Independent Illustrations in Ireland
Ireland: An island filled with green grass, low-lying mountains, and many sandy beaches… but what else? Digging deeper into Ireland, communities of people can be found. More specifically, a community in the rural area of Inishowen can be found.
First, let’s dive into Ireland’s history to gain a brief understanding of how Inishowen was founded.
Ireland is a sovereign state in northwestern Europe. According to the CIA World Factbook, Ireland’s GDP per capita is roughly $72,600, with a life expectancy rate of 80.9 years. They have a Parliamentary Republic government, and use about 0.34 percent of their GDP on their military. According to Ireland Press Reference, their main languages are English and Irish, and they have a 98 percent literacy rate.
According to News Brands Ireland, 4 out of 5 adults in Ireland read newspapers regularly, and 82.2 percent of their population uses the internet. Ireland is ranked No. 16 on the World Press Freedom Index. From Hofstede’s Country Comparison’s, Ireland is ranked 70 for individualism, 28 for power distance, 68 for masculinity, 35 for uncertainty avoidance, 24 for long-term orientation, and 65 for indulgence. Their culture believes that imagination is important, they are driven by success, and they respect their traditions.
In an e-mail interview with Damian Dowds from The Inishowen Independent, he said that Ireland is “geographically isolated from the rest of the continent and shares a border with Northern Ireland, which is currently, but hopefully not forever, in the United Kingdom.”
Getting deeper into the community of Inishowen, Dowds said that it can be found in the County of Donegal, and has a population of approximately 40,000 people. Dowds said that “Inishowen is considered to be economically and socially disadvantaged. There are lower incomes and levels of education than in other parts of Ireland.” However, Dowds said that “While Inishowen may not have a high standard of living, it has an extremely high quality of life. It has low levels of crime, strong community bonds, and a pristine environment with long sandy beaches and majestic hills that are enjoyed by locals and tourists. It is a wonderful place to live and rear a family.”
The Inishowen Independent is a weekly newspaper organization that Damian Dowds works for. He has worked there since 2007, and is a journalist, newspaper editor, director, and part owner of the company. The Inishowen Independent is a community newspaper located in Inishowen. It is a proximate community, as it is a geographically defined group. They are a locally owned, staffed, and operated news organization. They are independent from all media groups and write articles mainly about local news and sports.
The Inishowen Independent is different than other newspapers in numerous ways. Dowds said that “Most local newspapers in Ireland are part of wider groups/chains. Those groups often repurpose content for use across their titles, sometimes at the expense of ‘proper’ local content. The Inishowen Independent is, well, independent of all other newspaper groups. Every story we write, every photo we publish, is unique to us. Our staff are part of this community, deeply embedded in it, and work hard to produce the best content we can”.
Dowds has not had any formal journalistic training, but he did receive a degree in English and history. He doesn’t believe that he has a certain style as a journalist. He believes that it depends on the topic at hand.
“In a small paper, you have to try your hand at everything… I could be writing anything from an opinion piece, to a sports report, to a report of a political meeting, to promoting a charity fundraising event,” he said.
He also added that the process going into an article also depends on the topic itself.
When talking about Dowds’ favorite articles that he has written, he said that he doesn’t have one. However, his favorite way to write an article is to “Interview people one-on-one, and then tell their story. Everyone has a story to tell. You just have to get it out of them.”
When asking about the favorite part about his job, he said that it’s the fact that it is a different job every day. He said he has a wide variety of stories to write, challenges to face.
Dowds often writes articles about local sports teams and local events going on in the community — one example being that a local Irish man got the opportunity to sing the Star Spangled Banner at a Boston Bruins hockey game, which can be read here. Another article Dowds recently wrote talks about a local retired teacher that passed away in a house fire, which can be read here, and the front page of that issue can be seen to the left.
Dowds believes that having a close relationship with his community is important. He said that his community “supports us through buying the paper, or taking advertising, and we can never take them for granted.”
He also knows that it is important for the community to have a local newspaper.
“The stories of our people, and the events that shape them, can be told by local people, and for local people. Those people, and their stories, are often overlooked at a national level,” he said.
Some interesting statements that Dowds made after the interview were about the city of Duluth.
“I once visited Duluth. I haven’t forgotten the expanse of Lake Superior,” said said, adding that “Northern Minnesota, with its lakes and forests, is a beautiful part of the world. When Irish people think of the US, they think of the cities — NY, Chicago, Boston, and maybe Florida. We never think of the large rural tracts of so many states. So I was glad to see it.”
It is refreshing to know that community newspapers can be found all over the world. Damian Dowds was able to give his insight through his firsthand experience at a community based news organization. Independent news organizations are important for all communities, so that they can come together to receive their media from a familiar face.
