Mr Martin Conboy, a neighbour of the Doyle family in Carane, has urged people living in rural areas to continue their support for the rural resettlement programme, despite the tragic deaths at the weekend. Mr Conboy is a member of the board of management of the local national school, Enfield National School. He said the arrival of the Doyle family in the area, under the rural resettlement scheme, made a big difference to the two-teacher school.
"At the time, we were glad to get any kids because there was a danger of losing a teacher. It was because of those kids, and a few other kids that came in, it was kept at the two-teacher stage."
Mr Conboy hoped the deaths would not lessen the appeal of the rural resettlement scheme for other communities, particularly in areas where a declining population posed a threat to the future viability of small schools.
"I would like to think that people from city areas will be welcome in rural areas," he said.
"This year we had a meeting hoping to attract some other family to the area, because we need a few more people coming in this coming season. This has been a bitter blow."
He hoped people would not turn away from the rural resettlement project. "You can't be narrow minded: you have to give everyone a chance. It's hard enough to get development in rural areas and keep people in it."
Rural Resettlement Ireland began as a voluntary resettlement scheme in west Clare in 1990.
It was set up by Mr Jim Connolly, the current RRI chairman, to help reverse rural population decline while relieving cities, particularly Dublin, of overcrowding. It has so far settled 290 families in 19 mainly western counties, with a further 3,500 families on its waiting list.
Mr Paul Murphy, administrator with RRI, which is a non-profit organisation, said yesterday that, after seven years, 80 per cent of families had successfully resettled.
Others had moved away from where they originally resettled but just a few had returned to cities.
About 60 per cent of RRI funding comes from the Department of the Environment. The money is spent on relocating families Generally Some 25 per cent of the families who have moved have a person in full-time employment, with 40 per cent in part-time employment. About 23 per cent own their homes, either through county council mortgages or their own funds.
Some 20 families have benefited from a new 100 per cent mortgage scheme, funded by RRI, the Bank of Ireland and the Department of the Environment. Under the scheme, the first under which unemployed people are granted mortgages by the private sector, RRI advances £6,000 in a non-repayable loan. The Bank of Ireland provides loans up to £12,000, with APR repayments at 5.7 per cent, with the local authority providing up to £15,000, at the same rates. The maximum mortgage available is £33,000.