Ex-Ante Evaluation and Development Strategy

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2.1 Demographic Profile

The key demographic indicators for the Region are set out in the following table.

CSO Census 1996

The BMW Region is sparsely populated and essentially rural in character. While it covers 47% of the State’s land mass, it only contains 27% of the population. Its weak urban base is exemplified by the fact that only 32% of its population resides in concentrations of more than 1,500 people compared to the national average of 58%. Moreover, it has only one major urban centre, namely, Galway. The combination of small town size, wide population dispersal and disadvantaged agricultural land and structures are important constraints on the ability of the Region’s economy to develop the key drivers of self-sustaining internal socio-economic growth.

In the past, these demographic drawbacks have been accentuated by the economic constraints which they themselves have created and both have interacted to produce a cycle of relative decline. For instance, because of the lack of social and economic opportunities, the Region has suffered from high levels of outward migration as the local population travel or move outside of the Region in search of employment and social opportunities and this has acted as a further impediment to economic development. In this regard, it is notable that the population increase in the period 1991 to 1996 averaged 2.8% for the State as a whole while the BMW Region experienced only a 1.7% increase in population.

Nevertheless, in recent years, there has been clear evidence of the emergence of more hopeful trends, notably the growth of urban centres in the Region capable of, or with the potential for, providing their inhabitants and those of surrounding areas with rewarding employment and a fulfilling social life. For example, some of the larger midland towns such as Mullingar, Portlaoise and Tullamore have experienced population growth significantly in excess of National averages and similar examples exist in the Border and Western areas, e.g. Letterkenny, Castlebar and Cavan. However, much of this growth would appear to arise from a reduction in the number of people engaged in agriculture and greater urbanisation and centralisation of activity. Increased commuting from the Midlands to Dublin and the decentralisation of Government offices to these particular towns have also had an impact. However, given the small size of many of these towns, which are in the range of 6,000 to 12,000 persons, even a small nominal increase can distort the overall picture. Thus, notwithstanding increasing urbanisation in certain parts of the Region, the fact remains that the Region is still a predominantly rural one lacking the conurbations which can attract large-scale economic activity and support socio-economic growth in their hinterlands.

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