Download Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The

Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
CONTRASTING IRISH REGIONS 1: THE WESTERN REGION
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PHYSICAL PROCESSES
Climate
• Cool temperate oceanic/maritime climate
• Higher than average rainfall
• Warm ocean current
• North Atlantic Drift
• South-westerly winds move over the region’s mountain
ranges; relief rainfall is created
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PHYSICAL PROCESSES
Climate (continued)
• Rainfall averages between 1,500 and 2,000 mm per
annum
• Fronts and depressions
• Temperatures average between 4 and 6ºC in the winter
and 15 and 17ºC in the summer
• Limited amount of sunshine: 3.25–3.5 hrs per day
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PHYSICAL PROCESSES
Soils
• Upland areas consist mainly of podzols
• Soils lack nutrients
• Coniferous trees
• Grazing sheep
• Gleys
• Waterlogged soils
• Leaching
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PHYSICAL PROCESSES
Soils (continued)
• Hardpan
• Worsen the effects of waterlogging
• Peaty soils
• Blanket bogs cannot be exploited commercially
• Brown soils
• Tend to be of a shallow nature
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PHYSICAL PROCESSES
Relief and drainage
• Many upland areas
• Created during the Caledonian orogeny 400 million years
ago
• Influenced by glaciations
• Poorly draining soils
• Shallow soils
• Drumlin belt
• The upland areas are composed of igneous and
metamorphic rocks
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
• Removal of natural resources from the earth
• Poorer regions
• Higher than average number of people are employed in
the primary sector, for example 24 per cent of the
population of Roscommon
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Agriculture
• Farming is limited
• Low levels of mechanisation, harsh climate and
unfavourable topography
• Small scale
• 30 per cent of farms are less than 10 hectares
• Farmers tend to be older, approximately 30 per cent of
farmers in the region are over 65 years of age
• 50 per cent of farmers in the region are part-time
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Agriculture (continued)
• Upland areas
• Sheep grazing
• Pastoral faming
• Some lowland areas
• Overgrazing: 27 per cent of upland areas in the region
area overgrazed
• Soil erosion
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Agriculture (continued)
• 2.4 per cent of the national barley crop
• Grass is the most widely grown crop
• EU categorised as disadvantaged area
• High farm subsidies and direct payments
• CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) in areas of animal
welfare and food quality
• REPS (Rural Environmental Protection Scheme) in the area
of environmental conservation
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Fishing
• Continental shelf extends for 320 km
• Rich breeding ground for fish
• Water is warm
• Influence of the North Atlantic Drift
• Government as part of the NDP invested in ports
• 2,000 people are employed
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Fishing
• Fish processing industry
• Government are anxious to expand
• Waters off the Western Region are prone to overfishing
• Quotas, embargoes and restrictions
• CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) of the EU
• Aquaculture (fish farming)
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
• These are activities in which raw materials are
processed or semi-processed materials are further
developed
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Manufacturing activities
• Western region is less well developed
• Peripheral location
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
• Multi-National Companies (MNCs) were hesitant to
locate in the Western region for the following reasons:
 distance from main Irish and EU markets
 low population density
 poor communication links
 lack of motorways
 broadband access is limited
 electrical supply is also lower
 few large urban areas
 brain drain
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions : The Western RegionI
SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
• Smaller-scale industries have developed
• Wages also tend to be lower
• Higher proportion of labour-intensive traditional
industries
• 57 per cent of manufacturing in Co. Roscommon is in
the food sector
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Galway city
• Modern growth industries
• Third level colleges
• High concentration of electrical and optical equipment
industries
• Boston Scientific which employs 2,500 people in 2010
• Attractive to MNCs because of the size and quality of its
labour force
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
• Udarás na Gaeltachta attracts industry to the
Gaeltacht areas of the region
• IDA (Industrial Development Authority) encourages
industries into the area
• Aid from the EU’s Structural Fund and EU Regional Fund
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
SECONDARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
• Western Development Commission (WDC) was also set
up in 1997 to help highlight weaknesses in the Western
region
• Even spread of industry in the region
• Do not want to become a commuter belt
• National Spatial Strategy 2002: the Irish government
has targeted cities and towns in the region as gateways,
for example:
• Galway and hubs
• Tuam
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
TERTIARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
• Provision of services
• Lower than average number of people are employed in
the tertiary sector
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
TERTIARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Tourism
• Physical environment
• Cultural environment
• 2 million tourists
• Not evenly dispersed
• Galway city receiving the majority of the visitors
• Over 20,000 students visit the Gaeltacht areas of the
Western region annually
• Galway races and Oyster festivals
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
TERTIARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Tourism (continued)
• Seasonality of its tourist industry
• Underdeveloped
• Loss of visitors when Shannon airport lost its gateway
status
• Short-stay holidays
• Improvements in tourism
• NDP 2007–2013
• Niche holidays
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
TERTIARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Transport
• Limited and underdeveloped
• Few national primary roads
• N6
• One-fifth of the money allocated to Dublin
• Shipping ports
• Limited value
• Low population density (25 per km²) has made it difficult
to upgrade public transport services
Chapter 23: The Dynamics of Irish Regions I: The Western Region
TERTIARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Transport (continued)
• Government did not spend up to €500 million as allocated
under the NDP (2000–2006)
• Transport 21 Act 2005–2015
• Build the ‘Atlantic Corridor’, a route way linking Donegal
and Waterford
• Upgrading the current rail routes in the Western region
• Western rail corridor
• Re-opening of this rail line
• Lobby group ‘West On Track’
• Athenry–Tuam section of the Western Corridor by 2011