Islands under seasonal strain

THE State's offshore island population quadruples during peak holiday season and exerts severe pressure on the social fabric, according to a new survey.

During one summer Bank Holiday weekend last year, populations multiplied by up to 12.6 times the norm. Such dramatic seasonal differences are putting a considerable strain on island infrastructure, according to the authors, Dr Peter Gill and Ms Ciara Cullen of the Mayo based Centre for Island Studies.

"Water resources, harbour facilities, roadways and paths, social infrastructure and diverse micro ecologies can all suffer considerable strain," they state in the report, the first to deal with all the inhabited islands.

The survey was carried out with the assistance of Comdhail Oileain na hEireann, the Irish Islands Federation, FAS and island co-ops and community associations. August 5th, 1995, was taken as a "census day", and it was found that the inhabited offshore island population of 3,000 had increased to 13,000 over a 24 hour period.

The "quadrupling" effect ranged from 1.7 times the norm on Inishbiggle, Co Mayo, to 13.7 times on Heir Island, Co Cork.

Gaeltacht islands, which account for 68 per cent of the permanent island population, attract the highest numbers, with 3,210 day trippers and 3,670 overnighters recorded on the day.

The distribution of summer visitors on non Gaeltacht islands appears to be quite different, with 504 day trippers and 1,380 overnighters recorded. Pressure on the smaller islands is significantly higher. One island with a mere 187 inhabitants had 367 day trippers and 459 overnighters.

The islands have 1,524 habitable houses, of which 1,078 are permanently occupied. A further 240 are occupied during the summer, leaving 270 which could be let. Another 280 houses are suitable for renovation.

Pressure on the islands was certain to increase, with immediate and important environmental consequences, the report states.

"If the factor increased to 4.4, it would mean another 3,000 people on the islands on a given day. If the factor approached Brittany's or Scandinavia's rates, we might expect an increase of another 13,000 or 14,000." This could lead to the construction of more than 1,000 houses which would be occupied for no more than three months of the year.

"While there need not be conflicts of interest, it is obvious that the gradual decline of the resident population ... involves serious planning decisions which may include active restriction," the authors state. "This may be achieved through planning laws and/or through differential residential poll tax regimes, as is the case in Scandinavia."

The Interim Report of an Estimation of Infrastructural Pressure for Ireland's Offshore Islands is available from Comhdhail Oileain an hEireann on Inis Oirr, Arainn, Co Galway, telephone (099)75096.