Islanders get together to discuss their future

THE European Union's complex systems and its many-faceted schedule of aid programmes can seem obscure and sterile, more likely…

THE European Union's complex systems and its many-faceted schedule of aid programmes can seem obscure and sterile, more likely to produce a yawn than a glimmer of interest - that is, unless you happen to be on the receiving end.

In the really remote parts of the EU, the south-western coastal belt and the islands off it for example, the EU can be a life-saver, even a life-giver.

White Sherkin, Bere and Cape Clear are the better-known ones, there are, in fact, seven inhabited islands off the Cork coast, and they are home to some 500 people.

There are 150 people on Cape Clear; on Bere Island 210; on Sherkin 80; on Long Island 10; on Hare 20; on Whiddy 20; and on Dursey 10.

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There have been times when the dwindling number of islanders had felt their very existence was a thorn in the side of successive governments. They were pressing for little things like electricity, ferry services and the right to a slice of the national cake.

In recent years the EU has helped them to achieve these ambitions. Recently on Whiddy - sadly better remembered for its association with the horrendous Betelgeuse tanker disaster of 1979 - a conference took place between representatives of the seven Cork islands.

After the tragedy when the Betelgeuse exploded at the Gulf Oil terminal in Bantry Bay, killing 51 people, things were never quite the same for Whiddy. The fortunes of the Gulf Oil operation waned, and with it the fortunes of the island and Bantry.

So it was fitting that the 40 people representing the islands met on Whiddy to discuss the EU's Leader 2 Programme. The conference was about enabling the islanders to develop opportunities using the available Leader 2 funding. And during it there was some good news for Whiddy.

After battling for years, the islanders heard that at last their dilapidated pier was to get a £340,000 facelift. That was great news for the island and it may well mark a turning point on Whiddy.

There has been a perception that the EU was about the bigger picture, not the smaller dots on the canvas. But the Whiddy conference aimed to change that. The discussion was about "a serious business to be carried out by islanders for islands and on the islands".

And as if the islands thought they were alone, Mr Seamus O Drisceoil, of the Cape Clear Co-Op, wrote to ask if we could mention the conference "because it is an important milestone and we hope that you can give it the publicity it deserves". Well, the islands are not alone and they have their supporters.

The conference was organised by Comhdhail Oileain na hEireann, the Irish Islands Federation, to discuss the election of regional officers, local empowerment and the fact that islands are being used by those who don't live on them as occasional holiday conveniences.

In his report on the conference, Mr O Drisceoil said:

"Many `fine day' islanders or visitors worry about islands being overdeveloped. In reality, the islanders have much more to fear from those who would turn the clock back in order to enjoy a few weeks of peace and quiet every year,

"Islanders prefer to listen to fellow islanders rather than beings preached at from a distance. Success breeds success and, as Mark Murphy of Sherkin Island said, it is important to islanders to see things happening for others so that they know it can happen for themselves also.

"Mr Fergal Amhlaoibh (formerly of the Cape Clear Co-op) talked about the need for local control of ferries, but focused very much on education and how the system, with the full support of island parents, is educating, indeed brainwashing, children away from islands and rural areas.

"He compared the resources on islands with the subjects in our secondary schools and how little these subjects relate to farming, fishing, tourism or indeed crafts, which are our main industries. Our schools, he said, prepare young people for life - but life in the cities, not in rural areas."

The conference also expressed concern at the level of migration by island women. The islands federation will now seek EU funding to study and address thin problem. The conference, Mr O Drisceoil said, was a resounding success, and from it may flow a new impetus to get things done.

The fact that it prompted funding for the Whiddy pier and the upgrading of the Dursey Island cable car is a good start.

"Co Cork has done relatively well as far as infrastructure is concerned, with much credit due the County Council Islands Committee and to the real enthusiasm of many council officials to embrace the new partnership between the island communities and the council.

"However, it is far too early to start clapping ourselves on the back, and the needs of all islands must be addressed. How long more will Dursey Island have to wait for a water supply? How long will Long Island have to wait for a half decent road? Must Hare Island suffer for the want of a decent pier?" Mr O Drisceoil wrote.