When the UCSI medical devices company from Japan is in full operation in Ballinsloe 125 new jobs will be available in the town. It might take a while before all of the jobs materialise, according to county councillor Michael Mullins who has seen over 1,000 jobs disappear from the town over the past decade.

All the same, it is good news and the advance team for the new industry is already making arrangements to take up offices in the BACD enterprise centre in town now located in part of St Brigid's Hospital. This was the centre set up some years ago with organisations like the Urban District Council and the Ballinasloe Credit Union involved.

The idea was to sparkoff some local enterprise - some happened Šin providing services for example. But it is very plain to be seen that the big employment engines had to come from the outside to Ballinasloe. That is nothing strange - last year I heard the Managing Director of Masonite in Leitrim, Dr James Hoey, who was also chairman of the group that reported on a new strategy for native innovation in Ireland saying that in general Ireland is not very good at this enterprise business.

What hope has Connemara?

After all even in Galway city we rely on American companies. If they were to go tomorrow where would we be? So how could we expect the eastern margins of the county to be able to generate the local enterprise to solve their jobs problems when it cannot be done in Galway. But let's go to the western margin of the county - how could communities there be expected to generate the energy to provide a substantial number of jobs in their own area? I thought about that when Údarás na Gaeltachta published its end of year statement for 2005 in Furbo lately. The mantra from Furbo now is "pobal bhunaithe agus teanga lárnaíthe". It means that employment creation should be based in the community and centred on the Irish language.

Now lets not "bate" the Údarás with a big stick. To be fair Údarás na Gaeltachta is playing against the wind. How do you attract industrialists/job creation activities to the west Connemara Gaeltachts on the western margin of the county? "Dirt track" roads as they have been so aptly baptized by Cllr Josie Conneely lately, bits of broadband, flickering electricity and water from dodgy bogs.

Logically it would follow that business people and investors would not go west - and logically they have not. In the end of year statement the Údarás had only 15 net new jobs in the Galway Gaeltacht for 2005 - but that is not counting up to 100 jobs that are to be lost in the Inverin area soon.

The unemployment figures for areas such as Lettermore, Ros Muc, and Carna are ashigh as 25 per cent-30 per cent in places. Thinking small is the answer Now the Údarás is trying to place the emphasis for creating jobs on the local community based on native resources etc. It favours enterprises in the range of 1-20 jobs. It is talking of enterprise and incubation units for industries spread around the place. It would be great if it worked but how can one expect the community to generate levels of enterprise to solve long term unemployment in areas that are the worst hit socially and economically in the county? It cannot be done in Ballinasloe - a town in an obviously good location. It cannot be done in Galway city. How in the name of heaven can it be done in west Connemara?

At the launch of the Údarás na Gaeltachta statement, chief executive, Pádraig Ó hAoláin mentioned that only two questionaires from people seeking employment were returned to the Údarás from the Carna/Cill Chiaráin area recently. The explanation is simple - people do not believe anything will happen anyway, so why fill in forms. And that is a conclusion you cannot argue with given their experiences. It is no easy road.

But what about the new hopes at the eastern end of the county? "The new Japanese industry might be the spark that was needed," says Councillor Michael Mullins. "It could establish Ballinasloe as a place for major industrialists to come to again," he says. Already it appears that there have been some further tentative enquiries from other companies which might locate in the town. Then the new motorway to Galway is coming down the road in a few years. All of this would benefit the whole east Galway countryside in the hinterland of Ballinasloe.

Back at the western margins Cllr Seosamh Ó Cuaig, a member of the Údarás board sees a more doubtful scenario. "In fact I visited BACD some time ago," he says, "and I said to myself if a strong centrally placed town like Ballinasloe finds it hard to generate jobs, where are we in west Connemara with our backs to the wallŠand our backs to the Atlantic?"

Ó Cuaig says the Údarás report for 2005 is not encouraging and communities in the far west of Connemara will not develop without a strong and focused national rural development policy.

"While I am not a Fianna Failer, I must commend the delegates who defied the Dublin orders at their convention last Sunday," he said. "More of that spirit and attitude is needed in the west. If it happened more widely and more often Dublin might have to sit up and take note.

However it's a poor lookout for communities on the western margins of this county that the Údarás na Gaeltachta funding has been cut back by €18m in real terms since 2002. How can you escape from the margins with that policy going on?"

Máirtín Ó Catháin, Galway Advertiser 2/2/2006