Xplore Portumna App Launch: Interview with TD Anne Rabbitte

The launch of the Xplore Portumna app last week heralded a new 'digital beginning' for the West, as Portumna became the first town in East Galway to receive a digital infrastructure of this kind.

For the past couple of years, Anne Rabbitte, TD for Galway East and Minister of State, has been working to raise the profile of East Galway towns through digital initiatives. We caught up with Anne over the weekend to find out more.

Road to the Xplore Portumna App Launch

Over a year ago, Minister of State Anne Rabbitte helped form the community-based action group, The Wild Geese (East Galway Taskforce), which services the busy towns of Loughrea, Portumna, Gort, Tuam, Athenry and Ballinasloe. Through community projects, the group advocates for innovative solutions to some of the challenges faced by those towns and parishes, and fights for East Galway's 'fair share of tourist footfall.’

Building a digital platform for these towns is central to The Wild Geese’s rural development plan. Portumna is the first town to go live with Athenry, Loughrea and Gort to be rolled out over the coming months. Recently, Anne Rabbitte has also been engaging with Minister of State, Damien English, exploring the idea of a partnership with the Chambers of Commerce.

Since the Xplore Portumna app launched over a week ago, Anne says the response they’ve received from local businesses, in particular, has been ‘unbelievable.’ Her team received numerous signup requests from businesses following the launch on Facebook and via Whatsapp channels on Jan 17th. The team are currently looking to raise awareness amongst the wider residential community of what the app has to offer, with a special interest in attracting more young people to download and interact with it.

Supporting the Local Economy

Speaking on how the app will be of benefit to the local economy, Rabbitte points out that even before the pandemic, small businesses based in rural areas were already having to change the way they marketed their product/service and appealed to new clientele:

’What we have learned in 12 months of COVID is successful businesses have numerous marketplaces… take the Kilkenny Shop, for instance. They have a fantastic front window to start with, a fantastic webpage, as well as a fantastic Facebook page, that is constantly being updated. Then they are also part of the Xplore app, so, they are using all platforms of engagement.’

Anne explains that, in more rural areas, shops rely primarily on front window displays, a twice-yearly shop local campaign, Facebook page, and word of mouth to get people into town. For businesses that don’t have a town outlet, however, the challenge of building a customer base is even greater. She notes that ‘Young people are shopping differently, and we need an agile approach as to how we engage and keep that market.’

For some small businesses and start-ups — such as artisan food-makers who may be working from their home kitchens — Rabbitte says the app allows them to harness ‘alternative ways of marketing...the app gives you directions to the middle of nowhere, the app gives you the (business) telephone number, the app brings you to their webpage, and it also lets you share this information with others.’

Having recently launched to great success in Fermoy, Co. Cork, the Xplore Voucher system is one example of how locals — both customers and business owners alike — can use the app to support shopping local. The vouchers are digital tokens that can be purchased using an Xplore account. They can only be spent in participating businesses in your community, which allows you to better manage your commitment to buying local.

As to how the app benefits the Portumna community as a whole, Anne remarked: ‘That’s the wonderful thing about the app: there’s something in it for everyone...from the local news to the locations to the hikes and trails, there’s something for all ages — and it’s simple to use.’

What is the Minister most looking forward to doing when life gets back to normal?

For Anne, it’s getting back into an old routine she’s sorely missed: walking the Salthill Prom on a Sunday morning. Before the pandemic, this seaside stretch was her go-to spot for some weekend headspace: ‘My kids would be asleep, and I’d get up at 8 o’clock, get into the car and be in Galway before 9. And I would walk the prom, I wouldn’t know a sinner on it, and I’d walk it for miles.’

Here’s hoping for a return to seaside walks and weekend outings soon. You can now download the Xplore Portumna app here. If you wish to add your Portumna business to the app and website, you can fill out this form and The Wild Geese Taskforce will be in touch to help you get set up.