This week on The Pat Kenny Show, we're looking at whether or not the economic recovery is being felt in Ireland's towns.

Yesterday, we saw the impact on schools in Longford and today we turn to Castlebar, Co Mayo.

Earlier this week, we the Taoiseach launch the Action Plan for Jobs West. He's promised a new IDA office for Castlebar so it would appear on the surface that Castlebar is starting to do alright. 

Well that’s the plan at least.

However, the Taoiseach himself admitted that many families are not yet feeling any recovery yet and that’s something that’s borne out by speaking to people in and around Castlebar. I visited the town to examine whether there is any recovery there.

There is at least something of a perception among Enda Kenny’s opponents, particularly those far removed from rural Ireland, that Castlebar is thriving, pork-barrel politics, the parish pump etc.

Surely now, there should be a boost to the main street?

Not so, any recovery in Castlebar does appear to be slow to reach Main Street. At least 14 premises are still abandoned on the town’s main shopping street and there is a lot of anger about how hard it is to earn a living.

In the past few years, multinationals like Tesco and Lidl away from the town centre have opened and the feeling among traders is that they’re breaking the heart and soul of the Main Street.

I spoke to Richard Wynne, whose family ran Wynne’s shop on Main Street, which closed down in the recession and has never come back. He says independent retailers are now being hammered by bad planning.

How are Enda Kenny's supporters feeling?

There are plenty of Enda Kenny supporters in Castlebar but even many of them admit they aren’t completely satisfied with the rate of progress.

One of Castlebar’s most recognisable names is Mick Byrne of Byrne’s on Main Street - the most famous GAA bar in the town and probably the county.

He identifies as an Enda Kenny supporter and says he thinks another Fine Gael government will finally bring about the recovery but he says the mood in the town is yet to turn. 

What about the job announcements?

There have been announcements. Even on Monday we saw Cashin Printers announce plans for expansion at the Action Plan for Jobs launch.

However, there is a mood in Castlebar that not enough of these jobs announcements are turning into major employment boosts. One such development the locals always point to is Northgate, which promised 150 jobs. It’s yet to fill that number and is short of it. 

Ann Conway and Mary Malone run the Resource Centre directly across the road from Enda Kenny’s constituency base - incidentally an unemployment office adjoins the Centre and also faces the Taoiseach’s office.

They say the people of Castlebar are disappointed with the rate of progress and the town is still on its knees.

Where is the turnaround going to come from?

Well, it’s hoped the new IDA Centre in the town will bring about investment from Irish and foreign companies alike.

Sylvester Jennings and the local Chamber of Commerce are working closely with the Taoiseach and the County Council to encourage more development and they’re very positive about the future of the town. They say more shops are now opening than closing in the town.

One success story is that of Breaffy House Hotel, previously part of NAMA, which was bought out and is currently being run by Wilson Bird.

He says a strong marketing strategy in the UK and further afield is working - and it’s drawing in some very strong group bookings.

So, is Castlebar on the turn?

I would say that the recovery is taking a lot longer than most of the town’s people would have hoped. There is a lingering sense of disappointment with the rate of job creation and they’re not feeling the impact in their pockets yet either.

Until Main Street in Castlebar is brought back to its pre-recession state, there’ll be issues with morale in the town but there are a lot of people working to lift the town and hopefully the new IDA Centre will have that impact they’re looking for.

One or two more jobs announcements may do it. They’re not out of the woods but there is some room for optimism.