The period of the 1950s to 1980s was the beginning of modernisation in community life and farming and the development of manufacturing industry. Much of this was due to the work of Father James McDyer who was appointed curate to Glencolmcille in 1952. He lived and worked in the parish until shortly before his death in 1987. His pioneering work in rural community development is legendary and is a clear example of the importance of local initiative in shaping the character of an area.
You can learn more about Father McDyer on the Glencolmcille website (Glencolmcille Community website, 2013).
The old family home, 2015
The realities of rural life can be seen in the experiences of a local family who were filmed in September 1983. Charles and Gladys Fuller were then living in the old family house which was built when Glencolmcille was still under ‘rundale’. Like Father McDyer, they had seen the devastating effects of the loss of especially the young people. They readily recalled the poverty and emigration of the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s.
There were considerable changes in Glencolmcille between the early 1970s and 1980s. These are expressed by Charles and Gladys Fuller, but were exemplified in their children at the time of filming in 1983. William, the elder son was farming, but his approach was commercial rather than farming for subsistence. His younger brother Norman worked in a local factory, thereby avoiding emigration, farming and the ‘dole’ (unemployment).
Charles Fuller retired from farming in the early 1980s and, in the programme, he and Gladys recalled the difficulties of making a living.
Now move on to read about Agriculture in Southwest Donegal, 1983.
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Culture and the manufacturing industry, 1983
Watch now to access more details of Culture and the manufacturing industry, 1983In 1983, the fight to retain a unique Irish speaking culture meant that jobs had to be created locally in manufacturing and tourism so that Irish speakers no longer had to emigrate, but industrialisation also threatened the survival of the Irish language.
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The dilemma of tourism and the Irish language, 1983
Watch now to access more details of The dilemma of tourism and the Irish language, 1983Father James McDyer discusses the dilemma of the Glencolmcille holiday village between development, language and culture and the threat of depopulation. Tourism is important for economic development but what impact does it have on local culture and the Irish language?
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A new layer: Culture, the Irish language and identity in 2015
Watch now to access more details of A new layer: Culture, the Irish language and identity in 2015We revisit the Glencolmcille folk village in 2015 to see whether the dilemma of development and the local language and culture has been resolved.
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Southwest Donegal: uniqueness and interdependence in 2015
Read now to access more details of Southwest Donegal: uniqueness and interdependence in 2015In Southwest Donegal, we see both the local uniqueness and different interdependencies and interconnections with other places.
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Change in the West of Ireland
Read now to access more details of Change in the West of IrelandIntroducing a collection of articles asking 'How can unique and distinctive regions, like the West of Ireland, retain the qualities that make them unique while continuing to modernise and interact with the wider world?'
This article is part of a collection on the 'Uniqueness, Interdependence, Uneven Development and Change in the West of Ireland'. To find out more about the collection, a good place to start is the introduction, Change in the West of Ireland.
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Change in the West of Ireland
Read now to access more details of Change in the West of IrelandIntroducing a collection of articles asking 'How can unique and distinctive regions, like the West of Ireland, retain the qualities that make them unique while continuing to modernise and interact with the wider world?'
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