My final Western People article of 2024 was not in keeping with the spirit of ‘Happy Christmas’ or indeed a ‘Happy New Year’, but one I felt compelled to write as a social historian, but also a proud native of this part of Ireland. Your response to my effective eulogy on the local decline of rural communities has been both affirming and gratifying. However, a common feedback thread suggested I had failed to offer any constructive solutions to the social decay witnessed in the rural west of Ireland. That was not my original purpose, but on reflection, I now offer some ideas gleaned from both my conversations with community activists and social justice advocates, as well as a few of my own.