Offaly woman says many people know little of the realities of living in isolated rural areas

A reader of the Tullamore Tribune has written to the Editor saying that many people know little of the reality of day to day life in rural areas.

She was compelled to put pen to paper when reading a letter published in a national newspaper recently.

Judy Bryant's letter reads as follows:

Dear Editor,

Back in January I bought a copy of a national newspaper to read the names of the new Junior Ministers.

The paper lay on the table until recently when I got to read further. One Letter to the Editor was highly critical of people living in rural and remote areas.

In fact, I thought he was implying that loss of electricity, water, broadband, and heat served them right for choosing to live at their Eircode.

Obviously the writer knows little about the reality of life in rural Ireland. Crime is rampant in rural Ireland.

Farmers are regularly having quads, trailers, GPS units, cattle and other equipment stolen, even though they may live near the farmyard/equipment shed.

We regularly hear of dogs killing sheep. Of hunters with lurchers trespassing on land and threatening farmers when they are confronted and asked to leave.

How much worse would the situation be if the farmer were forced into a village miles from the farm? Having farmers living in villages may work in Switzerland and Austria. Is that because the people are more honest and law-abiding or because rural law enforcement is better?

If a farm has been in a family for generations and is in a remote area, farm families can hardly be expected to abandon the family farm.

Yours, etc.,

Judy Bryant,

Rathrobin,

Mountbolus