Established in 1986, "Combat Poverty is the sole national statutory organisation in Ireland dedicated to advising on ways to prevent and eliminate poverty and social exclusion."
They campaign for a fairer distribution of resources and offer a lot of information on poverty in the state.
They have just issued a report on rural poverty.
Their site gives credibility to what most people know by instinct. The west and north of the state are the poorest.
Local authority tenants are the poorest.
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They want us all to consider that :-
"A higher proportion of local authority tenants are in poverty (32.4% compared to the average 6.2%). Tenants in private rented housing have twice the average poverty rate (12.6% compared to the average 6.2%).
A higher proportion of outright owners are in poverty compared to owners with a mortgage. This is related to the relatively high proportion of elderly in this category."
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explanatory notes to the map
"Map 4.4: Disparities in Income Poverty and Deprivation of Basic Necessities by Local Authority Area
This map illustrates the disparities in poverty across local authority areas in Ireland. Figures show the ratio of poverty in each local authority area to the national figure. Figures greater than one indicate a higher than national average poverty rate while figures less than one indicate a lower than average rate of poverty.
The higher poverty rate in the Border, Midland and Western region is highlighted by local authorities with above average rates of poverty such as Leitrim, Longford, Mayo and Donegal, in particular, which has the highest in the country (90% above the average).
Lower rates of poverty are evident in Dublin and the Mid-East. Dublin City has a poverty rate which is equivalent to the national average, but the surrounding local authorities such as Fingal, Dublin South, Kildare, Meath and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, in particular, (60% below the average) are all well below the average in poverty terms.
It is also evident that the levels of poverty are higher in larger cities (Dublin, Cork, Limerick & Waterford) than in the surrounding counties with the exception of Galway City.
The map is sourced from the Irish National Survey of Housing Quality, 2001/2002."
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here is an Irish Times article on the report
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2005/0825/3029558736HM1POVERTY.html
the material in this article is © copyright of the Combat Poverty Agency website and belongs to the Combat Poverty Agency. This material may be used for private non-commercial use only provided that any copy retains all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the original material. Which is exactly what (((i)))'ve done.
aint that sweet. Now note that the political representation of the "poor areas" does not amount to a serious threat to the present regime iin the Dail or that the "poor areas" may be counted as politicised by one party and one party alone yet.
Combat Poverty Agency
Bridgewater Centre
Conyngham Road
Islandbridge
Dublin 8
Ireland
Tel: + 353 1 670 6746
Fax: +353 1 670 6760
Email: info@cpa.ie