Bleak picture of men's lives in Border counties, report finds

Seven out of 10 men living in the Border counties have poor literacy skills, according to a new report which urges health and education professionals to act to ensure more men do not "end up in crisis situations".

The EU-funded Men on the Border report, which is to be unveiled by the North Leitrim Men's Group today in Manorhamilton, Co Leitrim, paints a bleak picture of isolation and lack of resources among men in Leitrim, Cavan and Fermanagh.

It found that the pub, the church and the GAA provide the main social outlets for men who do not engage with many of the health and education professionals in their community.

Researchers found that 70 per cent of the 165 men, aged 18 to 65, who were surveyed over 12 months, rated their reading skills as poor or very poor while 44 per cent described their IT skills as non-existent. The same proportion said they had no access to a computer.

Fourteen per cent earned less than €10,000 a year while 16 per cent did not have central heating, 5 per cent did not have an indoor bathroom and 6 per cent did not have hot running water. Some 21 per cent of the men lived alone.

Only 2 per cent said their normal mode of transport was public transport, which, project co-ordinator Joel Smith said, was a reflection on availability of public transport rather than on car ownership.

One-third visited the doctor less than once a year and many said they never visited a GP. "Given that Leitrim has the highest mortality rate from prostate cancer in the country, that tells its own story," Mr Smith said.

"We found that while 77 per cent said they go to the pub to meet people, only 15 per cent visit their neighbours, which may jar with our impression of tight-knit rural communities," he added.

Eleven per cent of men never visit family members but 58 per cent regularly attend their place of worship. Half were members of a club with involvement in the GAA, a significant factor in many lives.

Lack of engagement with service providers in education, health and transport was identified as worrying, while the report also highlighted the high dependency on agriculture and forestry.

It calls for investment in alternative employment sources such as rural tourism given the vulnerability of farming and the building sector. It urged that all young men aged 18-35 who had not visited their doctor in three years should be sent out a card inviting them to make an appointment.