Decline of cash ’a bigger issue than we think’, warns councillor - Donegal Daily

A Donegal councillor with a ’bee in his bonnet on cash’ has said Ireland needs a wider debate about the growing shift towards cashless payments.Cllr Micheál Nau...

A Donegal councillor with a 'bee in his bonnet on cash' has said Ireland needs a wider debate about the growing shift towards cashless payments.

Cllr Micheál Naughton raised the issue during an economic development discussion at the September meeting of the Donegal Municipal District.

He said the cashless ticketing system at Donegal GAA games was one sign of a wider move away from cash that could leave older supporters behind.

He said he had recently spoken to older people who told him they were unable to attend a GAA match because they were not able to buy a ticket.

Cllr Naughton said he was also concerned about the growing use of digital banking and contactless payments among younger people.

“Our younger people will not have the understanding of how to budget and facilitate cash. That is my biggest fear,” he said.

He said the council should explore the issue further through its economic development work, including in discussions with ministers and business organisations.

"I feel later in life it will come back to bite our younger generation," he said.

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Cllr Michael McMahon backed the concerns, saying he was "disappointed" with organisations that no longer accept cash.

He questioned whether a wider campaign or discussion was needed.

He asked: " Where do we go from here, do we have a campaign, a conversation at Lifford level, do we bring in an expert to tell us what to do?"

Cllr McMahon and Cllr Naughton both highlighted the problems caused when electronic payment systems fail.

Cllr Naughton, a former President of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) and general manager of the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny, said he had seen the changing use of cash from both sporting and hospitality perspectives.

He said he had pushed against a move away from cash within ladies’ football.

“I sit on the LGFA, and insisted they didn’t bring it in, and they didn’t,” he told the meeting.

The LGFA continues to allow cash admission at some fixtures, including at the gate, while cash is not accepted for games under the jurisdiction of the Donegal GAA County Board.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Jimmy Brogan said the move away from cash could particularly disadvantage older people, including those with basic mobile phones.

Cllr Michael Boyle said financial awareness "starts at home" and that parents also had a role to play in teaching young people about spending, particularly amid the growth of online shopping.

Economic Development officer Joy Browne said there were “advantages and disadvantages to both” cash and card payments.

She said the forthcoming age-friendly strategy would consider digital exclusion among older people and suggested the Donegal Youth Council could also be involved in discussions.

“It’s important that cash is used as well,” she said, adding that she would bring the matter back to economic development colleagues.