OPINION: The terrible cost of opportunities lost

The words of the late American author Horace Jackson Brown Jr have been translated into 35 languages. The Tennessee native wrote from the heart and left behind many nuggets of wisdom to readers across the world. My favourite quote from Brown? “Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.”
How right he was. Opportunities are moments gifted to us on our journey from birth to earth when we can change the ribbon of history. Of course, recognising opportunities, grasping opportunities and actually doing something about those opportunities are alien to many. In our daily lives we are surrounded by opportunity. Some of us grab them, some don’t. In our wider community we are surrounded by opportunity. Some grab them, some don’t. In one case, the latter is glaringly true.
Recently, our esteemed Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, told us what we all suspected. The proposed new roadway between Knock and Collooney is as far away from happening now as it was when the first Model T Ford car rolled off the production line back in 1908. Not only that, the much-needed improved connectivity between Claremorris and Tuam didn’t even register in the thought-process.
Lots of words and a multitude of platitudes were trotted out by Minister Ryan and his backroom team, but when all that patronising haze was blown away it became obvious that the much-needed connectivity was far from a priority.
Why is this? Why has this opportunity not been grasped? How many people have to die on the current substandard roads before someone in charge has the decency, the strength and the foresight to build this badly needed connective corridor. How many eulogies have to be written before those in the Dublin-centric establishment are convinced that our lives, our jobs, our transport and connective needs matter just as much as those in the rest of the country?
It seems that many politicians, particularly those elected at the Sligo end of this roadway, sat looking out the window for decades when they should have been delivering the proper infrastructure their people deserved.
However, the Mayo representatives haven’t been much better. It has taken two generations for the current sub-standard situation to be arrived at. Sadly, in some cases it took tragic deaths before road improvements were made.
Horace Jackson Brown Jr’s words came to mind when writing that last sentence.
It has taken a slow-bicycle-race approach to deliver the current situation. I can only imagine how long it will take to deliver what’s really required.
The original T17 (Trunk Road) was tackled back when hairstyles were much different than they are today. Corners were addressed first, widening came after that. The second phase was around Castlemagarrett in Claremorris, which was a lethal stretch of road. The section near where Knock Aiprort would operate was next on the list and then the couple of miles between Claremorris and Curry. The Claremorris bypass (which is now out-of-date) was next on the list, followed by Tuam to Ballindine.
As I said, those works took years. They were welcome at the time, but somewhat short-sighted. The bigger picture of all-island connectivity or proper, safe dual-carriageways were sanctioned for other places but not for us.
Why was that? The suspicion that we’re out of sight and therefore out of mind cannot be discounted. However, maybe there’s another reason. Maybe the people we sent to the Dáil in Mayo, Sligo and Galway didn’t tear the house down for their people and demand equal treatment with the rest of the nation. This is certainly a possibility and for others to decide on an individual basis.
However, the connectivity we need and crave is not a priority for the current government according to Minister Ryan. He came and spoke with the members of Mayo County Council recently, delivered a haze of nothingness and left.
Will we ever have the backbone to tell him and others we will not accept such rubbish? Will we ever grasp the grasp the opportunity to stand and fight for what we need and stop nodding and bending the knee to those who throw us a few shiny beads before they head home? Others have failed to grasp the opportunity, but will our current representatives change that? It remains to be seen.