Island fights despite drop in population

arranmore islandThe fight-back to create employment and slow down the acceleration of emigration from Arranmore island has begun according to the Chairman of the newly formed local  island council. Mr Jerry Early joins the Shaun Doherty Show to discuss the publication of new figures that show how the population of the Island has dropped from 1,451 in 1841 to 541 today. Mr Early said  “A huge factor in the decline of the population have been the restrictions on the fishing fleet and became worse when the salmon ban came into effect in 2006. I thinks it’s shameful that successive governments have shown such a lack of foresight for islanders.” He also expressed his frustration with the lack of communication infrastructure on the Island and across the whole west of Donegal. “On the island our broadband is effectively useless, and for the island to move forward this needs to improve. I know a lot of entrepreneurs who have left the island and have gone to work in the IT sector. Some would move home if the infrastructure was their to support them. As it stands you are lucky to get a half bar signal.”
Mr Early expressed annoyance that as an Island, Arranmore is treated differently to the mainland. ” A prime example of how we are treated differently is the fact that we have to vote before the rest of the country.

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