DOZENS of people gathered at Craoibhín Community and Enterprise Centre to hear how Termon is leading the way in Ireland’s remote working revolution.
CoWork Plus is an initiative that offers office space where people can operate without having to commute.
But attendees at the project’s launch heard how the Termon centre has become more than just office units, it has grown into a community where friendships, both personal and professional, have developed.
Set up in 2019, today CoWork Plus accommodates nine individuals who work in a diverse range of industries, from the gig economy to the planning sector to An Post to medical recruitment.
Among those in attendance at the launch was Joe McHugh TD along with representatives from the Western Development Commission, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Donegal Local Development Company. Tracy Keogh of Grow Remote, a not for profit whose goal is to normalise remote working by making it more accessible, also addressed the audience.
Attendees were told that the idea for developing a co-working facility within the Craoibhín centre was drawn up by Fred Gallagher and funded through the Leader Project.
Councillor Michael McBride, who is a board member, said it was “ahead of its time” when it started with four co-working spaces.
It has developed into a “great asset” for the nine businesses that now use it, he added.
Such has been its growth that CoWork Plus is no longer just a Donegal project. Partnerships have sprung up in France, Spain, Latvia and Wales, Councillor McBride revealed.
Pauric Fingleton Donegal Local Development Company (DLDC) said the facility was “remote but not remote” in that service users, while individual in terms of business interests, are part of a team.
“Here people are talking to people, they are coming up with ideas. You are part of a community,” Mr Fingleton said, adding that the launch was “only the start” for the project.
Chief Executive of the Western Development Commission, Tomás Ó Siocháin, said it was “time to change the narrative” and to get people nationally realising that through projects like CoWork Plus, there are opportunities beyond places like Dublin.
Chief Executive of the Western Development Commission, Tomás Ó Siocháin.
“This is a time for the west to step forward,” he said.
“We need to turn the country around and get them to look west, look to the coast and to the Atlantic sea. We want to build on what the communities here have being doing for years.
“We want to get the message out that this is the best place to work and live. What we need to do now is bring others around to our way of thinking,” the Western Development CEO said.
Chief Executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta, Mícheál Ó hÉanaigh, spoke of his delight at how CoWork Plus has developed and grown in recent years.
He said the friendships that have been formed along with the networking and the exchange of ideas made it unlike anything happening elsewhere in Ireland.
“We are going to be very busy over the next few years and we are very much looking forward to that,” Mr Ó hÉanaigh added.
More of the dignitaries who attended the launch in Termon.
Tracy Keogh of Grow Remote said the message her organisation wanted to get out, particularly to young people, was that if they wanted a pursue a career in a major city then they could do that. But also that if they wanted to stay closer to home then there was a real opportunity to do so.
“It’s superb what you are doing and what you are doing here is nothing like anything we have experienced before. I’m very excited to be here and to see it happening,” said Ms Keogh.
As well as to Fred Gallagher, the man who came up with the idea of remote working in Termon, tributes were paid to DLDC’s Frank Kelly and to Craoibhín Centre Manager Mary Doherty and her team.
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT EDITION TODAY
and get access to our archive editions dating back to 2007(CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE)