Connaught has become a living hell for many people. The West is depressed because it has become a forgotten place. Much of the work that exists outside the factories on the edges of towns and cities is in agriculture, retail, catering and services, and in the seasonal service and tourist industries. Despite its economic potential, the tourist industry is drastically underdeveloped. Most work is poorly paid.
Many people only survive because they are able to do odd jobs for cash.
Much of the West is still unsullied by modern development. When Tony Waldron looks at his beloved West he still sees its unspoilt beauty, its delicate ecosystems, its undisturbed tranquility. He knows that most tourists come to Ireland to wash their senses with this beauty and tranquility. In the industrialised western world the West of Ireland is relatively unpolluted, but that is changing rapidly. The land is poisoned.