HERMAN Massop (47), a Dutchnational who has lived here for 21 years, has retained a kind of cautious optimism despite his status as one of the State's army of long term unemployed. "You have to go on. You have to keep busy. You hope that things will go your way and maybe one day they will," he says.
Now living in a council cottage in Killoe, Co Longford, Mr Massop says his age and the fact that he has been unemployed for 13 years means he is not even considered by employers. His fluency in four languages, experience in bar work and background in marketing count for nothing, it seems, in the booming marketplace.
He came here from the Netherlands in 1971, settling first in Tallaght, Co Dublin, where he married and had two children. "I was working in various bars at the time," he says. "In the early 1980s the bar business went downhill. I couldn't get work."
When he began to have health problems, a doctor told him it was caused by the stress "of being unemployed and trying to survive on a low budget".
After suffering a mild stroke in 1987, he was advised to move to the country. "We chose Longford because my wife had contacts here. We were hopeful that my situation would improve," he says.
He supports his wife and two children, aged 16 and 18, on £160 a week. "We do what we can for the kids. Sometimes even getting a pair of socks or other necessities for them is a struggle," he says.
He and his wife do not spend money on their own birthdays, anniversaries or special occasions. "If a bouquet of flowers is called for, it comes from the garden, simple as that," he says.
Epitomising the kind of struggling fury that goes with being jobless and persevering only to be continually turned down, Mr Massop speaks articulately about the daily demons faced by the long term unemployed.
He is up every morning before nine, although "sometimes with the depression you just don't want to get out of bed". A routine is essential, he says, to keep motivated. "You can't just sit at home like a vegetable. I try to keep my mind active with creative writing and I am involved with the community working on issues such as rural development and opportunities for the unemployed."
It is frustrating, he says, when he hears people saying there are plenty of jobs for those who really want them. "There may be plenty of jobs but my chances of even getting an interview are slim because of my age and the fact that I have been out of work for so long," he says. "You send letters of application and most of the time you don't even get a reply."
The Government, he concedes, has made things slightly easier for people in his situation. "The back to work scheme is positive and the fact that there are more training courses open to a wider age group has been beneficial."
He would like to go on one such VTOS course in computers which would complement the tourism and marketing qualification he already holds. "Some kind of qualification in computers would vastly improve my chances of a job. I would love to work in the area of tourism. I feel I have a lot to offer in perhaps a tourist centre or some other position where I am dealing with the public."
For now, Mr Massop continues his quest for work, heartened by the good weather. "In the winter the situation is much more difficult to deal with. Now at least I can cycle around to places and work in the garden. As I said before, you have to keep busy."