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And if a wealthy philanthropist were to come along and offer to pay for it all - the cable car system, would they still say no do you think? That'd be one way to get them up against the wall. Look for private investment and tell them they won't even have to pay for it and then you'll see what the real story is.
@@alflud The money was in place already, and they stopped it due to the reasons given: that it would disrupt tourism on Achill, it would not 'look nice' and some other reasons. It was a complete disaster.
I'm a Polish man, in Ireland since 2005. I've been to many islands off the coast of Ireland. They are the best places in Ireland. I get emotional when I hear of places like Inishibiggle dying out I'm truly emotional.That's the real soul of Ireland.
What's that got to do with this random island? The place is unviable 🤷🏻♂️ What the hell do you want?? Such settlements have risen and fallen all throughout history
@@Yolo_Swaggins ah still not spurting out the real reason are we? we know what it is anyways, you should yolo your way over to england, you would fit in better over there
I could tell many a similar tale from the Innse Gall / Hebrides and the islands of the Linne Chluaidh / Firth of Clyde where I am blessed to live. The Gael driven to the edge of the world and so many cleared from the land and deported in the last 200 years. Our islands have become increasingly the play thing of the wealthy from the south and the beautiful language and culture are on the verge of extinction. I have wandered many times across the West of Ireland and the island communities are every bit as special to me but Dail Eireann seems to be filled with politicians who sneer at Ireland and its culture and are trying to replace it. We have to protect what is ours if we want to survive. Alba agus Eirinn gu brath! Beannachd leibh.
I was lucky enough to drive and camp for 10 days throughout a lot of north-western Scotland in 2020 during the BS. I did not meet one Scottish person, even in villages. Everyone was English who had moved to Scotland. In one place I had an English landowner who came to see why I was parked on her land, even though it was public land. They did a good job removing the Scottish people from their land and keeping it that way. I edited this because I was being sarcastic, and some don't get that. They did not do a good job.
The Highland clearances is one of the biggest betrayals in the history of the world. Most of the so-called " nobles" were well rewarded. @@durbledurb3992
@@durbledurb3992 Heart-breaking. I am of partially Scots descent (grandfather), but was raised in Southern England before leaving at the age of eighteen, and all my life have NEVER gelled with the middle class English and their mentality. That's such a shame that they have imported it into those beautiful lands.
Feel like they are doing it on purpose and some wealthy investors will buy up the island and turn it into a wealthy island for the rich to have country estates.
Ireland suffers from the same problem every other country suffers from. Corruption. At some point along the road a few people are able to seize power. They then milk everything and everyone for everything they have until they themselves are eliminated and a new group arises. It’s the oldest, saddest story.
I live on Innishbiggle and have done so for about 50 years, my Mother was born on the Island. That Documentary was made many years ago. Mayo County Council actually have been in here about a week ago repairing roads and other work. We have 2 ferries, one at Bulls mouth and One on East Side of the Island that operates in conjunction with Rural Transport 7 days a week. In fact today I'm going shopping. The Island has a small population, The National School closed in the 1990's, so that was contributing factor to de population. People with children usually chose to move away. Whoever your informant was, seemed to dwell on negative aspects rather than a balanced view.
Delighted to hear this wonderful news. Was not aware this documentary was made so long ago. Now that there are ferries, would it be a good suggestion to open a national school again to attract families back. The children would be exposed to the rich dialect of the native Irish speakers. Neart libh.
@@Mary-wo5ln There was always ferries and boats on the Island. For about 15 or so years the Ferry on Ballycroy side has been linked to Rural Transport/Rural link and operates 7 days pw(Weather permitting). As for TG4 that Documentary is on the website, it was more than 20 years ago. "The Irish Government Abandons...etc", is misleading. Today, in 1882 Eamonn DeValera was born,his grandson Eamonn O'Cuiv was Minister and he did quite a lot for West of Ireland,including Innishbiggle. Naturally every community in The Country seeks improvement. Best wishes.
I'm English live in the UK but LOVE IRELAND AND ITS BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE...These governments that we have in charges these days both in uk, Ireland and Scotland care not one jot for you or me, or any small island close by. These so called elites will happily take over these precious places once the indigenous people are gone and make it their playground.....shameful is what it is. Could the island advertise for new young people, new blood to keep the place going.
Very true. Thank you. Your idea is a good one & I'm sure many would love to learn the way of the island & many islands. My gran was one of, if not the last, to speak a Breifne dialect of Irish & the government gleefully allowed its demise without any funding to protect it. This dialect was/is the dialect of The cult. If people only knew what I do in this regard. They are literally hellbent on distraction of the West, then the world entirely.
If the elites did advertise people to move in, they would inevitably invite violent offenders from a foreign country with ties to terrorism. That's what Sinn Fein has been doing lately, sadly. They went from fighting foreign invaders to actively moving them in.
People in Ireland speak English...... any guesses why????? There is massive amount of Irish Government money being pumped into the Gaeltacht areas like sewerage into an english river.
Agree entirely, I live in County Down but would love to live on an island like this. Irish government has kicked the mica crisis in NW Ireland down the road for a long time, so not surprised that nothing is being done. In an era in which those in authority teach our children to cut their bits off, the ongoing survival of an island community will come down to the people of the nation intervening directly; not from government aid.
@@danielbeattie4186 The Mica issue is sorted and Muslims are not a very large population in Ireland most of Ireland's migrants are either british or European..
Bertie, THANK YOU for filling this type of video. So very important to keep all of Ireland together!!! Such beautiful grounds, simply stunning! Keep these videos coming. I will pray…🙏🏻
Brilliant video Bertie, sad how the island is being ignored. Your right funny how certain projects get fast tracked planning permission and others rejected
Good Morning Bertie, from the beautiful county of Mayo. Blessed and surrounded by mesmerising beautiful God's Gift of great green earth. SADLY! If this beautiful Island is not rescued, its heart and Soul will die. Have a safe and Blessed Day Bertie. 🙏🇮🇪🙏
I'd consider requesting to an indepent source... I know how that sounds but some heavy pocketed dude out there has got to be able to help. This breaks my heart. ❤🍀🍀🍀
And what now? Encampments and tents don't. Completely a governmental delinquency. Get a petition going to Mayo Council and let the majority of Irish citizens decide. After all. We are the people.
The solution is to open an IPAS center on the island. Then the government will build roads paved with gold bricks and an eight lane suspension bridge with no planning permission or public input.
I'm surprised that the downtrodden people of Eire are being treated like this by their own. Surely didn't they learn from the way the English landlords treated them. I'm of English descent but wonder at the resilience of the Irish. They've contributed so much to the development of the world. They deserve better than this.
Irish people are suffering because they ignored the warnings of James Connolly and we suffer from exactly what he warned of 100 years ago now, serves us right honestly
These people were fixated on a cable car but when that was refused due to somebody complaining about the view being wreck, not to mention safety in winter, they should have looked for a causeway as it is not that deep..
The Irish aren't resilient. Britain continuously botched its colonisation efforts here, but we've been assimilated all the same. Look through the rest of the comments. See all the talk about how what's happening is exactly the same as what's happening in the UK, that politicians are all the same, that elites are replacing "us". These people are the biggest Gallaí in the country, totally absorbed in American and English far right propaganda, no real familiarity with the history of Irish nationalism beyond a few cherrypicked quotes from Pearse, and not a word of Irish between them. But the whole country has been so alienated from its identity and history that this blasphemous use of our past struggles now passes for the real deal.
@@roryoneill9444The causeway would cost a lot more; but it's not cost which the government are worried about as can be seen by how extremely generous they are with immigrants. They simply want Paddy to dwindle, be replaced and die. 😢☘️
There were always those who actively worked against their own for their personal benefit. They were complicit with the British and now they are with the EU.
This is very sad. I visited Mayo (but not Inis Bigil) in the early 90s on a study tour of western ireland, focusing on rural development issues and policy. What struck me was that the local decision makers who were accessing the EU development funds were generally doing a good job, listening to local people, and identifying good projects. It was far from the top-down approach we had long suffered from in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. However we were only in Mayo for a day or two and I may have got it wrong. A good connection to the mainland is fundamental and can save the island - witness how the new road brdge from north Harris saved the smaller island of Scalpay from depopulation, and has lead to new houses and jobs. It is not just planning policies which need to change, a key issue in the Highlands and Islands is new regulations for building control, especially 'net zero' policies on insulation and energy efficiency - which is making the construction of new houses very expensive, and renovation of old houses almost impossible. Affordable housing is the key issue and while local development trusts can provide impetus and access to cash from central or local government, they can't always overcome structural problems in planning rules and building regs which are often inflexible and unnecessary or inappropriate in remote rural areas. I get the impression that rural Ireland is suffering from the same general problem we still face in rural Scotland - daft decisions (like banning wood stoves) made by urban-based politicians and officials in Edinburgh/Dublin who live in big houses with gas central heating, and generally don't have a clue about what it's like to try to live, work and stay warm in the countryside. I hope things can be turned round for Inis Bigil.
Thank you so much for this insightful comment. My thoughts are that it is all part of the same problem: lawmakers, government policies, and civil servants. There are too many bloated, bureaucratic systems. As you've laid out yourself 🙏
It's an awful shame that all these little communities are not properly supported. It's the same with many of the Scottish Isles. There are a couple of smaller Islands between Inishbiggle and the Island. Could not some bridges be built. I suppose they would say it is not financially viable.
Boris Johnson tried to sell us Scots a bridge - Scotland ti Northern Ireland 😂 Brexit benefit 😆 🤣 😂 Scotland has 300 Islands on the west coast and to the north of Scotland Your right it is all about money
Go raibh maith agat, a Bhertie! The island looks beautiful. The scene of the collie (?) waiting for his/her master is poignant. Unfortunately, the current crew in Dáil are not interested in protecting Ireland's heritage. They are actively trying to destroy it with their commitment to those doctors, surgeons, barristers, etc. who are arriving in the country. Their priorities are very obvious. It would be interesting to do a bit of investigative work to find out who objected to the cable car in 1997. The islands surrounding Ireland are an intrinsic part of who we are as a nation and should be saved. Good work with this video.
Great video Bertie, Do post the other videos you spoke of. These issues of rural Ireland need to be highlighted before it is too late. Its the last of our culture that hasnt been tainted by the modern culture and attitude. Well done and delivered content and keep them coming from an expat Dub living in rural Mayo, one of the prettiest places on this planet. Thank you for uploading.
I remember the curruaghs coming into achill sound when I was there in the 90s and 2000s one old boy used the Guinness carton as a hat haha I miss the West
E.U. fund communities like this all over Europe. The M.E.P. for the area should be asked to help. Particularly as the Irish government lacks the political will to preserve fantastic communities just like this. 🙏
The Government don’t care about our Beautiful Country & Islands ‘ our Culture ‘ History ‘ Identity & our Warriors that fought for Millennium’s for our Land ‘ Shocking how they have sold the whole Country Out & the Irish People Would Love to see your Video on the Blaskets ‘ would Love a week away from the Madness of City Living ‘ well done Brother 👍 🇮🇪❤️☘️🙏✝️
@@CaptainKaos420we are the winners, so we WROTE the history. My family and many others in our parish died during the Economic War with Britain in the 1930's. "Burn everything British bar their coal". The poor suffered terribly, thousands left and the Irish language and culture took a blow from witch it never recovered. However, in modren Ireland, you are simply not allowed to mention it without being shot down.
It was one of many gen0sides in Ireland. Have you heard the expression ''They took the soup''. Population in Ireland in the last gen0side was 8.5 Million, today it's around 5 Million. Don't forget Catholics bread like rabits back then. We should have a population of 50 Millions today. We are being replaced again today.
As someone born and bred and still living in London (9 Million neighbours!!). Was amazed by shared church and can nnot understand why the citizens are not supported like they are Lepers. I'm reminded of St Kilda but they are well out to sea!. Visually Obtrusive no a Lifeline !!
Lived on Achill in 94-95, remember an Inishbigil wedding Achill islanders waved tea towels to the happy couple as they drove around Achill, there was allegedly a 2 headed cat on Inishbigil.
We do not need answers. The answers we get will be lies and an innocent sent as a sacrifice. We need change. It needs to be people bringing the change and not people asking a government body to make the change.
wow, i'd never heard of this island. but a play with google maps shows that at one point it's only a few hundred metres from 'bullsmouth'' on achill island!
"So near, and yet so far!" A man was actually lost in that channel about 20 years ago. It's thought he suffered a heart attack and fell in the water. Iirc, it took a fairly considerable time to find his remains. There have also been several close calls over the years. There is a Google satellite shot of the crossing in the video, and you can actually _see_ the surge of the current! There is one _helluva_ lot of water that is funneled through there by the tides. Divers who worked on a cable or pipeline across the channel - I can't remember which - could only go down for maybe ten or twenty minutes at slack tide. They "knew it was time to come up", one of them said, "when we would see the boulders start to fly past!!" It is said to be one of the two strongest and potentially most dangerous currents around the island of Ireland, the other being Strangford Lough in Co. Down. The crossing on the other side is chancy too. At Spring Tide one can wade or even drive across (as mentioned in the video), but one has to be intimately knowledgeable about local terrain and tidal movements. One Cork couple who had retired and were planning a new start on 'Bigil memorably lost nearly all of their furniture and belongings (the lady was interviewed about the experience by Marian Finucane on Radio 1) despite the best efforts of the islanders who came out to assist, after their vehicle became caught up in rocks and/or quicksand with an incoming tide.
13 Billion comes to mind.A lot can be done with that in our country. People need to lobby their TD'S in Mayo and other Cultural Heritage Groups need to lobby Government for the future of Inishbiggle. Our way of life must be preserved.
€13billion that the government fought kicking and screaming to _refuse!_ Interestingly, they don't seem to maintain that position when it comes to my own taxes! Maybe _I_ should get into the racket of building spyware that consumers will pay silly money for, to have grass them up to data brokers and intelligence agencies. While I'm at it, I think I'll forbid and hinder owner or 3rd party repair as I build in that planned obsolescence!
It reminds me of Brian Friel’s play as they waited on the dock for a ferry which never came and they filled their time recounting their stories. Their stories were of choosing convention over their heart’s desire and what that did to their lives which turned out to be inauthentic instead of being authentic. Choose life.
I was in Achill Island three times, and always wondered why we couldn't cross to Bere island. You are so close to it and yet can't cross. One bridge from the Achill side would suffice.
Not only does this bring to mind The Banshees of also but also a beautiful book called The Colony, that tells a story of an isolated Island off the west coast of Ireland that is very hard to access.
Interesting to see these island communities were able to survive for so long but now must die. One would think our technological advances would serve for them to be viable and even thrive. The fact that a bunch of bureaucrats wield such power is disturbing. They have decided investing in places and the people of such islands is not worth doing. Is this really democracy and in the best interest of the people who put them in power. This is the beginning of unraveling the Irish culture - don't forget the recent portrayal of the traditional Irish family in the school book versus the "modern family"!
Ah c'mon, that depiction was nothing new and it was blown out of proportion because it offered a very convenient media circus to distract from a wave of reports of sexual abuse in church run schools
I'm a Canadian, now long settled in Scotland, with the shameful admission that I have yet to visit ANY part of your island(s). I hope to remedy that in the near future. In the meantime, I was moved by your story. Before health problems prevented me from continuing with work or study, my principal field was applied linguistics, particularly endangered language revitalisation. I felt a lot of familiar currents and themes here. So, I sent a link to this page to a friend of mine, who is a high-level planner with the Scottish government. IF he consents to do some "work" in his free time, I'm hoping he could offer you some insights into the planning process that might improve the likelihood that your lobbying will have a fruitful outcome. That was the best contribution I could think of making, but there are no guarantees. Let's hope he gets in touch with you.
The state should have built a bridge across from achill and another onto ballycroy then achill could also get a national secondary route and inishbiggle wouldn't die.
Great video, thank you for bringing so manny people's attention to this issue. However a cable car is not the way to go, they're a money sink and anything but reliable. One was only built on Dursey because of the high cliffs making a conventional bridge near impossible. Best option here is a bridge or a car ferry.
Good point, but the cable was the solution that they almost got, there must be a reason why they chose that. Perhaps the Bullsmouth Channel is too dangerous to construct on, I'm not sure.
@@BertieBrosnan Dursey's cable car is still closed for months of the year and needs regular maintenance, the shortest point to the mainland for the least cable is by cliffs which is more ideal. your best bet for Inisbiggle would be a series of small suspension bridges from the mainland to island hop, but that's expensive and might block boat traffic and the tidal currents there are IMMENSE. The sanest solution would be one of the electric cable ferries, but that wouldn't satisfy construction companies in mayo
The best thing to ever to happen to that island is the fact the government forgot about it. If it took an interest it would be ruined in every possible way. BE FREE
Hi this is my first time watching your channel but you have a subscriber - I live in England and have never been to Ireland myself but both my grandparents came from there and met here and I really feel a strong connection to my Irish roots, would love to see a video on your experience on the other islands
I would love this island and the islands of Ireland looked after i have a great fondness for islands as my grandfather was born on an island in lough ree
One of the stills was of TD Eamon O'Cuiv, probably when he was Minister for Islands etc. He was and is strongly pro rural gaelteacht. He pushed through a lot of developements on various populated Islands; I know this because my Dad was from Inisturk and also was involved on keeping Islands in the West going. There was fury with Mayo County Council on this particular decision. Like everything though, if the inhabitants don't do half the work everything falls apart, and the lack of a pier is key. In community development, half the groundwork must be done by the locals. Unfair but true. Inishturk is far less accessible, but the presence of a pier, fishing and strong tourism has kept them going.
Fair play to you for covering this. Cable cars improve the view (in my opinion) & certainly wouldn't HURT tourism... I'm wondering why there isn't a Community Employment Scheme to help with upkeep needs of the island?
I visited this island around 1986 as a student nurse accompanying the regular community nurse on his monthly visit. We drove to Achill and we were rowed across the dangerous stretch of water in a curragh by a man who had a little to much poitin drank and so to come back at the end of the day we had to find a different man to row us over. I remember in one of the homes we visited been given tea and seeing in the ashes of the open fire a crab was being cooked. A beautiful wild & rugged island that didn’t then and still doesn’t make sense that a bridge/ proper ferry or cable car system hasn’t connected it to Achill. May God bless this island and it’s people. Lovely but sad video, thank you for it.🙏🙂
Same all over the world. If an area is well populated funds flow in. I live in a small coastal community. The beach is crumbling away as people's homes succumb to nature. But coastal erosion is only treated long-term in highly populated areas. A cable car would not have many negative effects on the Island. It could be so pretty with native planting and rockery at landing and arrival points. This could be a nice opportunity for a local to open a coffee/tea shop alongside for visitors and locals alike. It's disheartening looking at people living in beauty and nature being left by the wayside. I'm wondering also if Bord failte and Irish Tourism was contacted for their inputs and perhaps suggestions. A beautiful video, with great geographical images. Thank you.🧡
The government both local and national is responsible for the death of this beautiful place. A suggestion might be to not only consider cablecar access but other means of acessing the island such as a causway or series of causways/bridges using neighboring islands. My heart is with you.
✨ De Valera looked after a lot of island people not long after the founding of this State. Many islanders were offered & accepted decent size plots of land in the midlands at the expense of the locals. My dad was a teen then & recalls it well. ( I can't recall which islands but I'm sure it's a matter of public record)
Thank you. I might have found a new education-channel. - Half an hour ago I didn't know an Island called Inischbiggle even exists. But this is everywhere throughout Europe, that rural communities are left to struggle for their own. Even regions in central europe fight with inaccessibility, decline of infrastructure and depopulation. The worst ghost-villages are placed in what was once considered eastern Europe: Romania, Slowakia, Bulgaria have once thriving villages that are only lived in by one last old person. All younger people are drawn abroad or to bigger cities for work and whatever else they expect to find there, and governments prefer to work for their capitals and citiies since there is the mass of inhabitants, that might reward 'spending'. The dozen old people in some rural community aren't interesting as voters, and infrastructure costs more than it 'returns'. I suspect, they wait until the last people are gone and then renaturate it for the CO2-goals. Every square-km 'renaturated' allows for some 'CO2-waste' in the cities. Judged by Google it's still 'pretty populated', at least some houses are still standing there. But there is an Island close by - Annagh, that has only three nameless houses left, and a - looks like newly planted woodland - and something that looks like an ancient stranded ship. What happened there? Was it left? When did this happen? Or is it 'privately owned'? How high is it elevated over the water? Is it partially flooded and will be given up in the future?
Support Bertie and his channels by visiting this link: www.bertiebrosnanfilms.com. There, you can find different ways to contribute, and if you are interested in his first novel, THE FORGOTTEN PRINCE, links are available there, too. Thank you very much 😊
Do you not think the young people will return to inish bigil when they have made money in life?
And if a wealthy philanthropist were to come along and offer to pay for it all - the cable car system, would they still say no do you think? That'd be one way to get them up against the wall. Look for private investment and tell them they won't even have to pay for it and then you'll see what the real story is.
What language do they speak
@@liambyrne591 Gaelic and English. But Gaelic is their primary language.
@@alflud The money was in place already, and they stopped it due to the reasons given: that it would disrupt tourism on Achill, it would not 'look nice' and some other reasons. It was a complete disaster.
I'm a Polish man, in Ireland since 2005. I've been to many islands off the coast of Ireland. They are the best places in Ireland. I get emotional when I hear of places like Inishibiggle dying out I'm truly emotional.That's the real soul of Ireland.
This comment really stands out. Thank you for saying that. I agree; it is really upsetting.
I agree withyou . The celtic history of Ireland, Scotland and Wales must be appreciated and preserved.
What's that got to do with this random island?
The place is unviable 🤷🏻♂️
What the hell do you want??
Such settlements have risen and fallen all throughout history
Celtic? The Welsh? Lol
You really think your government love jah 😅?
They are destroying ireland right now cant you see???
Save Ireland
from what exactly?
From what?
@@evancleary3315 From eejits like you 😂
@@Yolo_Swaggins ah still not spurting out the real reason are we?
we know what it is anyways, you should yolo your way over to england, you would fit in better over there
I could tell many a similar tale from the Innse Gall / Hebrides and the islands of the Linne Chluaidh / Firth of Clyde where I am blessed to live. The Gael driven to the edge of the world and so many cleared from the land and deported in the last 200 years. Our islands have become increasingly the play thing of the wealthy from the south and the beautiful language and culture are on the verge of extinction. I have wandered many times across the West of Ireland and the island communities are every bit as special to me but Dail Eireann seems to be filled with politicians who sneer at Ireland and its culture and are trying to replace it. We have to protect what is ours if we want to survive. Alba agus Eirinn gu brath! Beannachd leibh.
I was lucky enough to drive and camp for 10 days throughout a lot of north-western Scotland in 2020 during the BS. I did not meet one Scottish person, even in villages. Everyone was English who had moved to Scotland. In one place I had an English landowner who came to see why I was parked on her land, even though it was public land.
They did a good job removing the Scottish people from their land and keeping it that way. I edited this because I was being sarcastic, and some don't get that. They did not do a good job.
Replace indigenous culture and language a pile of made-up, imported globalised slop. Our "leaders" would make you proud!!
Your ear is very much to the ground. Tapadh leibh.
The Highland clearances is one of the biggest betrayals in the history of the world. Most of the so-called " nobles" were well rewarded. @@durbledurb3992
@@durbledurb3992 Heart-breaking. I am of partially Scots descent (grandfather), but was raised in Southern England before leaving at the age of eighteen, and all my life have NEVER gelled with the middle class English and their mentality. That's such a shame that they have imported it into those beautiful lands.
Nothing happens by accident when our government is involved.
Like the fire in Hawaii
sadly my own first thought was they might want to use it as a windfarm
Feel like they are doing it on purpose and some wealthy investors will buy up the island and turn it into a wealthy island for the rich to have country estates.
@@justlookingaround that's not how land works in ireland, particularly in the west.
it can, Governments are experts in incompetence.
Ireland suffers from the same problem every other country suffers from. Corruption. At some point along the road a few people are able to seize power. They then milk everything and everyone for everything they have until they themselves are eliminated and a new group arises. It’s the oldest, saddest story.
Sounds about right 😢
that specific point was in 1921. Irish republic has ALWAYS been governed by successive generations of Gombeen men, your local TD especially.
Then the new group eventually becomes corrupt and the cycle starts all over again.
It’s a beautiful island. Love from the US 💚 I hope it survives.
I live on Innishbiggle and have done so for about 50 years, my Mother was born on the Island.
That Documentary was made many years ago. Mayo County Council actually have been in here about a week ago repairing roads and other work. We have 2 ferries, one at Bulls mouth and One on East Side of the Island that operates in conjunction with Rural Transport 7 days a week. In fact today I'm going shopping. The Island has a small population, The National School closed in the 1990's, so that was contributing factor to de population. People with children usually chose to move away.
Whoever your informant was, seemed to dwell on negative aspects rather than a balanced view.
Thanks for the input, that's a good thing to know as it did seem that documentary was made at least a ecade ago.
Delighted to hear this wonderful news. Was not aware this documentary was made so long ago. Now that there are ferries, would it be a good suggestion to open a national school again to attract families back. The children would be exposed to the rich dialect of the native Irish speakers. Neart libh.
@@Mary-wo5ln There was always ferries and boats on the Island. For about 15 or so years the Ferry on Ballycroy side has been linked to Rural Transport/Rural link and operates 7 days pw(Weather permitting). As for TG4 that Documentary is on the website, it was more than 20 years ago. "The Irish Government Abandons...etc", is misleading. Today, in 1882 Eamonn DeValera was born,his grandson Eamonn O'Cuiv was Minister and he did quite a lot for West of Ireland,including Innishbiggle. Naturally every community in The Country seeks improvement. Best wishes.
So you wouldn't want a cable car? What's the consensus among the islanders, past and present?
Thanks again Bertie, for the report about Inishbiggle, try to keep it alive, and going.
Thank you for watching Larry 🙏
@@BertieBrosnan
Coincidentally, I'm driving to Achill Island, the day after tomorrow.
I'm English live in the UK but LOVE IRELAND AND ITS BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE...These governments that we have in charges these days both in uk, Ireland and Scotland care not one jot for you or me, or any small island close by. These so called elites will happily take over these precious places once the indigenous people are gone and make it their playground.....shameful is what it is. Could the island advertise for new young people, new blood to keep the place going.
Very true. Thank you. Your idea is a good one & I'm sure many would love to learn the way of the island & many islands. My gran was one of, if not the last, to speak a Breifne dialect of Irish & the government gleefully allowed its demise without any funding to protect it. This dialect was/is the dialect of The cult. If people only knew what I do in this regard. They are literally hellbent on distraction of the West, then the world entirely.
If the elites did advertise people to move in, they would inevitably invite violent offenders from a foreign country with ties to terrorism. That's what Sinn Fein has been doing lately, sadly. They went from fighting foreign invaders to actively moving them in.
People in Ireland speak English...... any guesses why????? There is massive amount of Irish Government money being pumped into the Gaeltacht areas like sewerage into an english river.
Agree entirely, I live in County Down but would love to live on an island like this. Irish government has kicked the mica crisis in NW Ireland down the road for a long time, so not surprised that nothing is being done. In an era in which those in authority teach our children to cut their bits off, the ongoing survival of an island community will come down to the people of the nation intervening directly; not from government aid.
@@danielbeattie4186 The Mica issue is sorted and Muslims are not a very large population in Ireland most of Ireland's migrants are either british or European..
Thank you for this. I would love to see a video about your experience at Blasket Island.
Hi Kristin, thank you. I will most definitely make a Blasket Island video at some point.
I agree! Loved stories about the Blaskets Islands. I also had (like others) Péig Sayers book in high school fadó fadó but learnt to love it!
I'll share and spread the word best I can for the channel & the island. God bless them 🏆🍀
consider rephrasing "shate"!
@@jaqmart curse this keypad lol! Done. Didnt even notice 🤣
Bertie, THANK YOU for filling this type of video. So very important to keep all of Ireland together!!! Such beautiful grounds, simply stunning! Keep these videos coming. I will pray…🙏🏻
Brilliant video Bertie, sad how the island is being ignored. Your right funny how certain projects get fast tracked planning permission and others rejected
Yes... it is a complete disaster.
Good Morning Bertie, from the beautiful county of Mayo. Blessed and surrounded by mesmerising beautiful God's Gift of great green earth. SADLY! If this beautiful Island is not rescued, its heart and Soul will die. Have a safe and Blessed Day Bertie. 🙏🇮🇪🙏
Yes indeed, I agree.
Hoping a wonderful resolution is found very soon. Sending much hope and love to you all in Inish Biggle from Geordieland. 🍀🙏❤☘️.
I would love to live in a place like this, live as close to the land, almost off grid, away from the madness but fear i am too old, reaching 65 soon.
Beautiful video. Thank you.
Thank you for watching 🙏
@@BertieBrosnan❤❤❤
God bless you for keeping history alive
Thank you for reporting this. What is becoming of our people. Why are we being treated as 2nd class in our own country?
I hiked the Great Blaskett Island in 1988. I read the biography of Peig. It is sad to see the soul of Ireland dying. Ireland for the Irish!
I'd consider requesting to an indepent source... I know how that sounds but some heavy pocketed dude out there has got to be able to help. This breaks my heart. ❤🍀🍀🍀
And what now? Encampments and tents don't. Completely a governmental delinquency. Get a petition going to Mayo Council and let the majority of Irish citizens decide. After all. We are the people.
The solution is to open an IPAS center on the island. Then the government will build roads paved with gold bricks and an eight lane suspension bridge with no planning permission or public input.
Right, why not?
Haha
I'm surprised that the downtrodden people of Eire are being treated like this by their own. Surely didn't they learn from the way the English landlords treated them. I'm of English descent but wonder at the resilience of the Irish. They've contributed so much to the development of the world. They deserve better than this.
Irish people are suffering because they ignored the warnings of James Connolly and we suffer from exactly what he warned of 100 years ago now, serves us right honestly
These people were fixated on a cable car but when that was refused due to somebody complaining about the view being wreck, not to mention safety in winter, they should have looked for a causeway as it is not that deep..
The Irish aren't resilient. Britain continuously botched its colonisation efforts here, but we've been assimilated all the same. Look through the rest of the comments. See all the talk about how what's happening is exactly the same as what's happening in the UK, that politicians are all the same, that elites are replacing "us". These people are the biggest Gallaí in the country, totally absorbed in American and English far right propaganda, no real familiarity with the history of Irish nationalism beyond a few cherrypicked quotes from Pearse, and not a word of Irish between them. But the whole country has been so alienated from its identity and history that this blasphemous use of our past struggles now passes for the real deal.
@@roryoneill9444The causeway would cost a lot more; but it's not cost which the government are worried about as can be seen by how extremely generous they are with immigrants. They simply want Paddy to dwindle, be replaced and die. 😢☘️
There were always those who actively worked against their own for their personal benefit. They were complicit with the British and now they are with the EU.
This is very sad. I visited Mayo (but not Inis Bigil) in the early 90s on a study tour of western ireland, focusing on rural development issues and policy. What struck me was that the local decision makers who were accessing the EU development funds were generally doing a good job, listening to local people, and identifying good projects. It was far from the top-down approach we had long suffered from in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. However we were only in Mayo for a day or two and I may have got it wrong. A good connection to the mainland is fundamental and can save the island - witness how the new road brdge from north Harris saved the smaller island of Scalpay from depopulation, and has lead to new houses and jobs. It is not just planning policies which need to change, a key issue in the Highlands and Islands is new regulations for building control, especially 'net zero' policies on insulation and energy efficiency - which is making the construction of new houses very expensive, and renovation of old houses almost impossible. Affordable housing is the key issue and while local development trusts can provide impetus and access to cash from central or local government, they can't always overcome structural problems in planning rules and building regs which are often inflexible and unnecessary or inappropriate in remote rural areas. I get the impression that rural Ireland is suffering from the same general problem we still face in rural Scotland - daft decisions (like banning wood stoves) made by urban-based politicians and officials in Edinburgh/Dublin who live in big houses with gas central heating, and generally don't have a clue about what it's like to try to live, work and stay warm in the countryside. I hope things can be turned round for Inis Bigil.
Thank you so much for this insightful comment. My thoughts are that it is all part of the same problem: lawmakers, government policies, and civil servants. There are too many bloated, bureaucratic systems. As you've laid out yourself 🙏
Great assesment . Net zero regulations are a major cause of the cost of housing and inflation in australia and new zealand as well .
It's an awful shame that all these little communities are not properly supported. It's the same with many of the Scottish Isles. There are a couple of smaller Islands between Inishbiggle and the Island. Could not some bridges be built. I suppose they would say it is not financially viable.
Boris Johnson tried to sell us Scots a bridge - Scotland ti Northern Ireland 😂
Brexit benefit 😆 🤣 😂
Scotland has 300 Islands on the west coast and to the north of Scotland
Your right it is all about money
Go raibh maith agat, a Bhertie! The island looks beautiful. The scene of the collie (?) waiting for his/her master is poignant.
Unfortunately, the current crew in Dáil are not interested in protecting Ireland's heritage. They are actively trying to destroy it with their commitment to those doctors, surgeons, barristers, etc. who are arriving in the country. Their priorities are very obvious.
It would be interesting to do a bit of investigative work to find out who objected to the cable car in 1997.
The islands surrounding Ireland are an intrinsic part of who we are as a nation and should be saved.
Good work with this video.
Great video Bertie, Do post the other videos you spoke of. These issues of rural Ireland need to be highlighted before it is too late. Its the last of our culture that hasnt been tainted by the modern culture and attitude.
Well done and delivered content and keep them coming from an expat Dub living in rural Mayo, one of the prettiest places on this planet. Thank you for uploading.
Thank you, I will
I remember the curruaghs coming into achill sound when I was there in the 90s and 2000s one old boy used the Guinness carton as a hat haha I miss the West
E.U. fund communities like this all over Europe. The M.E.P. for the area should be asked to help. Particularly as the Irish government lacks the political will to preserve fantastic communities just like this. 🙏
Yes, I agree.
Please no. Not EU involvement !!! You will be serfs to two government behemoths. EU money comes with many unpleasant strings attached.
Do you want a hard self sufficient life, or serfdom. Its a choice.
@@patrickodonnell4109it is also a good point, fair enough.
@@patrickodonnell4109 funny shit is EU money is really just our money they have taken off us already, or hand us a bill 40 times larger for.
The Government don’t care about our Beautiful Country & Islands ‘ our Culture ‘ History ‘ Identity & our Warriors that fought for Millennium’s for our Land ‘ Shocking how they have sold the whole Country Out & the Irish People
Would Love to see your Video on the Blaskets ‘ would Love a week away from the Madness of City Living ‘ well done Brother 👍
🇮🇪❤️☘️🙏✝️
Thank you, ill certainly do a video on the Blasket Islands at some point 👍
Have a look at what they did to Erris up near carrowteige with the terminal and the backhand deals that's destroying belmullet.
Ireland bought out by bankers
Sounds like the WEF ,Globalists have already took over Ireland
Just move to Kerry, there are loads of jobs and it is cheaper..
A very interesting and informative video. I subscribed to your channel. God Bless.
Why is it called a famine when the food was removed at gun point?
winners tell the history how the see fit... so they leave out the parts we know to be true
@@CaptainKaos420we are the winners, so we WROTE the history.
My family and many others in our parish died during the Economic War with Britain in the 1930's.
"Burn everything British bar their coal".
The poor suffered terribly, thousands left and the Irish language and culture took a blow from witch it never recovered.
However, in modren Ireland, you are simply not allowed to mention it without being shot down.
Wrong food was produced and Sold by Irish Tenant Farmers giving it away to hungry cottiers solves problem 1845 then what Everyone Starves
@@connoroleary591my nan used to take the train from Belfast and smuggle wallpaper under her clothes from the free state.
It was one of many gen0sides in Ireland. Have you heard the expression ''They took the soup''.
Population in Ireland in the last gen0side was 8.5 Million, today it's around 5 Million. Don't forget Catholics bread like rabits back then. We should have a population of 50 Millions today.
We are being replaced again today.
As someone born and bred and still living in London (9 Million neighbours!!).
Was amazed by shared church and can nnot understand why the citizens are not supported like they are Lepers.
I'm reminded of St Kilda but they are well out to sea!.
Visually Obtrusive no a Lifeline !!
I think it took days to get to St Kilda by boat
Lived on Achill in 94-95, remember an Inishbigil wedding Achill islanders waved tea towels to the happy couple as they drove around Achill, there was allegedly a 2 headed cat on Inishbigil.
So interesting, the islander life is unique.
We do not need answers. The answers we get will be lies and an innocent sent as a sacrifice.
We need change. It needs to be people bringing the change and not people asking a government body to make the change.
wow, i'd never heard of this island. but a play with google maps shows that at one point it's only a few hundred metres from 'bullsmouth'' on achill island!
"So near, and yet so far!" A man was actually lost in that channel about 20 years ago. It's thought he suffered a heart attack and fell in the water. Iirc, it took a fairly considerable time to find his remains. There have also been several close calls over the years.
There is a Google satellite shot of the crossing in the video, and you can actually _see_ the surge of the current! There is one _helluva_ lot of water that is funneled through there by the tides. Divers who worked on a cable or pipeline across the channel - I can't remember which - could only go down for maybe ten or twenty minutes at slack tide. They "knew it was time to come up", one of them said, "when we would see the boulders start to fly past!!" It is said to be one of the two strongest and potentially most dangerous currents around the island of Ireland, the other being Strangford Lough in Co. Down.
The crossing on the other side is chancy too. At Spring Tide one can wade or even drive across (as mentioned in the video), but one has to be intimately knowledgeable about local terrain and tidal movements. One Cork couple who had retired and were planning a new start on 'Bigil memorably lost nearly all of their furniture and belongings (the lady was interviewed about the experience by Marian Finucane on Radio 1) despite the best efforts of the islanders who came out to assist, after their vehicle became caught up in rocks and/or quicksand with an incoming tide.
13 Billion comes to mind.A lot can be done with that in our country. People need to lobby their TD'S in Mayo and other Cultural Heritage Groups need to lobby Government for the future of Inishbiggle. Our way of life must be preserved.
That 13 billion would only fund the government for 1 month.
€13billion that the government fought kicking and screaming to _refuse!_ Interestingly, they don't seem to maintain that position when it comes to my own taxes!
Maybe _I_ should get into the racket of building spyware that consumers will pay silly money for, to have grass them up to data brokers and intelligence agencies. While I'm at it, I think I'll forbid and hinder owner or 3rd party repair as I build in that planned obsolescence!
It will become a getaway for a politician.
don't give them any ideas...
@paddy3126 Remember Charlie Haughie, he did it during his reign as FF leader.
It reminds me of Brian Friel’s play as they waited on the dock for a ferry which never came and they filled their time recounting their stories. Their stories were of choosing convention over their heart’s desire and what that did to their lives which turned out to be inauthentic instead of being authentic. Choose life.
Interesting take on it 👍
I was in Achill Island three times, and always wondered why we couldn't cross to Bere island. You are so close to it and yet can't cross. One bridge from the Achill side would suffice.
The government is not interested in anything West of the Shannon .
This has been shown time and time again.
It is very sad
Seems unbelievable. One day I woke up and the government was working for themselves 🙃
They work for the bankers
They work for the bankers
And we were working for the government instead of the government working for the people.🤔
Not only does this bring to mind The Banshees of also but also a beautiful book called The Colony, that tells a story of an isolated Island off the west coast of Ireland that is very hard to access.
Interesting to see these island communities were able to survive for so long but now must die. One would think our technological advances would serve for them to be viable and even thrive. The fact that a bunch of bureaucrats wield such power is disturbing. They have decided investing in places and the people of such islands is not worth doing. Is this really democracy and in the best interest of the people who put them in power. This is the beginning of unraveling the Irish culture - don't forget the recent portrayal of the traditional Irish family in the school book versus the "modern family"!
Ah c'mon, that depiction was nothing new and it was blown out of proportion because it offered a very convenient media circus to distract from a wave of reports of sexual abuse in church run schools
Well said.
Thank you
If only there was a hotel or nursing home on the island ro be converted to an ipas center and a dual carriageway built
What a brilliant interesting and informative video.
I would love to visit it. Is there a hostel on the island?
Thank you for posting about it.
Good Shout !
The government have a budget surplus ... there is no excuse.
Corruption
Declare Independence, I'll join
😢thanks for sharing. Take care 😊
Remember the Great Blaskets,Government couldnt wait to empty them.
I'll be doing a video on this.
Thank you for this video. I wish you every good fortune in your efforts to maintain viability.
Worrying about "Tourism" over the Inhabitants....... I've NEVER heard of such a thing!
I'm a Canadian, now long settled in Scotland, with the shameful admission that I have yet to visit ANY part of your island(s). I hope to remedy that in the near future. In the meantime, I was moved by your story. Before health problems prevented me from continuing with work or study, my principal field was applied linguistics, particularly endangered language revitalisation. I felt a lot of familiar currents and themes here. So, I sent a link to this page to a friend of mine, who is a high-level planner with the Scottish government. IF he consents to do some "work" in his free time, I'm hoping he could offer you some insights into the planning process that might improve the likelihood that your lobbying will have a fruitful outcome. That was the best contribution I could think of making, but there are no guarantees. Let's hope he gets in touch with you.
God bls the island and its people - from England
Down with this sort of thing
I'm surprised there aren't more Father Ted comments.
@@BertieBrosnanI thought I recognised that quote! 🤭🙏🙋🏴🇮🇪
Not too many votes on inis bigil
The state should have built a bridge across from achill and another onto ballycroy then achill could also get a national secondary route and inishbiggle wouldn't die.
The planning system is too centralised. We need to be more like a Switzerland system. But people distracted with football.
Many more distractions than football
Great video, thank you for bringing so manny people's attention to this issue. However a cable car is not the way to go, they're a money sink and anything but reliable. One was only built on Dursey because of the high cliffs making a conventional bridge near impossible. Best option here is a bridge or a car ferry.
Good point, but the cable was the solution that they almost got, there must be a reason why they chose that. Perhaps the Bullsmouth Channel is too dangerous to construct on, I'm not sure.
@@BertieBrosnan Dursey's cable car is still closed for months of the year and needs regular maintenance, the shortest point to the mainland for the least cable is by cliffs which is more ideal. your best bet for Inisbiggle would be a series of small suspension bridges from the mainland to island hop, but that's expensive and might block boat traffic and the tidal currents there are IMMENSE.
The sanest solution would be one of the electric cable ferries, but that wouldn't satisfy construction companies in mayo
A government letting go of a piece of land? Amazing.
The best thing to ever to happen to that island is the fact the government forgot about it. If it took an interest it would be ruined in every possible way. BE FREE
Hi this is my first time watching your channel but you have a subscriber - I live in England and have never been to Ireland myself but both my grandparents came from there and met here and I really feel a strong connection to my Irish roots, would love to see a video on your experience on the other islands
Going by how some others have chimed in about how the island is now, he might not be the best authority on the islands.
Damn shame, its as if they'd prefer Inishbiggle be left with no one, therefore dig in your heels and not give them an inch.
I would love this island and the islands of Ireland looked after i have a great fondness for islands as my grandfather was born on an island in lough ree
I would love to visit all the Islands.
The Scott’s have way More Than us
This is an example of cultural genocide!
One of the stills was of TD Eamon O'Cuiv, probably when he was Minister for Islands etc. He was and is strongly pro rural gaelteacht. He pushed through a lot of developements on various populated Islands; I know this because my Dad was from Inisturk and also was involved on keeping Islands in the West going. There was fury with Mayo County Council on this particular decision.
Like everything though, if the inhabitants don't do half the work everything falls apart, and the lack of a pier is key. In community development, half the groundwork must be done by the locals. Unfair but true. Inishturk is far less accessible, but the presence of a pier, fishing and strong tourism has kept them going.
So it is the locals fault that a cable car wasn't built?
They might rename it Paddistan
Good man❤
Thanks Dee 👍
Hi Bertie👋, love this. How can a place with such a cute name be forgotten 😔 😕 hopefully regeneration brings it back to a striving welcoming Island 🇮🇪👍
Yup, yes please, do the Blasket vid!
Fair play to you for covering this. Cable cars improve the view (in my opinion) & certainly wouldn't HURT tourism... I'm wondering why there isn't a Community Employment Scheme to help with upkeep needs of the island?
I visited this island around 1986 as a student nurse accompanying the regular community nurse on his monthly visit. We drove to Achill and we were rowed across the dangerous stretch of water in a curragh by a man who had a little to much poitin drank and so to come back at the end of the day we had to find a different man to row us over. I remember in one of the homes we visited been given tea and seeing in the ashes of the open fire a crab was being cooked. A beautiful wild & rugged island that didn’t then and still doesn’t make sense that a bridge/ proper ferry or cable car system hasn’t connected it to Achill. May God bless this island and it’s people. Lovely but sad video, thank you for it.🙏🙂
Same all over the world. If an area is well populated funds flow in.
I live in a small coastal community. The beach is crumbling away as people's homes succumb to nature.
But coastal erosion is only treated long-term in highly populated areas.
A cable car would not have many negative effects on the Island. It could be so pretty with native planting and rockery at landing and arrival points.
This could be a nice opportunity for a local to open a coffee/tea shop alongside for visitors and locals alike. It's disheartening looking at people living in beauty and nature being left by the wayside.
I'm wondering also if Bord failte and Irish Tourism was contacted for their inputs and perhaps suggestions.
A beautiful video, with great geographical images. Thank you.🧡
Why is the Irish Government intent on insisting the Irish people commit Hari Kiri on behalf of the EU.
you're skipping right over the landowners and construction companies and jumping right at the EU. Tory propaganda has hit you hard
Propose a refugee camp for 1200. You'll get planning right away and a bridge a Tesco and bus service in 5 months.
That's unironically a good idea.
Ya mean 1 month.
No, not a good idea, just a joke…
Haitians
@@CC-ey1bi indeed, JUST a joke. When comedy is news and news is comedy we truly are in trouble, ey?🙄
So sad 😢
😢
People governance.. Indigenous and community led🙏
The government both local and national is responsible for the death of this beautiful place. A suggestion might be to not only consider cablecar access but other means of acessing the island such as a causway or series of causways/bridges using neighboring islands. My heart is with you.
Definitely, anything that can help it.
Weird how many cableways were shutdown.
Would a cable car cost any more than a few bicycle shelters in Dublin😊
😅😅
The abandonment by the Irish of their native tongue is also shocking
OCuiv eh His grandfather De Valera was in power when Blaskets were abandoned Did nothing to help either
Really? Dev's descendants, well, well... shocking.
✨ De Valera looked after a lot of island people not long after the founding of this State. Many islanders were offered & accepted decent size plots of land in the midlands at the expense of the locals. My dad was a teen then & recalls it well. ( I can't recall which islands but I'm sure it's a matter of public record)
@@stellamaris5405Not Islanders Connemara people got land Co Meath Rathcairn think it's called
Have they thought about a cable ferry? we have them here, and run despite the weather.
that would probably have been the best option, but might be too late now.
Please do a video on the Blaskets. Such an inspirational place!
I will do in time.
They should declare independence, then start a tax haven
Hey, that's an excellent idea! 😀👍🫡🙏🙋🏴🇮🇪
They should bore tunnels - check out what underground roads have done for the Faroe Islands. Their tunnels are cost effective too.
I think a cable car system over to the island would attract plenty of tourists and bring in a lot of money.
Its actually time for action, time for talking about it is long passed.
After it fails as a community I can see it being redeveloped as a subdivision, with bridges not cable cars.
💯
WE FOUGHT AND DIED FOR ALL OF IRELAND,AND ITS ISLANDS,.
Thank you. I might have found a new education-channel. - Half an hour ago I didn't know an Island called Inischbiggle even exists.
But this is everywhere throughout Europe, that rural communities are left to struggle for their own. Even regions in central europe fight with inaccessibility, decline of infrastructure and depopulation. The worst ghost-villages are placed in what was once considered eastern Europe: Romania, Slowakia, Bulgaria have once thriving villages that are only lived in by one last old person. All younger people are drawn abroad or to bigger cities for work and whatever else they expect to find there, and governments prefer to work for their capitals and citiies since there is the mass of inhabitants, that might reward 'spending'. The dozen old people in some rural community aren't interesting as voters, and infrastructure costs more than it 'returns'. I suspect, they wait until the last people are gone and then renaturate it for the CO2-goals. Every square-km 'renaturated' allows for some 'CO2-waste' in the cities.
Judged by Google it's still 'pretty populated', at least some houses are still standing there. But there is an Island close by - Annagh, that has only three nameless houses left, and a - looks like newly planted woodland - and something that looks like an ancient stranded ship. What happened there? Was it left? When did this happen? Or is it 'privately owned'? How high is it elevated over the water? Is it partially flooded and will be given up in the future?
Same thing in Canada now too, Newfoundland won't deliver home heating oil to some of the islands anymore.
Looks beautiful, would love to live there.
Agh now that is a tragic shame. Rural communities need support for survival.