An action group demanding investment for Ballyshannon has decided to take its campaign to the streets in protest at "political inaction" over economic decline in the south Co Donegal town.
Representatives from political parties have been invited to the demonstration, planned for the week after next, and the group is also considering fielding a candidate at the next general election.
"What we need is one major industry that will put Ballyshannon back to where it was 10 years ago, but we believe there hasn't been the political will. Our constituency representatives have done very little," the secretary of the Ballyshannon Action Group, Ms Mary Duggan, said.
There is also anger that despite being short-listed, the town was not included in the recently-announced urban renewal tax scheme.
The chief executive of Erne Enterprise, a community-led economic development group, Mr Barney McLoughlin, said this was a serious blow. "The town has been going through decline for the past 25 years, mainly because of the Troubles. There was a checkpoint effectively in the town and this had a disastrous effect on trade and not just on cross-Border trade. People from the South saw it and turned back thinking they were at the Border," he said.
Mr McLoughlin, who is also a town commissioner, added: "The town deserves an injection, a chance to rekindle itself, and urban renewal could have made a difference." A study by the action group found that the population of the town had declined by 25 per cent over the past 10 years. The rate of unemployment is 20 per cent, twice the national average, and one in every five buildings is derelict or vacant.
Over recent years many jobs were lost with the closing of the Donegal Rubber factory and the scaling down of both an ESB hydro-electric station and Finner Army camp.
Ms Duggan said locals had set up a number of very successful projects and the town had a lot of facilities and natural amenities to offer but action at government level was needed.
The group also believes the south of the county is again losing out after the Fruit of the Loom crisis. Ms Duggan said it was a misnomer to call the task force set up by the Tanaiste, Ms Harney, the Donegal Employment Initiative, because its membership was so biased towards the northern end of the county.