In the 15th century, the areas of Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Louth became known as ‘the Pale’.
This was a time when the English were looking to exert control over Ireland and the areas inside the Pale were considered safe and under English control.
As we know, English influence in the subsequent centuries spread to all parts of Ireland and it wasn’t until 1922 that the 26 counties became independent from English rule.
However, the Pale became part of the English vernacular when it came to describe the interest Dublin took in both inside and outside affairs.
The divide between what is happening inside and outside the Pale became very evident with Storm Éowyn.
As it stands there are still 32,000 homes, farms, schools and businesses without electricity in the south.
At the height of the storm, over 750,000 people were impacted, while the start of this week saw electricity being restored to those 285,000 homes badly affected in the north of the country.
The storm severely obstructed the west and north of Ireland and those living along the western seaboard. There is also a growing swell of anger as to how the Irish government responded to this emergency.
The Allianz Leagues began, but I for one missed all the action as living in Conamara, we were badly hit.
I lost 40 slates on my roof and damage was done to the flat part of it, while trees and telephone poles were ripped up and downed like leaves.
We had no electricity for four days or water but I was one of the lucky ones. Some of my neighbours still do not have electricity and are not sure when it will return.
It took almost a week for our phone network to come back and we still have no wifi.
As anyone living in rural Ireland will testify, wifi is as important as electricity when it comes to connectivity and for work.
Lack of infrastructure is a big reason why we have rural depopulation.
If we don’t have wifi or the structures in place to make rural Ireland an attractive place to stay in, why will people and particularly young people stay?
There is a huge sense in the West that these problems would not exist or would have been dealt with a lot quicker, if they had happened in Dublin.
Yes it was a generational type of storm but it is hard to argue that more urgency would have been seen in the capital and the surrounding areas. Out of sight is most definitely out of mind.
One of the things rural areas do really well is community and connection but that has struggled for the past 10 days.
Our grassroot clubs and in particular our GAA clubs are at the heart of how we bring people together but the lack of power and connectivity has seen people cut off from each other.
It has been challenging but there is huge scope for learning and planning for when this occurs again.
One of the big learnings is that clubhouses of all sports need a generator.
My local club here in Conamara is Naomh Anna Leitir Móir and like a lot of places, it took a week for electricity to return.
Since then, it has become a hub for those without electricity providing hot showers, power for charging phones and torches as well as a kitchen for people who want to cook a warm meal. It is also a place for people to meet.
Leitir Móir is not unique as this is something that has been replicated up and down the island among a number of sporting clubs.
The swell of anger exists and the question being asked is why there was no plan in place.
We all knew the red warning storm was coming but outside of Met Éireann and the National Emergency CoOrdination Group, there appeared to be no strategy in how we would deal with it.
We had a gas camping stove to cook on and also a battery run radio to listen to the news when our electricity and water went but it made no sense for the ESB, Uisce Éireann or telecommunication companies telling us to contact them on a phone number when it was very obvious in rural Ireland that it would be some time before any of that would be possible.
Everyone knows how hard crews were and are working to get services back but the disconnect to what we were being told and what the actual reality was, is astounding.
Our weather is becoming more unpredictable so I would hope governments would take learnings on board so we are not facing the same difficulties when the next major storm arises.
We need to look at our reliance on electricity. The loss of electricity had a knock on effect on loss of water and our telecommunications services and with gusts of up to 180km/h no utility provider can ensure their network stays intact.
According to the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) wind energy is currently the largest contributing resource of renewable energy in Ireland.
In 2020, wind provided over 86 per cent of Ireland’s renewable electricity and 36 per cent of our total electricity demand. It stands to reason that we would use this as well as hydropower as alternative energy sources.
Governments also need to provide generators to GAA clubs and other sporting organisations through grants. Rural communities and especially those who live by the sea know the importance of self-sustainability but we elect governments to give a helping hand.
Sporting organisations once more have led the way in a time of crisis and it is the GAA clubs predominantly in rural areas who have been at the forefront.
It would do governments well to remember that when next handing out financial funds. And to also remember that there is a lot of life and votes outside the Pale.