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It’s a man’s world in rural Clare


Clare County Council has requested a multi-agency approach to tackle high levels of deprivation and social isolation following concern about the alarming gender imbalance in some rural settlements.

A comprehensive analysis of the 2011 Census of Population has revealed 32 of the 155 District Electoral Divisions in Clare have a higher percentage of males than females. These areas are concentrated in West, North and East Clare.
The highest disparity is in the Boston and Tubber area, where 58% of the population is male. In parts of the Crusheen parish, the imbalance between males and females is as high at 12% and this is also reflected in numerous districts, such as North of Killanena, where 55.7% of the population is male, south of Ennistymon and Ballyvaughan, where the figure is 56.5%, and Quilty, Doonbeg Rural and parts of the Loop Head Peninsula, where the picture is slightly better at 53.7%.
This is in sharp contrast to the Ennis East area outside the town centre, where the percentage of males drops to just over 43%.
While county councillors agree that a further breakdown of the age category, type of accommodation and marital status of men living in isolated rural areas is needed, they have described the latest figures for the population by sex as worrying.
Mayor of Clare, Councillor Pat Hayes, expressed concern about the increase in the male population in parts of North-East Clare.
Councillor Hayes said it appeared the current trend is a repeat of when a lot of women left the country, leaving men on their own in rural areas.
He proposed the relevant statutory agencies should deliver a specific programme tailored to the specific social and health needs of men living in these areas.
Councillor Joe Arkins lamented the lack of a proper barometer to measure the high levels of social deprivation in rural parts of North Clare, where there is a high percentage of middle aged men living on their own.
The Ruan councillor stressed different types of solutions are needed for marginalised people living in urban and rural parts of the county and proposed Clare County Council, the Health Service Executive (HSE), rural transport groups and other statutory bodies should work together to tackle the issue.
Former Mayor of Clare, Councillor Christy Curtin, requested further information on the official statistics, detailing the age group of men, their marital status and any identifiable needs before the development of effective new policies. It is expected further details on Clare’s population by gender, from the most recent census, will become available next year.
Councillor Curtin proposed Clare County Council should actively engage with other agencies such as the HSE and the Department of Social Protection, to address existing deficits in social services.
The Miltown Malbay councillor said he is worried about the range of services and facilities provided for this category of the population.
“In the current climate of austerity and Government cutbacks, we seem to be losing sight of the dispersed nature of population in rural Ireland, particularly in counties like Clare.
“There doesn’t seem to be a focus on administering policies that will enhance these areas and to encourage the retention of people in this important landscape,” he said.
Other figures produced by Michael Neylon from the Community and Enterprise section of Clare County Council reveal 80% of the population lives in just 63 District Electoral Divisions, in an area stretching from Corofin to Ardnacrusha, including a five-mile radius of Ennis. Areas around seaside resorts like Doolin, Lahinch, Spanish Point, Quilty, Doonbeg and Kilkee are also well populated.
One of the most interesting statistics is the drop of 850 in population of Ennis Town, which is as high as 21.4% in the Hermitage area.
There was also a dramatic decline in the population of Kilkee, down 301 people, which translated into a 22.7% drop; a fall of 125 or 4.7% in Kilrush town and a decline of 12.5% or 102 people in Doolin.
Other parts of North Clare also suffered population decline of up to 12.5% south of Ballyvaughan, while the drop was 10.3% in rural parts of Feakle. While most of the settlements in South-East Clare showed increases of between 10% and 30%, there was a 9.4% drop east of Cratloe. 
This study has already been presented to senior planners in the local authority to help them analyse the impact of previous and current planning policies.

 

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