The Western Region
Eight economic regions, each with a Regional Authority
have existed in the Republic of Ireland since 1994. The
western region, for the purposes of this study is made up
of the counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
Western Region of Ireland
Physical processes
The Western region has an interesting and varied
landscape. While the topography is dominated by the
mountain ranges of Galway and Mayo, large areas of the
region are also composed of lowland.
Rock type also varies. The mountains are composed of
igneous and metamorphic rocks; the interior lowlands are
sedimentary. Much of the landscape is covered with
glacial deposits such as boulder clay. A drumlin belt
reaches inland from Clew Bay. This gives part of the
region a `basket of eggs' topography.
The Atlantic coast often brings winter storms to the
region, the coast has many dramatic features that have
been caused by erosion and deposition. Parts of the coast
have experienced submergence. This is evident in Killary
Harbour, which is a Fjord. The coast has many islands,
such as the drowned drumlins of Clew bay.
Climate
The climate of the Western region is maritime and
temperate(CTO). Precipitation is high, especially in
upland areas. Rainfall is well distributed throughout the
year.
Average daily sunshine ranges between 3.25 and 3.5
hours daily.
Average temperatures range from about 5 C in January to
14.5 C in July. Upland temperatures are affected by
altitude.
Soil Types
The soils of the western region are varied. The soils of
Connemara and west Mayo are composed of peat and
peaty gleys. The lowland areas further east are composed
of shallow brown earths, gleys and podzols.
The soils of much of the region are heavy and
waterlogged. This is due to heavy rainfall, the
impermeable nature of parent material(such as boulder
clay) and the existence of a hardpan due to leaching.
Therefore, land use is limited in many areas to summer
pasture and to rough grazing. On the other hand, the thin
soils in east Galway dry out very quickly in dry summers.
This reduces the supply of grass for grazing and limits
farmers' land use options.
Economic Processes
Primary Activities in the Western Region
Primary activities are more important to the economy of
the western region than to the state as a whole. For
example, up to 24% of workers in Co. Roscommon are
employed in the primary sector. This is much higher than
the national average.
Farming is the most important primary activity. However,
many factors limit agricultural income.
Farms are smaller than the national average, with up to
30% of farms under 10 hectares. Farms need to be larger
for them to be economically viable and worthwhile.
The age of farmers is older than the national average, with
approx 30% of farmers over 65 years of age. This would
mean that they are probably not that familiar with new
farming methods and they are conservative in their
practices.
The hilly and mountainous terrain and waterlogged soils
over large areas limit land use to pasture. It would be
difficult to grow crops and move machinery over such
land type because of its hostile like environment.
Land use: Land use in the hills is confined to rough
grazing of mountain sheep. Pasture for cattle and sheep is
the major agricultural land use. Almost one third of all
specialist sheep farms are in the western region.
The two most lucrative farming activities are dairying and
tillage, are not at all widespread in the western region.
Dairying is confined to north-east Mayo. Tillage is almost
non-existent because of terrain, unsuitable soils and heavy
rainfall. Only 2.4% of the national barley crop is grown in
the western region.
Therefore, farming is very challenging in the western
region. Consequently, many farmers are dependent on
off-farm income in nearby towns. This dependence is
likely to increase.
The whole western region is classified as a disadvantaged
region. It qualifies for high farms subsidies from the EC
in Brussels. Direct payments have accounted for most
farm income in recent years. Without these subsidies, the
number of people engaged in farming in the Western
region would be greatly reduced.
Fishing and the seafood Industry
1 Some communities beside the coast in the western
region are highly dependent on fishing for their
incomes.
2 Fishing, similar to farming highlights the interaction
between the physical environment and economic
activities. 2,000 people work in fishing here.
3 EU fishing quotas on almost all species limit those
involved in fishing
4 Therefore, expanding the industry by catching more
fish is not possible.
5 However, the fish processing industry has expanded
in recent years with onshore jobs. Processing is
important because it adds value to a fish catch.
Aquaculture
1 The coastline of the western region contains sheltered
bays and inlets that are suitable for the development
of the aquaculture industry.
2 Shellfish(oysters and mussels) and salmon production
has increased rapidly in recent years. Galway Bay,
Clew Bay are leading areas in aquaculture.
3 All shellfish production areas around the coast of
Ireland are monitored on a weekly basis for the
presence of biotoxins that may affect the quality of
farmed seafood.
Farmed salmon are sold to Irish supermarket chains and
exported to France and elsewhere.
GAS: The Corrib Gas Field
In 1996, a natural gas field was discovered 70km off the
coast of Mayo in 394 metres of water.
Tests to date suggest that the field is likely to produce
natural gas for 18 years.
Initially it was proposed to bring the gas ashore at
Dooncarton, Co. Mayo and to refine the gas onshore at
Bellanaboy.
Local Opposition to the building of the pipeline to the
inland refinery site has delayed the project.
Local people opposed the pipeline route on safety grounds
and wanted the terminal to be built offshore.
The issue became highly charged in 2005, when five local
men were jailed for contempt - they refused to stop
breaching a court order that restrained them from
obstructing the building of the corrib gas pipeline through
their lands in Rossport.
The government is anxious to exploit the €2 billion gas
field. As the Kinsale gas field is nearing its final years of
production.
The dispute shows that the interests of multinational
companies whose actions are dictated by profit cannot
override the legitimate concerns of the local community.
Both the multinationals and the locals who oppose the
pipeline will have to compromise if a satisfactory solution
is to be found.
MANUFACTURING
(Secondary economic activities)
Manufacturing is widely dispersed in urban centres
throughout the Western region but is mainly concentrated
in Galway city. Manufacturing in the region has particular
characteristics:
1.
The Western region has a higher concentration
of traditional and labour intensive industries
than regions in the south and east of Ireland.
Forecasts suggest that these industries are
more prone to job losses.
2.
Manufacturing is smaller in scale than in the
south & east, this can be said if the
measurement of output per unit and output per
worker in the Western region.
3.
Manufacturing in much of the region is heavily
dependent on food processing, timber
processing and textile products. For instance,
57% of the manufacturing in Co. Roscommon
is in the food sector.
4.
With the exception of Galway city,
manufacturing is not concentrated in clusters.
5.
Industrial productivity in many workplaces is
lower than the national average. Average
wages in the sector are lower than the national
average in many manufacturing units.
6.
Annual job creation is below the national
average.
7.
Job losses are particularly significant in small
towns. Job losses in the textile sector in Co.
Mayo difficult to replace due to the regions
peripherality.
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West of Ireland
Human Processes e.g. Language, religion, urban and
rural development and population dynamics
The human geography of the island of Ireland varies
greatly. There are many differences between the west and
the east of Ireland. These differences are linked to the
physical and economic processes that we have already
studied.
The population has decreased in the W of Ireland for most
of the 20th century(1900s) because of underdevelopment
and the problematic environment of the region. Recent
growth is far less than in comparison to the east.
Although the W of Ireland has the second and third
largest counties of Ireland, it has a much smaller
population than the east. 1.2m people live in Dublin city,
whereas 70,000 people live in Galway city. Galway city is
the only urban centre in the West of Ireland with a
population over 50,000. It is the region's dominant town.
Many people have migrated from the region to the rest of
Ireland and abroad. With better economic circumstances
in 1990s, there has been more people (migrants and
retirees) arriving than leaving, especially to Galway city
and its hinterland.
Only one of Ireland's seven universities is in the region.
Most students have to leave or further education and only
13% of students graduating find a job in the region. This
could be called a brain drain and is an important problem
for the west of Ireland.
Problems of migration are linked to the region having
more older people in the pop. Over 18 per thousand of the
population in Connaught are aged over 60yrs. Death rates
are 10.8 per thousand. Outward migration has resulted in
a high dependency ratio in Mayo and Roscommon.
Migration among graduates is high, especially. here. This
is because a high proportion of graduates are unable to
find employment within their home counties. This
outward migration reduces the percentage of young
economically active people within the 15-64 age group.
The percentage of people over 65 is therefore high in
Mayo and Roscommon. However, Galway with its strong
employment growth, has a greater percentage of
economically active people than Mayo and Roscommon.
Urban Development: The most significant change in
population distribution in the Western region in recent
years has been the rapid growth in the population of
Galway city and its environs. This is partly due to the
extraordinary success of Galway city in attracting inward
investment. This rapid growth of Galway city has seen
major suburban developments. The characteristics of
Galway city has been one city and several small urban
centres. Of the urban centres outside Galway city, only a
handful of towns exceed 5,000 people. These towns act as
service centres for the surrounding urban areas. Castlebar
and Ballina are the most important urban centres in Mayo.
Rural Depopulation: Many rural areas in the Western
region are losing people both to nearby towns and to other
regions. This is especially significant in West Mayo,
where the decline in rural areas of the coast is
counteracted by a sharp increase in the Castlebar rural
area and Westport urban area.
The population in the areas surrounding Galway city is
growing strongly due to the job opportunities in the city.
Now residents live in recently built housing developments
beyond the city limits and surrounding villages.
Rural Development: The future of rural communities in
the Western region is being threatened by:
1 The continued decline in the numbers working
on farms.
2 The employment opportunities in urban centres
in the region, such as Galway city and cities
outside the region.
Rural depopulation leads to a spiral of decline with a
sharp reduction in local services such as schools, shops,
medical services and public transport. E.g. Eircom
reducing phone boxes(this will particularly effect
people in rural areas).