Emigration takes its toll, and not just on the GAA

When Castletown Finea Coole Whitehall (CFCW) won the 2012 intermediate championship after a gap of 36 years, there was widespread hope in north Westmeath that they could establish themselves as a senior club. Fast forward less than 12 months and the club were demoted – thanks in no small part to losing more than a third of their strength to emigration.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, CFCW stalwart Ryan Plunkett said that loss of the players has “demoralised” those left behind.

“Over the last two years we’ve lost six or seven players – that in itself we could cope with, but it’s the knock-on effect that it’s had. It’s demoralised our club. Some of the lads that are left maybe aren’t as committed and some are playing hurling too, or other things.

“This has a knock-on effect on younger lads who are getting on the team without having to train.”

While the effects of emigration have hit CFCW hard, Mr Plunkett says that it is a problem being experienced by clubs across Westmeath and the rest of Ireland.

“You now see that a lot of rural clubs are really struggling. If we went back five or six years, rural clubs had a strong first 15 and could compete. But now clubs are having to play lads that are not really committed. The gap is going to widen between clubs with big pools of players and smaller clubs.”

A fixture on the team for more than a decade, proud clubman Ryan says that until the economy picks up, the future doesn’t look bright for CFCW. “When we won the intermediate, a core group of the players were from Finea and didn’t play hurling. The majority of the club’s underage players are now from Castlepollard and also play hurling and soccer, so will have divided loyalties. The reality is that in Castletown and Finea the population isn’t there. In the primary schools the numbers don’t exist; when I was in primary school we had a decent school team but the numbers aren’t there now.”

Finea-based councillor Paddy Hill says there is hardly a family in north Westmeath that hasn’t at least one member leaving the country in search of work.

“It’s a growing issue,” said Cllr Hill. “More people leaving every day. In some instances families are going or husbands are going and wives are staying at home with children. There is no alternative. If you don’t have a job and you have a family, you have to go somewhere. What you receive on the social welfare is not adequate to support them.

“There is one area in north Westmeath where a husband and a daughter have gone; a husband, wife and two young children have gone, two sons are gone; a husband, wife and a child have gone. All of these people lived within a mile radius of each other.”

Cllr Hill says that it is not just the local sport clubs such as CFCW that are feeling the impact of large scale emigration.

“There is no spending power left. All of those people who have left were spending money with local businesses, especially young people. Many of them worked in the construction industry. Thank God we still have C&F Tooling in Collinstown and Mergon in Castlepollard.”