An Irish Community Development Movement's Experience of Crisis Conditions: Muintir na Tire's Struggle for Survival

Abstract

A major stream of community development in Ireland has been identified with Muintir na Tire ("People of the Land"), a movement that has concerned itself with the promotion of the social, economic and cultural welfare of mainly rural localities since the 1930s. What Muintir offers is a vision of where community development should fit in the public life of the Irish nation, and a model that enunciates some basic principles as to how local representative self-help groups should organise and operate. Muintir has always existed on two levels: at local level, where there are now about 120 Muintir-affiliated community councils, and at national level, where a central office attempts to represent and service community councils, as well as local communities more generally. This paper will focus on two central issues: the serious difficulties that have confronted Muintir at all levels in recent years, and the manner the movement has sought to negotiate the various obstacles it has encountered. Our conclusion is that while Muintir has shown undoubted ingenuity and resilience in weathering many storms, the ongoing crisis it now faces continues to raise serious questions about its future both as a national movement and as a significant force in Irish community development.