This article is from page 16 of the 2006-07-25 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
CALLS have gone out to stem the population drain from the west of Clare, as census figures show numbers dropping.
Senator Brendan Daly (FF) said that preliminary figures just released from the census taken last April confirm “a trend which we have been aware of for some time. That is the increase in the population of centres such as Ennis and the decrease in the West of Clare.”
The senator said that definitive ac tion is needed if these areas are not to lose people, resources and prosperity.
Kilrush lost 2.6 per cent of its population – 69 people – since the last census was taken in 2002.
But Senator Daly said that he was hoping to see the arrival of 70 civil servants from Revenue Cmmissioners, as part of Government decentralisation in the next few weeks.
“There is an onus on the authorities – especially the government – to deal with the situation”’ the senator said.
He added that it was with this in mind, he campaigned for the decentralisation boost for Kilrush.
“As well as attracting industry, the government needs to train those coming out of agricultural backgrounds in skilled jobs, such as fitting and pipe welding. There are hundreds of opportunities in those areas and I have asked FÁS to examine the prospect of skilling young people in positions we currently have to get non-nationals to fill.”
While inward migration forms a large portion of the 7.3 per cent overall increase in population in the county, Orla Ní Eilí of the Irish Refugee Council said that asylum seekers formed just a small portion of that.
“It is my belief that the majority of migrants are from the accession states and returning Irish with foreign spouses and families”, she said. “One of the aspects of needing workers is that migrants come with their families to live in Ireland, but asylum seekers are not affecting the figures greatly.”
Fine Gael Deputy, Pat Breen described the decrease in the population of some rural towns as “a worrying trend. The Government should put an emphasis on industry and help small companies to keep industry in rural areas.”