Young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are travelling across the country to meet at a new youth centre in Dublin, the only one of its kind, writes Richard Conway
He sits for hours on the packed morning train. A 17-year-old boy is heading for Dublin. He has no choice but to leave Co Mayo for more liberal surroundings.
His destination is a Georgian townhouse on Capel Street. He feels comfortable there, hanging out with like-minded people. There are few back home. He can't stay long though, he must travel back tonight - he has school the next day.
"I get the 7am train up and the evening train back because I have school the next day. It's quite expensive but I haven't got much choice. I have to go to Dublin because there's nothing here. There are no youth services at all."
John isn't alone. He is one of a number of gay young people who feel they have no choice but to travel across the country to seek the support of Belong To - a youth project for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people.
"It's four hours each way - so that's eight hours a day and that's if the trains aren't late. If you don't get a seat you have to stand for hours. It would be so much better with a project back home; you could make friends with local people from around the same area as yourself. The west is quite isolated."
Despite the isolation and the long treks, John says he is lucky. His parents help him. He thinks that for every young person taking the initiative to go to Dublin there are some who cannot: "Anyone I've talked to hasn't even thought about it. There are an awful lot of people here who wouldn't even think there is such a service."
Mark (16) travels from Co Meath: "I travel up every week because you get to meet so many people like yourself. You wouldn't get to meet them in an everyday situation. But a lot of them are from Dublin so it's very hard as well.
"The only way of keeping in touch with them is through phone texting. I have one friend in school and that's it around here."
Would he feel more comfortable with a youth project closer to home?
"Definitely, because there's just no chance of meeting people around here. It's nice to go up to Belong To, but it's very frustrating because I have to get the last train home at half six. The group finishes at 6pm and everyone goes for teas and coffees afterwards - and I can't go."
Belong To is Ireland's only designated LGBT youth project. Co-ordinators Almha Roche and Michael Barron regularly deal with young people who have travelled from throughout the country.
"It shows the resilience of young people - but something needs to be done about it. We have had people coming from counties Mayo, Wexford, Westmeath and Tipperary and we even had a young man who came from Kerry. A lot of these are travelling up and back in one day," says Barron.
While gay projects exist in Cork, Dundalk and Waterford they are officially unable to deal with people aged under 17. This means a young person could live close to a gay and lesbian community centre but be unable to avail of its services.
"A 14-year-old in Cork or Dundalk may have nowhere to go," says Roche, "and the whole western seaboard is completely unsupported. In some ways there are two problems for people growing up in rural areas. There's the problem of isolation growing up there and then there's a problem of isolation because you're LGBT."
A study published in Belfast today reveals the extent of poor mental health and suicidal ideations among young gay and bisexual men in Northern Ireland. Researchers found that some young men did not avail of gay youth projects because doing so entailed long journeys.
Researcher Helen McNamee says they found that the reason some people hadn't accessed groups was because they were too far away. "One of the recommendations of the report is that youth groups are set up in rural areas," she said.
But could rural LGBT projects exist in the South? Barron believes they could, in small urban areas.
"There are models in England for small regional youth projects. In Ireland they could be similar and be in urban areas with rural surroundings. But there needs to be some research done into issues surrounding rural LGBT young people.
"Youth workers who set these projects up would need help. The Department of Education and regional youth services would need to give them direction, guidance and support."
But Dave Roche, manager of the Cork Gay Community Development Project, says he has found no such support.
"There's absolutely no willingness to deal with it.
"The fact that they have one youth group in Dublin gives them the permission to tick that particular box."
Department of Education spokeswoman Geraldine Butler says that if prospective LGBT youth workers contact youth organisations they will be made aware of possible funding options, adding: "If people want to apply to set up a youth project like that, they would have to fit the criteria of a number of people that would be available in an area."
Roche disagrees, saying it implies both youth workers and young people must take the initiative.
"I would argue: is it really our responsibility to go pulling and dragging the cobwebs off sources as opposed to the department contacting us? But it's amazing how resourceful young people will be when they need support. If the nearest well is four miles from your village then you're going to walk to the well."
But what about those young people who cannot walk to the well? John says, "There are so many people out there who don't know there are people in the same situation. It sounds silly but a lot of people think they're the only ones. There are no facilities to even tell people about things here."
Names of the young people have been changed
