Farming special - Day 2: 85% feel safe in homes despite some Garda stations closing
The finding, contained in the Irish Examiner/ICMSA farming survey, comes despite mixed opinion on the performance of gardaí in rural areas and amid huge anger over the closure of rural Garda stations.
Last year, more than 80% of farmers said they should be allowed own a gun to protect themselves and their property. The issue of gun ownership hit the headlines in 2004 after Traveller John “Frog” Ward was shot dead by Mayo farmer Padraig Nally. It has remained a topic for debate ever since.
The latest survey found that 85% of farmers either agree or strongly agree that they are safe in their homes, with just 11% feeling unsafe. Young farmers, aged 34 and under, at 91%, feel most safe.
Unsurprisingly, farmers aged over 65 expressed most fear about safety in the home.
However, even among this cohort, some three-quarters still felt safe. In all other age groups, more than eight out of 10 felt safe.
There was some degree of variation in opinion depending on where farmers were surveyed.
For example, those surveyed in Tinahely in Co Wicklow (74%) and in Cappamore, Co Limerick. (71%) expressed the least support for the statement that they felt safe in their home. By contrast, virtually every farmer surveyed in Carbery in Cork (96%) said they felt safe in their homes, followed by Dungarvan in Waterford (93%), Athenry in Galway (90%), at the National Open Day in Leitrim (86%) and in Tullamore in Co Offaly (83%).
