Many vacant homes in Mayo 'are owned by our emigrants'

Achill natives who have moved away and become part of Ireland’s diaspora must be helped to return home to revitalise the local community, according to a local councillor.

Cllr Paul McNamara made the call at last week's meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District after reference was made to data from Census 2022 which revealed that almost half of the houses on the island are vacant. Cllr McNamara said the houses were not so much vacant, but too far removed from good infrastructure and services for locals to be able to live in them.

Erris councillor Gerry Coyle said a similar situation applied in Erris where locals built homes but had to move elsewhere to make a viable living and he called on Mayo County Council to develop public infrastructure to keep people living in the area.

The discussion arose during a presentation by Gaeilge Iorrais and Pobal Gaeilge Acla on the promotion and strengthening of the Irish language in both areas.

Irish Language Development Officer, Colm MacEachmharcaigh, said he had worked extensively on Achill Island. 

“The main challenge we find in Achill is we have a declining population, particularly young families, which has seen numbers in national schools drop from 475 to 260 over recent years. Without young families, there will be no Gaeltacht.

“There is a huge opportunity in that 45% of the houses were recorded as vacant on Census night 2022 and I would ask Mayo Co Council to push some of them back into use because right now if a family went on daft.ie to look for a house in Achill they would not find one.” 

Cllr McNamara praised the work of those people who are promoting the Irish language on Achill Island but said there were "a lot of reasons" for the vacant homes, including the absence of people who are forced to work in Dublin and the wider East Coast region.

“A lot of people live in urban towns and do not want to commute to and from Achill, so it is about how to attract these people back. We also must make planning permission more accessible, particularly for those wanting to build on their own land; and it is vital that road networks are upgraded, particularly leading into the Achill area, as that makes travelling times more beneficial."

Cllr McNamara said it was true that Achill had seen several national schools close in recent years but pointed out: “This is happening right through from Donegal to Cork and not just here. There is a total fall-off of numbers in the rural areas so it is important everyone tries to do their best for their local areas.

Cllr Gerry Coyle said the so-called empty houses were homes built by natives that would never be considered vacant.

“These houses were built on sweat and tears. The people might have left Geesala or Achill but their hearts stay at home and the first thing they say is they built a house so they have a home to come back to when they can. They say to us, this is what we call home, even when they are living in Manchester. But when they are in Geesala, they say they are home.”