“We need another Fr McDyer” - fears for future of rural Donegal villages

An innovative housing development driven by the determination of Fr James McDyer in Glencolmcille 50 years ago could be a model for today’s housing crisis.

But is there anyone around today with the famous priest’s vision, tenacity and charisma?

That is the question raised by one resident of Fr James McDyer Terrace, Paddy Beag Gillespie. He believes that, as was the case 50  years ago, young people in rural villages are being neglected by the government and the local authority when it comes to housing.

“We need another Fr McDyer,” said Mr Gillespie. 

“He saw the need for accommodation in that time, housing for the people of this area. There was no move by the local government, or of Donegal County Council even dreaming of building here. 

“He went after it. He was difficult to refuse. He was brilliant like that.

“It is the same today. There is dire need for housing for young people in Glencolmcille at the moment, and not a hope in hell that the local government and the council are going to do something about it. We have no-one at the table. The nearest representative is Killybegs.”
Fr James McDyer is remembered for his incredible dedication to saving the community of Glencolmcille from being decimated by youth emigration, as was the fate of so many other rural villages.

He was the driving force behind Glencolmcille Folk Village, helping to bring tourists to the area. Those visitors needed somewhere to stay, and so holiday homes were also developed and jobs were created. 

And if local people were to stay in the area and help the community to thrive, they needed somewhere to live. Frustrated by the lack of action from the local authorities, Fr McDyer again took matters into his own hands. 

“He got the go ahead to build these houses,” said Mr Gillespie. “There were a lot of difficulties, with cashflow and with it falling with the cement strikes.”
But where there was a will, there was a way, particularly when Fr McDyer was at the helm.

“There was trouble with the banks. I don’t know how he did it, but I know everyone got paid,” continued Mr Gillespie. 

“The old Eargail Eisc factory took us under their wings at the time and completed the houses.”

The cement strike was a major problem in the early seventies, forcing many builders out of business or into emmigration. 

Again, Fr McDyer found a solution.

“Due to his contacts and his good friends in the six counties at the time, two loads of cement arrived between midnight and morning in Glencolmcille,” said Mr Gillespie. “It finished the houses anyway.”

It was a very proud day for the community when they moved into the houses in 1972. And it was also a proud day for Fr McDyer when the estate name was unveiled and he saw that it had been called after him. 

“It was very apt that we named it after him,” said Mr Gillespie. “He was here the day we unveiled Fr McDyer Terrace. It was a proud gesture.”

To this day, that pride of place is alive and well.

“It is so well kept,” said Mr Gillespie. “The tour buses stop to look at the flowers and the gardens, particularly at this time of year when everything is in bloom.”

The community gathered last weekend to mark 50 years of Fr McDyer Terrace.

“It was a tremendous day, a powerful gathering of people  in the hills,” said Mr Gillespie. 

“We gather too often for tragedies and deaths. It was good to see something we could enjoy.”
As the dust settles on the celebrations, it is sobering to think that this community, and others like it around Donegal are still battling many of the same challenges. 

And if rural businesses, schools and communities are to survive, housing for young people is a crucial element.

“We feel forgotten by Donegal County Council,” said Mr Gillespie. “There are a lot of young couples in Glencolmcille that really need housing of their own. When you haven’t got someone with the charisma that Fr McDyer had to present your case, it’s hard to know how it will end up.”