The village of Fanad calls the small town of Carrigart its nearest resource and closest larger town. That fact alone speaks to the isolation of Fanad, as its location along the Atlantic Way removes it from the more bustling inland towns. The Fanad Lighthouse sits at the northern tip of Ireland, providing a landmark for the community, however small the community may be. On our trip to visit the town, I counted very few houses, all very much spread out from each other. There were zero businesses; it was purely residential. To that end, I can only imagine that Carrigart serves as a very important hub for Fanad, for sustenance, medical care, clothing, etc. If Carrigart were to experience many more closures or population outflows, it would directly threaten Fanad’s chance of survival as well. It is abundantly clear to me now that the villages within Donegal are very interconnected and dependent on each other for survival. There is much less competition than I expected, as they all benefit from each others’ success. This scenario of Fanad and Carrigart is a prime example.

Furthermore, we spent the afternoon at the Tyrconnell Tribune, a local newspaper in Milford that services multiple villages in Donegal. It sends out 5,000 weekly papers and sells out with each issue. When I asked the printer if he experiences any issues with either distribution or readership, he explained that the paper is largely a well oiled machine. It employs writers from each small borough and receives stories sent in from locals as well. Though the stories are very small scale and close to home, locals treat it as a “Bible” of sorts. There is a digital copy available as well. Unfortunately, I just do not see this business model being successful in my area, the North Hills outside of Pittsburgh. Most days, I see my neighbors and family rushing around from place to place, without time to care for even the national papers, such as the Wall Street Journal. Adding another potentially redundant source of information would be perceived as clutter, I fear. Facebook does a more effective job at conveying the needs and opinions of the townspeople. As many people experience this faster pace in their communities, it speaks to the rarity of a local paper like the Tribune that has the high readership and avid support.