Deprivation takes gloss off Carlow boom

Carlow is "banjaxed", a local newspaper declared last week. In a no-punches-pulled lead story, the Nationalist claimed Carlow people were living a "glorified myth".

It was "a myth which declares we're doing well financially and economically; a myth which reckons unemployment is a problem of the past; a myth which deceptively suggests the Celtic Tiger has made Co Carlow its home. The fact is we are sadly deluding ourselves," the writer added.

A report by the local County Enterprise Board chief executive, Mr Pat O'Meara, prompted the gloom.

It suggested not so much that Carlow was "banjaxed" as that many areas of the county were seriously deprived.

Whatever they make of this in the county, it may come as a surprise to the public at large who, if they thought about Carlow at all, most likely thought it was problem-free; unremarkable perhaps, but content.

Mr O'Meara's analysis has caused a stir, with a minority strenuously objecting to such a negative picture. But most locals who spoke to The Irish Times say Mr O'Meara has got it spot on.

The report raises major questions about the effect of the economic boom on, not just Carlow, but small towns and villages throughout the county. It also shows social and economic deprivation is not just an inner city phenomenon.

Mr O'Meara based his report on a consultancy firm's findings which, using the 1996 census figures, gave towns, villages and rural areas in Carlow a "deprivation score" of one to 10, 10 indicating a maximum level of deprivation.

The results proved a rising tide does not raise all boats. Coonogue, a rural area near Borris, scored 10, while places like Bagenalstown, Rathvilly and Hacketstown all received nine.

The model used to produce these scores included factors such as unemployment rates, percentage of unskilled workers, school drop-out rate, proportion of lone parents, age dependency rate and proportion of households with two or more cars.

Mr O'Meara acknowledges that all poverty is relative. "One tends to think of the people in the Ballymun complexes in Dublin as being poor because they are deprived of not only income, and the power to create it, but their social environmental conditions may not be the same as people who live outside these complexes.

"I would argue that Carlow as a county is also deprived, particularly if one includes in any calculation of deprivation, not only income factors, but also social and environmental factors."

Nestling at the foot of Mount Leinster, Myshall - with its three pubs serving a population of no more than 400 - may not look deprived to a casual onlooker.

Locals say it is an agreeable place to live and raise families, with good primary schools locally and second level schools in neighbouring towns. But for many people it is simply not feasible to live there.

There is no public transport and no local industry; access roads are poor; the street lighting is inadequate and tourism facilities are entirely undeveloped despite obvious local attractions, including Mount Leinster, one of Europe's prime locations for hang-gliding.

"We feel we've been totally ignored. We don't have basic services such as good roads which are needed to attract business," says Gretta Roberts of the Myshall/Drumphea Development Association.

Like residents of other "black spot" villages, people who live in Myshall - which scored eight on the deprivation scale - insist they do not wish to be seen as "whingers".

"We have what we have and we're trying to improve it," says the association's chairman, Mr Patsy McLean.

Since its foundation nearly four years ago, the association has run phase one of a successful computer course and is about to begin phase two; it has also restored the historic stone walls on the Croppy Road leading from the village, restored the century-old village pump, and organised a security service for the elderly.

But these developments are all the result of a huge voluntary effort by the community. More support from outside agencies is needed if the area is to realise its potential.

Car-parking facilities, lay-bys, toilets and litter control facilities are required to cater for the spectators attracted by hang-gliding events. "We want to preserve the natural beauty of the area, but still have the basic facilities that are required for the amenities we have to be exploited," says Mr McLean.

If, as expected, Carlow is not given Objective 1 status for the next round of EU structural funds, it is feared the limited funding available through schemes such as LEADER would dry up altogether.

Already locals feel the economic boom they read and hear about every day is passing them by. It may have brought many economic migrants back to this country, but not to places like Myshall.

At the other end of the county, Rathvilly has many things going for it. The village, within commuting distance of Dublin, has a high profile from its successful record in the Tidy Towns competition, including three national awards.

But Mr Noel Kennedy of Rathvilly Community Council agrees with Mr O'Meara's assessment. "We've been without an industry in Rathvilly for a long time. We had a clothing factory here for a long number of years, employing 40 or 50, but that closed six or seven years ago.

"We also had a local construction industry but, while there are still houses being built around the area today, it's not affecting the local unemployment level because the contractors are from outside the area and they come in with their own, which is understandable."

But Mr Kennedy remains upbeat about the future. For instance, the council has converted the old clothing factory into an enterprise centre which will be officially opened this month.

They are trying to develop a culture of enterprise, adds Mr Kennedy, saying the support of agencies like the Carlow Enterprise Board is there: all you have to know is how to go about gaining access to it.

Others, such as local publican Arthur Lawlor, who runs the Harp Bar, dispute the suggestion that Rathvilly is deprived at all. He cites the local property boom which has seen half-acre sites fetch £25,000. He has recently built an upmarket Victorian-style guesthouse to cater for tourists.

Such optimistic voices, though, appear to be in the minority. Arthur Kennedy says he is an optimist by nature, but adds: "The Celtic Tiger hasn't got here yet and the danger is, if the European money dries up, he could die before he gets here."