helping their own town be successful. It may even bring home some of those relatives.

My method consists of the following:

You take a simple blank post card. When you have put information on this post card you will make it available at local post office, church, banks and supermarkets and you will ask everyone to take a few. You'll want to print a few thousand but that should not cost a fortune.

What you will then be asking Kilrush natives to do is to hand this to their relatives the next time they see them or post it to them if they are far away. The contents of the post card will also be on http://www.westclare.com if you just wish the people to call that out over the phone to their relatives or e-mail them the details.

The key to this method will be its simplicity. You are not asking people to do a lot in just passing the card on to their relatives that live in other places.

What will be on the card?

The card should consist of the following:

A short message telling the reader about the existence of http://www.westclare.com . Tell them that it will be the central site for Kilrush to advance itself as a holiday destination for more people, a site for new industrial development and a means of keeping Kilrush natives in contact with their home town.

It will ask the reader if they have a contact e-mail address and if they are comfortable with giving that as a contact address for Kilrush to reach them.

It will ask the reader if they would like to see Kilrush becoming a more prosperous place.

It will ask them to go to http://www.westclare.com and complete a small survey which should not take longer than 15 minutes. If they do not access the Internet themselves perhaps their children or friends do, or possibly their work mates can help them do it.

It will ask them to forward the card to others that might be interested in helping or it should allow them to order cards from http://www.westclare.com

It will ask them would they personally be prepared to put in a little effort to sell Kilrush as a destination for employers and tourists. This to be a totally voluntary request.

And that is all. The rest will rely on those that receive the cards connecting to http://www.westclare.com at least once. All that you ask the people of Kilrush to do is to get the card to these many relatives that no longer live in Kilrush, or distant cousins who may be interested in helping. At very worst you'll wake them to the existence of the website.

Utilising http://www.westclare.com

Today it is great to see the website in place but there is one problem with it. It is a poster for Kilrush, not an acting, working website. All the information there is static. If I go there once and read all the data on it, there is nothing to attract me back a second time, since I know nothing has changed! To make the website work for you it needs at least the following components:

It must capture visitor information at minimum by having a well structured guest book.

It must be regularly updated with current events happening in the area. By regularly I mean weekly at least. People don't come back to sites that are not updated.

Any e-mail addressed published on http://www.westclare.com must always answer e-mails they receive, again at a minimum of once a week. There is nothing more frustrating for a user of a website than to not get a response to a request for information. If the website publishes a contact it must always answer e-mails.

The site must be a portal for local businesses and services, where they can advertise for a modest fee and have the ability to update their advertisements regularly.

A bulletin board is useful for building the site as a communication vehicle for regular visitors to the site.

It should contain a survey section will be utilise to gather information from the post card project.

In short you need a regular webmaster that will be responsible for the ongoing administration and upkeep of the site. This person will have to be proficient in web authoring, have good communications skills and be genuinely interested in the development of Kilrush. It should not be difficult to find such a person and the amazing thing is that the person need not necessarily reside in Kilrush. They can be anywhere in the world but must have at least e-mail contact to someone in Kilrush that monitors e-mail regularly.

Back to the roving ambassadors, how do they come into the picture?

There are a number of ways the wider Kilrush family can help the town and most do not involve a large effort.

Attracting tourists

Kilrush and the Mid Western region regularly produce excellent brochures, posters and info sheets on what to do, where to stay in the region. The problem is getting them in front of a prospective audience.

Here's a simple start point on a tourist campaign. In the survey on the website ask the question “If you work in an environment where there are many employees or customers, would you be prepared to put up PR material for Kilrush on a notice board or other prominent place?” If the respondent answers yes they should be asked for a contact address and an information/tourist pack on Kilrush should be dispatched to them. Since these packs are a little more expensive you are appealing to their civic pride in Kilrush to follow through for you. The PR material should always feature web addresses and e-mail addresses also since these are much easier ways of attracting tourists from markets such as the US, UK or Germany.

Additionally do not forget to host links to other communities or offerings in West Clare. It is the overall packages that West Clare offers that will usually attract people, so work with your colleagues in other places and share links with each other.

Again I emphasis that it is most important that e-mails to the site are answered or a website becomes counter productive.

Attracting industrial development

Some potential questions to have on a survey section of the website.

A survey question should be “do you work or engage with companies that may have the potential to expand or address markets in Europe? Do a short explanation of the objective of your question - Kilrush is actively seeking companies that have the potential to establish industries or services in Kilrush and it is the belief of the steering committee that Kilrush offers many advantages which they would wish to outline to potential investors. Initially all you are asking of the survey participants is that they think about the question “Is there a way that they could help drive your message?”.

Next question could be “are you in a position within your company to influence its planning or strategy?”. While 99% of people will probably say no, there is no doubt that there are successful Kilrush natives out there that occupy positions of influence. Even if their own company cannot offer any opportunities, these people are often well networked within their industry and could do much to spread the message.

Another question would be “if there was an opportunity for a good quality of life and secure employment in Kilrush, would you or others you know be interested in looking at that option”. Many people that are settled elsewhere with families may not wish to move, but others may be considering it if the opportunity arose. They may wish to be kept current on opportunities that arise.

Next question could be “if not a student or retired, can you detail the industry that you work in”. As with all questions to answer it is entirely voluntary. What you are trying to establish from this is the potential for such industries to be based in a place like Kilrush. Some would be immediately ruled out while others would be worth following up on.

Next question could be “are you interested in helping the Kilrush Steering Committee in furthering their case for attracting employment to the town?”. This could involve anything from sending them a town prospectus to having them directly involved in introducing the committee to potential opportunity. Self-made businessmen may also be interested in investigating their own opportunities for benefiting by listening to the case for Kilrush.

Another question could be “do you know or have any contacts that may be interested in discussing potential business opportunities in Kilrush”.

There are many other questions you could think of, most of which are best thought up by the steering committee. To those of you that are skeptical that there would be any gain from this, consider the following:

You are reaching a potential audience of 500 million and the more you publicise it the more that the information will spread. Information spread via e-mail or the Internet can spread like a chain mail.

You are targeting the people that are most likely to go out of their way to help you. Most people have a great pride in their hometown and its ongoing success.

The database of information that you gather on the website can be the basic building block for identifying who and where is out there to help you. The resources are there, you just need to identify them!

There are literally millions of people of Kilrush descent that are genuinely interested in seeing Kilrush succeed. I have met only a few but I know them to be genuinely proud of their ancestral home. Many of them have become very successful in their own careers and have the potential to open doors for you.

What about all those people not on the internet?

The key to this approach is that you stay focussed on one target. The Internet is the largest potential target so that is where you should put your trust. While to us in Ireland the Internet is a new and novel concept, in many other countries it is a normal part of everyday life to spend a couple of hours a day online. Most importantly the vast majority of your potential customers and investors will be online, whereas they might not even return you a phone call. The Internet allows you an opportunity to present your wares in a way that brochures and the telephone never can. Most importantly the visitor drives the information gathering, saving you the administrative overhead.

How do you engage those that are interested in helping, but may be too far away to physically meet?

I would suggest that the Kilrush website should host a bulletin board where people can come and interact with each other. A bulletin board is basically an electronic notice board where people can come and ask a question or look for information of the board, and anyone can see that and then answer them. Bulletin boards can then lead to direct e-mail or phone contacts and from there you can build interested parties into your roving ambassadors for Kilrush. As the group builds I would suggest that Kilrush publish a regular electronic newsletter to these people to keep them aware of developments and also to enlist their help where possible.

Why do I believe this will succeed?

I am one person that has left Kilrush to build myself a career elsewhere. When I look back to my school pals of the 1970's it's astonishing to think of how many of them I am now in contact with electronically via e-mail, and also astonishing to consider the success stories amongst them. Millionaires are not uncommon, nor are company directors or independent business people who are very successful in their own endeavours. They are all proud of where they come from and will help if there is an established method for them to do so.

Potential opportunities abound!

Looking from a distance it is clear to me that Kilrush has a number of things going for it that should be exploited:

Turn the town again towards the Shannon Estuary. Mariculture, marine leisure activities, dolphin watching, sea commerce, Scattery Island they are all there ready to be exploited! Nowhere else on the western seaboard is so well served by such an abundance of opportunity from the sea.

At less than 30 minutes drive from Ennis and with the road improvements going in to Ennis, Shannon, Limerick and Galway - Kilrush is within the commuter belt of these places. Your long-term goal is not to be a dormer town for industries elsewhere but attracting dwellers is the first step to establishing the town. A one hour commute if your house is €70,000 less than a house in Dublin or New York is a choice many people would make, if they have employment.

Service or web based industries - once you have employees such electronic services can be based anywhere in the world, but you have a special attraction for young well educated Irish people who want a good lifestyle and career in their home country.

Government agencies or departments - maritime agencies should be a natural target but nothing is out of reach. Much depends on your willingness to work diligently to convince the government of the value add and potential that Kilrush has.

Doonbeg Golf Links and Kilkee are natural partners to ally yourself with in terms of detailing the leisure and work life balance opportunities that exist in Kilrush. When people are attracted to these places either for business or pleasure, give them a reason to include Kilrush in the picture. You could land a seaplane in the marina or on the estuary whereas you could not in Kilkee or Doonbeg. Ever consider the potential for helicopter or seaplane drop off at Kilrush to supply golfers to Doonbeg? Communities that work together are successful together. The growth and success of all West Clare communities are inter-related.

Confident and well-educated young people - These are the lifeblood of a community and in the 21st century why should they have to go the way of the 19th and 20th centuries by leaving? Some will always choose to go, but at least in this century they should have an opportunity to have a career in their hometown.

Do you know that millions of Americans would gladly pay money to track down their ancestry in Ireland and today there is no company in Ireland that offers such a service? I am not talking about voluntary services or commendable FAS services but a full time company engaged in ancestry tracking.

In conclusion

As the first step in driving the success of Kilrush in the 21st century I would say to you “look to your own first for help”. You already have thousands of ambassadors for this town that are spread all over the world. Why not offer them the opportunity to more formally assist you in any way they can. At very least you will establish a powerful network which will re-invigorate the town itself.

Let's drive to reverse the tide of emigration in the 21st century and bring Kilrush back to its proud position of capital of West Clare.

Appendix:

On the next page is a rough idea of what you would want on the cards. Certainly you might want to make it less wordy but you'll want to get the basic message across.

Signed:

Pat Cusack

E-mail: patricu@hotmail.com

Amended on 9 March 2003 by

Charles W. Glynn,

Kilrush Chamber of Commerce

E-mail: kilrushchamber@eircom.net

Web: http://www.westclare.com

Kilrush Calling!

Kilrush Chamber of Commerce

http://www.westclare.com

We'd like to make contact with Kilrush and West Clare natives all around the globe so that they can once again be part of this community via the internet.

Kilrush wants to re-generate itself in the 21st century and is keen to keep its extended family up to date via http://www.westclare.com

The easiest way to do that is for the resident community in Kilrush to reach out and make that contact for us!

There is a short survey on the website which is there to help Kilrush get to know the Global Kilrush Family who may have an interest in the future success of their home town or may juts want to make contact with old friends.

What we'd like you to do with this card (your choice):

Post it to friends and family that are originally from Kilrush or have lived here at some time. Even your most distant cousins are often interested in where they came from.

If you are on the Internet yourself, tell your friends and family about http://www.westclare.com by e-mailing them that link.

Next time you call someone abroad ask them to check out http://www.westclare.com . If they cannot use the internet then perhaps their children or neighbours can help.

Tell non Kilrush people about http://www.westclare.com and the efforts going on to regenerate the West Clare area.

Make yourself, your family and friends ambassadors for KILRUSH !

West Clare - One of Ireland's Best Kept Secrets

www.westclare.com

Kilrush Chamber of Commerce

Frances Street, Kilrush, Co. Clare, Ireland.

Telephone: +353 65 905 1061 Fax: +353 65 905 1002

E-mail: Kilrush Chamber of Commerce

Web: www.westclare.com

Web development by Kilrush Internet Bureau.