Old photo recalls self-starting Kilcullen
The programme was a repeat broadcast from the opening episode back in September, with Phillip Boucher-Hayes examining the nation's pay packets — tackling everything from gender pay gaps and the 'gig economy' to what we most value about our jobs.
That programme is worth a look at any time, as it poses real questions about those racing ahead and those being left far behind in our 'resurgent' economy, and you can do so here until 9 May.
But the photograph of a 'Factory Sites Available' sign in Kilcullen — with the comment during the programme on how the Lemass government was changing Ireland from an inward-looking country to an open and growing economy — is a reminder of a time when a group of local people took the future of Kilcullen into their own hands.
In doing so, Kilcullen Development Association put in train a process which was far ahead of future government policies, including IDA advance factories, and the provision of affordable housing.
It's a great story, and out of its own local history, there are probably still lessons for today.
