'˜More needs to be done for investment in Derry'

Peter Casey is currently running for a seat in Seanad Eireann.

He was nominated by business grou Ibec in the Republic of Ireland to sit on the Seanad’s Industrial and Commercial panel.

Son of the late Leo and the late Patsy Casey, the Seanad hopeful operates a large property portfolio in the North West and is CEO of Claddagh Resources, an international recruitment company.

He currently divides his time between Atlanta in the U.S, Dublin and Inishowen, where he has offices and recently purchased a home. He has already committed to returning to Ireland to live if he is successful in the Seanad race.

He told the ‘Journal’ he was disillusioned in particular with how Inishowen had been left behind during the economic recovery in Ireland.

“Inishowen is the forgotten part of Donegal - which is already deemed the forgotten county and, has someone who has a business there, it’s incredibly frustrating.

“You only have to look at the broadband issues in the area and then wonder why there’s such a lack of investment.”

The former Dragons’ Den member says rural decline will be a priority for him in his campaign for the Seanad.

Speaking about Derry, he says the city is looking better than ever, but he believes more needs to be done to drive the local economy.

“As someone who doesn’t live in Derry, I don’t take for granted at all how far the city has come. It looks superb and it’s so incredibly picturesque. I think a lot more needs to be done to encourage entrepreneurship and what concerns me is the fact that we’re becoming so State dependant. I think we need to have more innovation centres and that we should encouraging people to begin in business by offering tax incentives.”