BORDER, MIDLAND & WESTERN - Geography and history
The Border, Midland & Western region comprises the three constituent NUTS III Regional Authority areas, covering thirteen counties in total. The region has a land area of 33 258 km2, which accounts for 47% of the area of the State.
The Border region derives its name from its location in relation to Northern Ireland. It is a necklace of six counties along the Southern side of the Border, namely Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth.
It encompasses an area from the Atlantic Ocean on the West Coast to the Irish Sea on the East Coast. It is a region of outstanding natural beauty with highlands, drumlins and spectacular views over the wild Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. The landscape is filled with lakes, colourful towns and villages.
The region is the source of Ireland?s two longest rivers ? the Shannon and the Erne. Both rivers are linked to form the 3 000 km Shannon ? Erne Waterway, which is one of the world?s greatest waterways.
The Ox Mountains, in county Sligo, are amongst the oldest rocks in Ireland, being six hundred million years old. The coastline of Donegal has mountains and bogs. The county is so named because the Vikings established a fort here (called Dun nGall - the Fort of the Foreigners).
The Midland region, situated in the heart of Ireland, is made up of four counties: Longford, Westmeath, Offaly and Laois. The Midland's geographical landscape has shaped and influenced the region's history, its culture, and social and economic development.
The landscape of the Midlands, with many lakes, waterways and canals, lends eloquent testimony to the history of human settlement in the area. The Gaelic clans and tribes were joined by the early monastic settlers, the Vikings and the Normans. The impact of all these eras remains visible and the confluence of cultures through 9 000 years of settlement has provided an impressive cultural and physical resonance for the region.
The Shannon is the central feature of the Midlands. The hill of Uisneach, where High Kings of Ireland once kept their seat, surveys the central plain, offering views of twenty Irish counties. The Slieve Bloom mountains border county Laois in the north, and county Offaly in the southeast. The Slieve Bloom Mountains are part of an environmental park, containing bogs and forests.
It is the bogs that remain the most unique feature of the Midlands. As a living wilderness, with incomparable flora, fauna and wildlife, they have an unspoiled environment.
The West region stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the banks of the River Shannon, embracing Counties Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon. It is a rugged terrain of rock and stone, with inlets and coves along the coastline, and many beaches. There are mountain ranges and woodlands of rowan, beech, sycamore, and wild rhododendrons. The Loughs (lakes) Corrib, Mask, and Conn divide the counties. Throughout the region there are prehistoric sites, monasteries, fortifications, and castles. Gorgeous scenery is a feature of Connemara National Park, covering 2 000 hectares of mountains, bogs, heaths and grasslands.
Galway is the second largest of the counties of Ireland. Offshore are the Aran Islands, which lie at the mouth of Galway Bay. The Aran Islands offer a landscape of limestone terraces ending in the sheer one hundred metre Atlantic Cliffs. The Celtic cliff-edge fortress of Dun Aengus is of world importance. The cliffs and seas are home to gannets, choughs, otters, dolphins, and whales. The rocky crag provides a rich habitat for over 400 wild plants and flowers. The Aran Islands consist of three islands, Inishmore, Inishmaan and Inisheer. Gaelic is the first language among the islanders but most are bilingual. Inishmore is the largest of the three islands (the Irish name is Inis Moir and means ?big island?) and has a population of around 900 people.
Inishbofin is a small island situated at a 40-minute ferry ride from the shores of Galway, with only 180 people living there.
Achill Island, Ireland's largest island, is easily accessible, being joined to the mainland by a road bridge.
A variety of historical cities
Galway is the third largest city in Ireland, with 65 832 inhabitants. The city is situated on the River Corrib. It was a thriving Anglo-Norman city because of the trade with Europe, especially France and Spain. The Spanish influence dominated the tribes, which is evident in the architecture, as with the Spanish Arch built in 1584. Today Galway is a growing city, which manages to keep much of its medieval charm.
Ballina, in the Moy Valley, has one of the oldest histories with numerous megalithic tombs to visit. Westport, situated on the shores of Clew Bay, is the largest coastal town in Mayo.
Strokestown - in county Roscommon - is known for the Famine Museum, presenting the story of the Great Irish famine of the 1840's which is regarded as the single greatest social disaster of 19th century Europe.
The Battle of the Boyne, which is still commemorated, is associated with the historical town of Drogheda (?the bridge of the ford?), situated in county Louth.
In the very centre of the country is the town of Birr in county Offaly which was known as "The navel of Ireland" - since it is virtually at the geographical centre of the whole country. Birr was founded in the 6th century at the meeting of two rivers, the Little Brosna and the Comeor, by St. Brendan of Birr. There are two striking features to be noted - the splendid tracts of peatlands which support an enormous variety of wild and plant life, and the ancient monastic settlement on the banks of the Shannon called Clonmacnoise.
The administrative capital of county Offaly is Tullamore, a former garrison town, with splendid stone buildings. The town of Tullamore became a centre for distilling, being famous for its whiskey, Tullamore Dew.
Athlone, which means the Ford of Luan, is situated in county Westmeath and has been a busy, bustling town for centuries. The impressive Norman castle dominates the town centre.
Main features of the region
On the positive side, the Border, Midland & Western region is characterised by
- a flexible and adaptable workforce which is generally well trained and skilled though the percentage with third level qualifications is slightly lower than the national average
- a good base for enterprise development based on natural resources
- a relatively high quality environment
- a lack of congestion generally resulting in less pressure on the physical infrastructure.
Countering this, however, the region has
- a weak urban structure, generally poor physical infrastructure and, with the exception of its eastern part, a lack of efficient access to the main cities and ports
- congestion within the main urban centres of the region and some level of congestion within the more frequented and developed tourist areas
- a limited industrial or services base with gross value-added across all sectors lower than the national average
- a lower level of employment growth than the national average
- agricultural land of mixed quality and weak agricultural structures
- few research and development oriented companies and a relatively small share of national third-level infrastructure
- the largest proportion of those citizens who would be classified as rural poor.
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