Plight of parishes left behind by economic boom highlighted

The European Commission is still making its mind up; pending a decision, some believe there is little more to say.

However, if there is one solid piece of evidence which highlights the flawed nature of last year's "debate" over Objective 1 status for the western and mid-western counties, it is the Tuam archdiocese research.

If that sounds parochial, so it is, to the extent that it reflects the state of 56 west of Ireland parishes in the State's largest diocese, stretching from the northern tip of Achill in Mayo to the island parish of Moore on the Shannon.

The report, commissioned by the Tuam Pastoral Planning Committee and compiled by Dr Micheal Mac Greil, identifies those communities which have not benefited from greater economic prosperity over the past decade. The main reason? Uneven distribution of EU Structural Funding.

It is what Dr Mac Greil describes as the "Galway factor" - Galway city being to the west what Dublin is to the rest. Not only have some communities not gained, but they have actually suffered as a direct result of the uneven development.

"You have massive growth in Galway, Westport, Castlebar, while other areas like Ballinrobe, Newport, Claremorris haven't had a look in," he told The Irish Times. "Much of the money going to the west has been for gentrification rather than development. Oliver Goldsmith said it in the 18th century - you can increase wealth and lose population."

As reported in The Irish Times when it was first published by the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary, last year, the Tuam archdiocese research found "serious" population decline in some western parishes, such as those on the west coast from Achill to Leenane, and those on the west and north-west shores of loughs Corrib and Mask, while parishes near Galway, Castlebar and Westport had experienced the opposite.

One of the parishes in decline is that of Canon Seamus Cunnane, chairman of the Tuam Pastoral Planning Committee.

Ironically, improved educational opportunities have contributed to the phenomenon, the survey finds. "The most powerful lobby groups are generally those from the strongest base," it notes.

"Those from weaker communities tend to lose their most effective young people through out-migration after successful education and training," and are rarely in a position to exert sufficient pressure to secure the infrastructure and resources which might correct the decline.

There appears to be little appreciation at Government - or should it be European Commission - level of the value of what is being lost. "In a predominantly market-led society, the promotion and preservation of rural or village communities may be considered a waste of resources, unlikely to show returns (commercial) for investment". In an apparently prosperous urban area like Castlebar, with its own EU Commissioner, unemployment is running at 28.6 per cent. In Tuam, it is 23.3 per cent. This reflects badly on State and EU policy with regard to the dispersion of inward investment in jobs in areas of greatest need, the survey says.

As for Achill, it could slip into the Atlantic and few might notice, for, although it has the lowest proportion of residents over 15 years in the workforce, it still has the highest rate of unemployment in the archdiocese.

Dr Mac Greil stresses these are "real" unemployment rates, based on over-15-year-olds available for work, rather than the population as a whole. The crisis in some parishes is cushioned somewhat by the relatively high proportion of part-time jobs sustained by Community Employment Schemes.

However, the CES has not been drawn on to its full extent in some areas, perhaps a fault of the scheme set-up itself, the survey suggests. It also believes the CES income should be increased.

The survey acknowledges the steady increase in women in the workforce and says greater flexibility by employers, including provision of job-sharing and part-time work, could make it more suitable for parents to engage in part-time duties when family responsibilities permit.

It also believes a more enlightened income-support policy or system for parents engaged in full-time work at home would benefit both child-rearing and care of the elderly. About 7,000 elderly people live alone in the archdiocese as it is.

The research highlights other issues affecting the community, such as the lack of support for those affected by drugs. This would appear to be due to a lack of awareness within the community of the need for such services, the author says. In response to the questionnaire sent out for the research, 24 of the 56 parishes said drugs were "not a problem" or were not addressed specifically. Only five parishes recorded drug-awareness programmes and 22 had no support programmes relating to drink and alcoholism.

Successive government policies offering tax breaks for urban renewal and construction of seaside resort schemes also come in for criticism in relation to their socio-economic effect. The survey calls for State monitoring to check the growth of holiday homes which are empty for much of the year and which contribute little to the local economy.

Even where houses have year-round residents, "the new owners do not always wish to integrate with the local people, thus adding to the sense of alienation". The survey does emphasise that those who settle within the community from elsewhere in Ireland or abroad do become acceptable as valued neighbours. "It is not the ethnic origin of these new landowners that is the problem, but, rather, their reluctance to integrate."

Mass-going is still in a healthy state, with 78.3 per cent of the 98.6 per cent Catholic population attending weekly. This compares to a national average figure for weekly attendance by over-18-year-olds at 66 per cent. However, it expresses concern about the low number of Protestants among the population and the consequent effect on ecumenical dialogue.

The author makes a number of recommendations, including a 10-year plan for the west and the establishment of a department of regional development at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in Castlebar. Tourism alone will not sustain the region, he emphasises. "And if gas is found in quantities off Achill and the local community does not benefit because governments have sold off our marine assets yet again, that will be another national scandal," Dr Mac Greil warns.

He also supports in principle the retention of Objective 1 status, "but only if funds are distributed more equitably and thought fully next time. An EU-funded superhighway through a community contributes nothing to it."

A second edition of the study is on sale in Knock shrine bookshop, Co Mayo. Canon Cunnane's committee is awaiting responses. "We hope it will lead to some sort of pastoral plan and contribute to a wider debate." The readership should extend beyond Tuam. It should be read by every politician and decision-maker in the State.

Quo Vadimus? Ca bhFuil Ar dTriall: A Report on the Pastoral Needs and Resources of the Arch- diocese of Tuam by Dr Micheal Mac Greil SJ, Neil Sheridan and Karen Downes, with a foreword by Sean Staunton, was published with the support of NUI Maynooth's survey and research unit. It is on sale at £7.