At that time, there were serious shortcomings with access to the islands and health and other essential services were completely inadequate.<\/p>\n
Due to lack of funds and the difficulties inherent in running a voluntary organisation of islanders without administrative support, Comhdh\u00e1il stopped functioning after a few years.<\/p>\n
In 1993, Comhdh\u00e1il Oile\u00e1in na h\u00c9ireann was re-established and became a co-operative in 1994. Comhdh\u00e1il then succeeded in getting recognition as a Leader II company, was granted \u00a31.3m initially and was able to open an office (in Inis O\u00edrr, the smallest of the Aran islands) and employ full-time staff.<\/p>\n<\/div>
In 1998 Comhdh\u00e1il succeeded in getting funding under the European New Opportunities for Women programme and 106 women from 16 islands participated in the two-year programme.<\/p>\n
Comhdh\u00e1il then administers the National Rural Development Programme (NDRP) for the islands and was allocated \u20ac1.845m for the period 2002-2006.<\/p>\n
Comhdh\u00e1il was a founder member of the European Small Islands Network (ESIN), set up in 2001 and was the lead partner in an interregional project, funded by Interreg IIIc.<\/p>\n
In 2005, Comhdh\u00e1il succeeded in getting funding from the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht affairs to employ a Manager who would work independently of the NDRP and other programmes and develop Comhdh\u00e1il’s policy nationally. This post was funded initially until the end of 2007 and was extended to the end of 2008.<\/p>\n<\/div>
The greatest concern expressed by communities in all of our member islands is the decline in their populations. Halting or indeed reversing that trend requires work on a number of fronts:<\/p>\n
Access to and from the islands has improved dramatically in the last ten years or so and the Department is committed to upgrading piers on many of the islands and providing airstrips on Inishbofin in Galway and Toraigh in Donegal.<\/p>\n
In order to make island living attractive, we also must ensure that adequate health, education, waste management, childcare and social services are provided.<\/p>\n
Tourism is an important part of the economy on most of the islands and in order to boost tourism to the islands, a new tourism marketing campaign.<\/p>\n
The provision of renewable energy is an issue of increasing importance and urgency, particularly for islands. Comhdh\u00e1il, in partnership with the Department and Sustainable Energy Ireland, is committed to encouraging and supporting the development of renewable energy projects on the islands. We are currently embarking on an interregional project aimed at training islanders both how to conserve and generate renewable energy.<\/p>\n
We are fortunate that the funding programmes we administer and manage enable us to implement policies by supporting, for example, tourism projects or alternative energy projects at a local, national and transnational level. The Interreg\u00a0 project, for which we are the lead partner, is also establishing examples of good practice on small European islands which will inform Comhdh\u00e1il\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n
We are currently prioritising other policy issues to be pursued in the next few years.<\/p>\n<\/div>