Donegal’s low incomes figures are proof that the county is being left behind, according to Donegal County Councillor Michael Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig.
New CSO figures have revealed that Donegal people have the lowest average incomes in Ireland. The average household in Donegal takes in €32,259, which is €12,000 below the national average and half of the highest earning region in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown ( €66,203).
The figures from 2016 are “shocking”, says Glenties area Cllr Mac Giolla Easbuig.
“They only confirm what everyone in County Donegal has known for a long time, that we have been left behind by the political establishment,” he said.
The Independent Cllr has criticised Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil for the current state of affairs. He said: “Since the foundation of the state, this county has been neglected, deprived of infrastructure and abandoned by the politicians we elect to represent us.
“We are now raising our children to emigrate, knowing full well that they are not coming back because, knowing the statistics in this article, they won’t be able to afford a mortgage to buy or build a home. And the policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael mean that there is no social housing for them.”
Cllr Mac Giolla Easbuig is calling for a change for the future of the county.
He said: “This is a cycle that we need to break. We can’t keep voting for the same parties and expect them to act differently this time because of some promise they make at election time. We owe it to our children to change the way we vote and the way we organize ourselves.”