RURAL isolation and the downgrading of services and social amenities contribute to a sense of despair among many young people, the incoming president of Macra na Feirme, Mr Tommy McGuire, said yesterday. The lack of paid employment in many rural areas is another issue for young adults, Mr McGuire added.
Speaking at the organisation's annual general meeting in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, Mr McGuire said the 1996 Census figure, where only counties Leitrim and Longford showed a decline in population, painted a misleading picture. Those living in rural areas were aware of the level of migration to urban centres, Mr McGuire claimed.
"In contrast, counties surrounding Dublin are experiencing huge increases in population - the population of Kildare is up by 10 per cent since 1991, Wicklow's is up by five per cent and Meath's is up by nearly four per cent," he said.
