The mountains soar to the sky, a majestic and rugged picture that might stir the imagination. The Twelve Bens join with the Maumturks and form a cavalcade of hills on the northern frontier of the place called Connemara.
Splendid isolation – but is it splendid for those who live in this great shadow of nature?
Sinéad Grimes works with Forum Connemara which has its head offices in Letterfrack. Her role has brought her into contact with many people in the rural community.
First, it was health and safety and issues such as quad bikes; the fickle nature of the animal mind; risks in walking the mountain terrain; and myriad challenges faced by rural people on the periphery.
It all emanated from a programme of work in the area ranging from Oughterard through Joyce Country all the way west to the Atlantic, north of the N59 road. Forum Connemara secured the programme with a buy-in from local farmers.
Concerns in rural communities
Then, concerns emerged about life amidst the jagged hills; it was not all sunshine and scenery.
Sinéad speaks of difficulties where people had suffered injuries from their work; social difficulties without access to pubs and other outlets; and a general disconnect from the world around them.
The Forum Connemara representative said that the human links were weakened and that Covid-19 was a factor. But the general picture was deeper and more complex.
There was isolation in its broadest sense, both geographically and in personal connections. The decline in the status of the pubs and difficulties in travelling to the pubs is a factor, she explained.
Maybe a community bus could provide some help and Sinéad aims to lead the way.
Social gatherings
Working under the umbrella of Forum Connemara, she is organising a series of get-togethers in four venues with the objective of sparking off more social activities and contacts in the shadows of the hills.
Those get-togethers are being organised in Oughterard, Clifden, Letterfrack and Maam – the heartland of north Connemara. Sinéad said she would now like to see the get-together extending to venues further into the south Connemara Gaeltacht.
A brochure on mental health is also being circulated and these initiatives are supported by the organisation, Mental Health Ireland.
Dr. Michael Casey, who is based in Carna, 80km west of Galway city, is no stranger to the trends described by Sinéad. A general practitioner (GP) with vast experience in service and developments in Connemara, Dr. Casey said that a more sombre mood is widely evident.
“If one were to describe it in a few words, it is mostly down to Covid-19 and bad news in the media,” Dr. Casey said.
“Barely were we out of the worst of Covid-19, after two years, when the Russians invaded Ukraine. Now we are warned about the lights going out in winter and a rampaging increase in the cost of living.
“And we have all these images all day and all night in the media. Mostly negative news and very little of the positive things in the world,” he added.
Dark cloud over rural life
Like Sinéad, Dr. Casey said the loss of events and the lack of activities such as card games was a huge change that left a heavy cloud over human interaction in rural Ireland.
Dr. Casey, himself from a farming background, acknowledges that farming can be a lonely activity. He sees the results of working and walking in the rugged landscape of Connemara.
“It can be hard on the hips and knees and the wet climate adds to the development of arthritic conditions,” Dr. Casey explained.
The Carna-based doctor said that the darker mood probably would not be as marked in urban areas.
“There would be more people around and more places to go to. Links to our fellow human beings are vital to good mental moods and health,” he said.
“Covid-19 has left its mark and all prevailing bad news has deepened the scars; hopefully, the pendulum will swing around again and come to rest in a better place.”