Matt Murphy runs the Sherkin Comment, a quarterly, tabloid form journal, which encompasses the world. Sherkin, not neglected, is still mainly the base from where his thoughts roam the rest of Ireland, and Continents. This issue covers Icelandic Salmon Ranching; Wildlife Management in Canada and Birds in Dublin Bay. Also, a Cassandra like editorial on Ireland's offshore islands. He believes that "most of Ireland's offshore islands will be uninhabited by the year 2010 - unless the islands take up the challenge of the Island Development Report from Mr Donal Carey TD, Minister of State with responsibility for the islands".
The Blasket Islands, now deserted since the 1940s, he tells us, have reached sainthood status. Yet, he alleges, when their people were alive they were completely ignored by the State. Some islands today, he claims, are close to joining the Blaskets as uninhabited lands. "This may be a harsh statement, but then offshore islands are harsh places to live." The trouble, he thinks, is that too many people in officialdom had a romantic notion of island living. They didn't realise that the fundamental need of islanders is the basic infrastructure of a proper and safe pier on the island, and another on the mainland at departure point. Minister Carey seems to have recognised that proper access is the priority.
There is Government money, and what about all the massive structural funds from Europe which, according to Matt Murphy, go to make good roads on the mainland, (OK) and now word of a new train service. But the peripheral areas need to be looked to including offshore islands. He blames the islander themselves, too, for being "appalling lobbyists". And there has been no unity amongst themselves - "as islands together or as individual islands".
Young people leave because they can't find work. If they don't look out, the inhabitants and their descendants will see their island history as a Heritage Centre on the mainland near their deserted island. Of course, they will enter folklore as heroes and heroines!
Is all this a cry of Wolf, Wolf? There is a table showing population drops in percentages be tween 1961 and 1991. Big drops in Dursey, Hare and Long Islands in Cork, with 69 per cent, 77 and 79 respectively. Sensational in Inishbofin, Donegal: 97 per cent, from 117 people to 3. Inishmore (Aran) 10 per cent, down to 836 inhabitants. Inishbofin, Galway, down 27 per cent to 181 inhabitants. See the whole table. By post £3.30 in Ireland. Malt Murphy, Sherkin.
The last line in yesterday's heading should have read "preposterous".