TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

Swilly as a significant amenity, recreational resource and natural wildlife habitat. They also
managed to turn the town centre into a safe, accessible and attractive centre through the
introduction of new traffic management and car parking measures as well as the creation and
maintenance of new public spaces, thus reinforcing Letterkenny’s role as the principle
settlement in County Donegal, and a location for economic and industrial growth for the
northwest: a growth centre.
Society
Unlike the rest of the country where community spirit and organised religion has declined,
Letterkenny has continued to pride itself on its traditional albeit conservative values and
lifestyles. Generally, the people of Letterkenny have a good standard of living due to the
growing population and high levels of immigration experienced in the Post-Tiger years.
Integration is key. Huge investment was secured to promote Letterkenny as a fully integrated
model of social inclusion, keeping its own identity and remaining unique in this way. Classes or
workshops have allowed immigrants to be introduced to the language and into ‘our way of
thinking, our culture’. This gateway has become more of an integrated model rather than a
multicultural model of immigration policy.
A cultural recognition of “who we are in Letterkenny” has emerged and the role of the Irish
language has remained firm and stable whilst declining in other parts of the country. Even road
and transport infrastructure has continued to play a pivotal role in the regeneration of gaeltacht
areas combined with incentives for businesses to set up in these areas.
Energy
Following the peak oil crisis of 2011, Ireland was facing an energy problem much worse than was
generally recognised. However, Letterkenny saw this as an opportunity to bring economic as
well as environmental dividends to the region. It became a model for the rest of the country in
its development of its own supply of renewable energy and its promotion of more efficient
homes by 2030. Under the Letterkenny Urban Design Framework all houses built after 2009 were
energy efficient.
Letterkenny also became the gateway to another industry in the county’s most wild and scenic
areas. In 2007, the first prohibition of mining the hills of Donegal for the nuclear fuel uranium
came into effect, however this decision was called into question after legislation lifted the ban
to develop nuclear reactors on Irish shores. Uranium mining licences for the region of Donegal
were granted to two major corporations, Oretec and Mine Inc, which brought economic growth
and employment to the region.
In terms of the sustainable energy resources, such as wind and wave, Letterkenny in
conjunction with the Letterkenny Institute of Technology became the leading hub in the
development of wind and wave technology. Following the first successful launch of Ireland’s
wave power project off the coast of Donegal in 2015, Letterkenny started to reap the benefits
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