difficult to consider moving.  In addition, Inishowen is a beautiful area to live in with spectacular scenery on the doorstep.

12.4 Disadvantages to Living in Inishowen

Question 9 in the research survey asked participants to rate the disadvantages to living in Inishowen, the top six of which were recorded in a table and included on the discussion sheet.  The group was asked to consider how they felt about these items and the order of importance that had emerged.  They were also asked for their suggestions in relation to any lobbying that IWIN might undertake on their behalf.


o There was extreme surprise expressed in this group that the issue of "Public Transport did not figure in the top six disadvantages to living in Inishowen - public transport was felt to be severely lacking in the Peninsula overall and in Malin and Glengad in particular.  An example was offered where a resident of Glengad can go to Derry on a Saturday morning at 9.20AM but must be 'stuck out all day' as the bus does not return until 7.30PM!  In addition, there was no service at all during the week, with the result that people were isolated from friends and family.  "It's not safe to thumb, but children still take chances".
o Even where there is a family car, it does not solve the problem of isolation - when people need to go to different places at the same time it has a very limiting effect on choice and contributes to family problems.  Some parents spent all day driving their children around to classes, meetings and social activities - "It takes a lot of time out of the day".   High car insurance rates for young adults was another thorny subject - indeed car insurance generally was felt to be too expensive.  One woman's insurance went up by €250 this year without any change in her circumstances.  The cost of motoring in rural areas like Inishowen needs to be addressed by Central Government if there is to be any equity, especially when the almost complete lack of public transport is taken into consideration.
o "Few Local Facilities", which was the top rated disadvantage, was felt to be very much of an issue in Inishowen, for both adults and the young (explored further below).  Pubs are the only form of socialisation - few or no clubs or groups exist in most areas.  "Clonmany has no lone parent group, for example - and there is a stigma attached to actually being a single parent which increases feelings of isolation", was one of the views expressed.  Products and services (such as hairdressers, petrol and alcohol) were also felt to be much more expensive locally, especially since the introduction of the euro.  There was a feeling from some women that facilities were being 'taken away, rather than being put in place' and that people were more and more 'enslaved by bills and outgoings'
o Surprise was expressed at the fact that "Bad Roads" was in second position of the top-rated disadvantages - the group did not feel that this was a huge problem.
o In regard to "Lack of Employment Opportunities", it was felt that the shortage of volunteers for local groups and facilities could be addressed by paying to provide these much needed services - this would be an incentive and benefit everybody in the long term.  "For example, Clonmany has a beautiful centre, but there are not enough volunteers to run it", one woman declared.  There was too much reliance on the voluntary sector and the same people, especially parents, ended up doing the work.    Politicians were felt to have excessive control over the distribution of EU money, with not enough reaching the 'common people'. 
The issue of "Few Facilities for the Young" generated an active debate about the lack of encouragement for the youth of Inishowen to 'stay out of the 'pub', which has become the 'hub of all activity'.  As a result of this pub culture', young people were felt to be less loyal to each other and more concerned with o filling up on alcohol - "They don't look out for their friends as much as they used to in the past". 
o A need for relationship education (rather than sex education) in schools was suggested.  This would help to build more lasting, respectful relationships and might lead to a society which communicated better and where people related more effectively with each other.  This approach was seen to be very relevant with present day tensions, war and the multi-cultural society.  We need to bring men up to respect women and their work more - value the partnership element more.  As women, we can see a change in the nature of relationships with our sons, it's becoming more equal but there is still a long way to go. Girls need to be valued more, especially in terms of land being passed on - in many cases 'it is still a man's world and they have too much control over the money'
o Youth clubs, where they existed at all, were not felt to be providing enough of a range of activities. There was a need to provide services such as play areas and skateboard parks.  Boys were provided for in terms of sports, such as football, rugby and Gaelic, but little available to interest the girls.  Once again, the issue of paying people to give an incentive to help out more was aired - "Children are the future, so let's start investing in them by getting people to work in centres and clubs" - there is a need for this kind of community contribution to be acknowledged.  This would have knock-on effects in terms of keeping children away from drugs and drink, letting them develop a worthwhile direction in life and result in less social problems in the future.
o The Gardai were not felt to be using their powers enough to put a stop to underage drinking; they were 'letting people down' by this shortcoming and it was felt that they 'don't generally do their job' and 'were too lax'.
o Regarding the disadvantage rated overall fifth, "Houses and Land too Expensive", businessmen were blamed for buying up land and keeping both rent and prices high.  The issue of holiday homes and their effect on increasing house prices was also discussed and found to contribute to the situation.  Affordable land for the children of Inishowen to settle on was considered to very important - with traditions changing and 'people not knowing their neighbours' it was affecting family support networks.  There was a strong feeling of pessimism regarding the opportunities that children might have in the future to build homes in Inishowen - many would end up leaving to work away to get enough money.
o Last in the table, but evidently not least, was the issue of "Small Minded People".  There was a feeling expressed in the group that this disadvantage should have been ranked higher on the list because 'there is so much judgement passed' by people in the Inishowen area.
o The lack of any reference to domestic violence was mentioned on the evaluation sheets by three attendees.  Unfortunately, due to the huge scope and scale of the research, some very important issues were omitted but it is hoped that future research will address these problems.

12.5 Barriers to Paid Work

Discussion Group 3 were supplied with a list of the top six ranked barriers to getting and keeping a paid job, obtained form Question 21 in the survey.  This group was then asked how they felt about these and the order of importance that had emerged.  They were also asked their opinion as to why childcare issues had not emerged in the top six and for any suggestions they might have for IWIN to lobby or promote.
o Availability of suitable jobs locally: It is an acknowledged fact that there are not enough jobs locally.