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      Look at them now This rural town has turned its fortunes around after last year's blow

      Last year Gort made headlines for being part of the rural area most affected by the economic crisis. This year, things have changed.

      A YEAR AGO Gort and the surrounding area known as the Burren Lowlands made headlines for being the rural town that was most affected by the economic crisis. However the area since then has experienced a resurgence in fortunes. 

      Gort is the main town in the Burren Lowlands; a limestone area, with Turloughs and lakes, stretching from Kilcolgan in South Galway to Crusheen in North Clare and from the Slieve Aughties to the Burren uplands. It is an area synonymous with the Celtic Literary Revival as the home of Yeats in Thoor Ballylee and of the founders of the Abbey Theatre in Lady Augusta at Coole Park and Edward Martyn at Tullira Castle.

      Gort which, according to Teagasc, had been a prosperous town in the top 10% in the country in 2006 had fallen to the bottom 10% in 2011, having lost 350 jobs during the crisis. Like many other rural towns, the crisis was visible in terms of closed shop fronts and emigration, losing a staggering 15% of its working population in five years.

      A catalyst which brought the community together

      While the bad news story at the time was a sobering experience, it was a catalyst which brought the community together. A public meeting was called, with 200 attending. Rather than feel sorry for itself, opportunities were identified and plans were drawn up to make the most of the positive aspects of the area. The tone was one of self-help, putting a hand up rather than looking for a hand-out. The all-volunteer based Burren Lowlands Development Company was established to make the plans a reality and to make the area a better place to live to visit and work.

      Given the rich cultural and ecological heritage and its position on the Wild Atlantic Way in Kinvarra, tourism was identified as a potential growth area. A range of projects were undertaken by the community.

      The need for a tourist office to promote local tourism offerings was identified as a key need. Building upon community resources, trades and skills and utilising the vacant property of a local businessman, a tourist office was opened on the square in Gort within two months of the public meeting. A website showcasing destinations in the area, www.BurrenLowlands.org was launched at a major local community and business exhibition, partnering with Bank of Ireland last month. Discussions are currently underway with Failte Ireland to build further upon the Burren Lowlands position on the Wild Atlantic Way.

      A massive impact on tourism 

      The area was put on the map during the visit of Prince Charles and Camilla, as President Michael D. Higgins hosted a dinner for them at Lough Cutra Castle. It had a massive impact on tourism, early in the Summer.

      The Yeats connection is in particular being recognised, given the 150th anniversary of Yeats’ birth. A range of Yeats themed cultural activities are being held from a themed parade on St Patrick’s Day to two legs of the Yeats 2015 Festival of Moons to art exhibitions organised by the Library to daily Yeats poetry readings to concerts in the hall of Lough Cutra Castle to the Yeats-Lady Gregory Heritage trail.

      Pride of place however goes to the re-opening of the home of Yeats, Thoor Ballylee. The Burren Lowlands experienced bad flooding in 2009, forcing Thoor Ballylee to close. It has remained closed to the public until now. However, the Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society was established to restore the tower and has fund raised extensively in Ireland and abroad, including a charity auction from the tower a fortnight ago. In record time, at a fraction of the anticipated cost, the tower will re-open this Saturday, June 13th to mark Yeats’ birthday, accompanied by celebrations at the nearby Kiltartan Gregory Museum.

      Many of these projects cost relatively little money, but have made a big impact on the ground, particularly in terms of the morale within the local community. The gains have both resulted from a strong local community spirit and activism, but also the dynamism that these activities have created are further enhancing that spirit and energy.

      Wider economic development is taking off

      In an area so strongly hit by the crisis access to resources locally are limited, new policy initiatives such the implementation of the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, the roll out of the new Rural Development Programme and implementation of Counties Galway can Clare’s Local Economic and Development Plan will be necessary to make the maximum impact.

      While tourism projects have led the way, wider economic development is taking off with the announcement of the new Apple plant in nearby Athenry and the construction of the new motorway from Gort to Tuam. This will mean that with Shannon Airport 30 minutes away and the entire Galway labour force, which is the most highly educated outside of South Dublin, within half an hour’s drive, it makes the Burren Lowlands an ideal production location for high value added  businesses exporting or connecting through Shannon Airport.

      The area is already feeling the positive impact of all these initiatives as the properties vacated by the emigrants are full again, with no vacant properties. The live register is down by 18% in the local area and by 35% amongst under-25s since the peak.

      Local communities in the Burren Lowlands and across the rest of the country are stepping up as part of a rural revival. However, while voluntary, community energy and dynamism, are important drivers of economic recovery in rural areas, they cannot do it all, themselves. Public policy needs to back this local ambition and drive.

      Prof Cathal O’Donoghue is Head of Teagasc’s Rural Economy and Development Programme and was CEO of Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas. Cathal.ODononghue@teagasc.ie.

      Over €220 million will be spent on rural programmes by 2020 – how much is your county getting?

      Politicians who own pubs tell us what has gone wrong for Rural Ireland

      Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
      A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

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      8 Comments
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        Mute Abbie Cranky
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        Nov 24th 2018, 6:32 PM

        This dope deserved it.

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        Mute MyDreamEscapade
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        Nov 24th 2018, 6:45 PM

        @Abbie Cranky: absolutely

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        Mute David Stapleton
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        Nov 24th 2018, 6:55 PM

        @Abbie Cranky: he was a Christian who went there to try and convert them. Idiot.

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        Mute David Stapleton
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        Nov 24th 2018, 6:56 PM

        @MyDreamEscapade: sorry, just in case I am misunderstood, the idiot comment was about the guy who was killed…

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        Mute John Mullin
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        Nov 24th 2018, 7:09 PM

        @Abbie Cranky: I don’t believe he was trying to do them any harm, he was just a little narrow minded and thought they would appreciate him bringing the word of God simply because he himself appreciated knowing about Christianity. I don’t think he deserved that to happen to him anymore than a man or woman deserves to get mugged or raped or murdered for going down a well know darkly lit dangerous alley at night time knowing the possible consequences in advance or a surfer/swimmer deserves to get mauled by a shark for daring to swim in the ocean or a mother deserves to have her toddler taken and eaten alive by a dingo when camping in the bush. He might have been a bit clueless but he didn’t deserve that to happen to him anymore than that tribe deserve to be interrupted again.

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        Mute Kay Murphy
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        Nov 24th 2018, 8:01 PM

        @John Mullin: He showed absolute disrespect to their wishes and had been warned off enough. Instead of Evangelist read Fundamentalist!

        139
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        Mute FrustratedASDMum
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        Nov 24th 2018, 8:22 PM

        @John Mullin: John, he risked wiping the tribe out by exposing them to viruses and illnesses that they’ve no immunity to. No matter what his intentions were, he was unbelievably selfish exposing them to that risk.

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        Mute Karen Lord
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        Nov 24th 2018, 8:26 PM

        @Kay Murphy: So showing disrespect deserves a death sentence?

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        Mute Robert Callaghan
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        Nov 24th 2018, 8:30 PM

        Is victim blaming OK now? Hard to keep up

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        Mute Graham Light
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        Nov 24th 2018, 8:38 PM

        @Karen Lord: Unfortuntely we arent 100% sure why the islanders behave in such fashion but going to an island reported since the late 17th century to be hostile was a level of stupidity I cant even comprehend. However saying that Christianity has been merely looked upon from a very narrow perspective without looking at its achivements in Art, science, Architecture and philosophy etc etc. Also is murdering someone considered a crime on a island without law as we understand?

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        Mute MyDreamEscapade
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        Nov 24th 2018, 9:43 PM

        @David Stapleton: I know…..he knew the dangers….typical American arrogance

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        Mute eamonn farrell
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        Nov 25th 2018, 8:16 AM

        @John Mullin: arrow minded !!

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        Mute John Mullin
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        Nov 27th 2018, 10:04 AM

        @eamonn farrell: ouch!

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        Mute John Mullin
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        Nov 27th 2018, 10:07 AM

        @Robert Callaghan: exactly. Victim blaming is perfectly ok if it is a man, the victim is religious or if the person is in any way associated with Trump or anything connected with that which rivals US Democrats agenda

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        Mute John Mullin
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        Nov 27th 2018, 10:14 AM

        @FrustratedASDMum: & @kaymurphy. I know he was selfish but more ignorant than selfish. Just as the mother of the baby eaten by dingoes had been warned not to go camping in the Bush but I still believe she didn’t deserve to lose her baby, just like a rape victim would have been warned in advance not to go down dark alleys in the most dangerous parts of South Africa and then does it anyway while drunk and at night wearing very little clothes. Are we saying that he/she deserves that? I certainly am not and before anyone says it’s not the same thing then I know… no two incidents are ever, ever the exact same but these examples are all relative. We can’t just pick and choose when it’s ok to victim blame.

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        Mute Jonathan Foley
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        Nov 27th 2018, 4:27 PM

        @John Mullin: He went to the island. Got arrows fired at him while shouting “My name is John. I love you and Jesus loves you.” That clearly wasn’t enough of a warning as he returned the next day for more of the same and it didn’t end well. Not exactly a genius.

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        Mute John Mullin
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        Nov 27th 2018, 7:46 PM

        @Jonathan Foley: that’s exactly my point, he was naive or simple minded but not evil like some here are painting the poor man. He didn’t deserve that ending

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        Mute Stephen Duffy
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        Nov 24th 2018, 9:19 PM

        Aside from this tragic incident it is fascinating that there are tribes that civilisation hasn’t reached..

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        Mute Quentin Moriarty
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        Nov 25th 2018, 10:15 AM

        @Stephen Duffy: amazing with only 50 inhabitants how they haven’t wiped themselves out

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        Mute Dave O'Hanlon
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        Nov 24th 2018, 7:26 PM

        Its a lot like Dalkey really isn’t it.

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        Mute Thomas Devlin
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        Nov 25th 2018, 12:06 AM

        @Dave O’Hanlon: no the Islanders are real people

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        Mute Quentin Moriarty
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        Nov 25th 2018, 12:10 AM

        @Thomas Devlin: the same isolated tribe as those who ate Michael Rockefeller

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        Mute travelminder
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        Nov 24th 2018, 6:52 PM

        Nice article oh wait its a copy paste!

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        Mute The Supreme Being
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        Nov 24th 2018, 7:46 PM

        Christianity. Ruining lives since the year 0.

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        Mute Graham Light
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        Nov 24th 2018, 7:55 PM

        @The Supreme Being: Depends on what calender you work off

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        Mute Graham Light
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        Nov 24th 2018, 6:56 PM

        And the Award of fool of the year goes to…….” Drum roll please”………John Allen Chau. Unfortunately John cant be here with us today to collect his award. Anyway I think we can all agree, leave the Sentinelese alone they dont want to have anything to do with us. The diseases we carry will kill them and we dont need another “Human Safari” sure we have the once nobel Jarawa tribe for that, who line up beside the road now begging for sweets while tourist take photos of them.Good times

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        Mute Tom Ryan
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        Nov 24th 2018, 9:12 PM

        Ffs no wonder they don’t want any thing to do with the outside world for it was the British that put them in display in Calcutta zoo for the public in 1857

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        Mute Graham Light
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        Nov 24th 2018, 9:16 PM

        @Tom Ryan: Infact they apparently went on display before that in Australia ,two died if my memory serves me right and the other three returned, however saying that their notoriety was well known before that.

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        Mute Marie
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        Nov 25th 2018, 9:25 AM

        @Graham Light: back to the days of Marco Polo who was not welcomed either.

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        Mute Jeanniejampots
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        Nov 24th 2018, 7:09 PM

        There is a great thread on Twitter with some of the history and rewritten history of these islands and links to the YouTube videos of the guy who did “befriend” them with coconuts

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        Mute Graham Light
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        Nov 24th 2018, 7:15 PM

        @Jeanniejampots: I think what your talking about happened in the 70s and should have never happened. They didnt befriend them, They just wanted the coconuts as they dont grow on the island. Also as soon as they had the coconuts they began to get aggressive again. Apparently the males start to shake their genitals around before they attack, so a bit like Copperface Jacks

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        Mute Jeanniejampots
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        Nov 24th 2018, 7:17 PM

        @Graham Light: totally agree! hence the “” in befriend. Should just have been left alone which was the theme of the thread.

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        Mute Niall Ó Cofaigh
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        Nov 24th 2018, 9:14 PM

        While there is little doubt that this guy got what was coming to him, others ended up on the island not by choice but by storm or shipwreck, do these people deserve to have their lives protected. There is a huge moral debate, that is bypassed by the fact that this was an adult who we assume made an informed decision and is responsible for the consequences of his actions.

        However a little further south in the Andaman sea live the isolated Jawara tribe who, for several reasons, are suspected of the ritual killing babies of widows, and in one case, the killing of a baby of an unmarried mother as the baby was paler then normal. The question here, and the debate, is whether it is appropriate to ignore these activities or to interfere with the lives and ancient rituals of peoples. It does open up a moral debate (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/14/world/asia/india-jarawas-child-murder.html) which can be hard to reconcile with modern declared human rights.

        Thankfully this seems to be a case where the human knew what he was doing and the risks – but what if a plane were to crash or a ship to wreck near the island?

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        Mute Graham Light
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        Nov 24th 2018, 9:44 PM

        @Niall Ó Cofaigh:Sorry and I dont want to sound brunt but these allegations are unfounded and only came to light after the Jawara trail i.e human safari was closed in India. Since these allegations the trail has been reopened and the Jawara have continued to die from diseases from tourists while fed sweets from the side of the road.

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        Mute David Daly
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        Nov 24th 2018, 7:17 PM

        We live in a mad oul place, they go to great lengths to track and kill animals like not too long ago a tiger for killing people but if these “untouched” islanders kill people it’s all about leaving them alone and “that guy was an idiot”. Before anyone gets on their high horse about my comment I’m simply just pointing to how we have no idea how to deal with these things really and it’s just a case of mob rule or majority votes.

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        Mute Graham Light
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        Nov 24th 2018, 7:30 PM

        @David Daly: Not too long ago we jailed gay men in this country but I think I understand what you are trying to say. However the difference being these people live in a very remote location and pose no danger to anybody they cant leave the island.

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        Mute David Daly
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        Nov 24th 2018, 9:06 PM

        @Graham Light: just the same as a bear or a lion can’t hold a gun. Put yourself in a dangerous position either known or unwittingly, you can’t put a blame on someone or something in these cases. Killing the animal isn’t going to send a message to the animal kingdom. I was just making the point that we seem to demand action in some cases but others were quite happy to sit back but it’s based on absolutely nothing. These guys killed that man because that’s what they do, bears kill people because that’s what they do but there would be a manhunt to find the bear. I dunno just an observation

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        Mute White Rabbit
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        Nov 24th 2018, 10:27 PM

        Carpet bombing is required to protect American lives.

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        Mute Graham Light
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        Nov 24th 2018, 9:12 PM

        No very valid point and I cant argue with your logic. All I can say is I dont believe the lion nor the Bear should be destroyed. Respect should be given for such magnificent beasts and unfortunately although rare these events happen.

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        Mute paul jones
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        Nov 24th 2018, 11:25 PM

        I agree he shouldn’t have been there but if he was a loved one of mine unfortunately I’d have no choice but to wipe that tribe out, just as I would if I had a child and he was bitten by snake then the snake would die. I’d probably send in some diseased fruit.

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        Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
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        Nov 25th 2018, 12:02 AM

        @paul jones: so, if bitten by a snake, you’d kill the snake. But, if attacked by a man, you’d wipe out their entire ethnicity?

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        Mute David Daly
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        Nov 25th 2018, 12:34 AM

        @Graham Light I rest my case

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        Mute paul jones
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        Nov 25th 2018, 4:17 AM

        @Brian Ó Dálaigh: yes

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        Mute Trotter Rodney
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        Nov 25th 2018, 10:55 AM

        And this is the word of the Lord.

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        Mute Liam Russell
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        Nov 25th 2018, 12:00 PM

        50 people, must be like our indigenous tribe interbred.

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