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IFI Irish Film Archive

Wider Horizons–​ The Ballymun HORIZON programme

Year1994 Duration23m 50s
When this film was made in the early 1990s, only 37% of Ballymun’s population of 20,000 were in employment, and very few of those were employed in the local area. Office and commercial space was limited within the town, and the communities’ low levels of disposable income presented challenges to entrepreneurs selling non-essential goods and services. The Ballymun HORIZON programme was established to support training for businesses. In this documentary, residents and business owners convey the challenges startups face. The film concludes that the success of the programme should not be measured by the generation of profits but by the increase in employment and a reduction in the need for state benefit in the area.

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