Chapter 4

Isolation

A recent report in the “Derry Journal “(9/8/02) related how Greencastle and Moville were becoming increasingly attractive locations among wealthy and artistic clientele.  It was reported that “Touched by an Angel” star, Roma Downey, was planning to build a home in Greencastle – according to a local auctioneer, celebrities with hectic lifestyles liked to ‘get back to basics’ and a ‘traditional way of life’.  With ‘easy access to airports’ it is possible to ‘be in London in two hours”.  For the ‘ordinary’ resident of Inishowen, however, the distances they have to travel and the lack of adequate public transport (buses not planes!) means that getting from A to B for the mundane reasons in life created a less than ‘heavenly’ experience.

4.1 Distances to Travel

As can be seen in Table 8, for example, of the 67 women who travel to work, more than half must travel over 11 miles to get there.  A supermarket is more than 6 miles away for almost 1 in 3 women – and a bus pick up point is more than a mile from more than half the sample.  That these humble buses can be as infrequent as the sight of angels may not be a problem for the privileged few, such as Ms. Downey, but it is a source of much disadvantage for the ordinary residents of Inishowen!  Women’s opinions on the issue of transport and isolation in Inishowen are recorded in Section 4.6.