Some people believe they are under siege just because of where they live. Sometimes they think the media like to take pot shots at them without ever bothering to look at the underbelly of what community activists are doing in areas that have difficulties. Such communities are sometimes too sensitive to acknowledge realities themselves.
Cork's north side is an example of this. The river divides the city north and south. Traditionally, those on the south side, though there are exceptions, have been nurtured from a different cradle. Expectations are greater, education take-up is higher and the result, in terms of wealth, is higher too.
The city would be unimaginable if the vibrant communities that grace the north side didn't exist. It has a rich tradition. From a Taoiseach like Jack Lynch, to the genius of another sportsman like Christy Ring, the north side took things in its stride, believed in itself and came to expect that it should do so. Hounds and bowling, great neighbours, the font of some great literature, Cork's north side was and remains a place apart and a place of pride. From the Groves of Blackpool to the streets of Farranree nothing has happened to change this, despite some difficult times.
"Stab city" became the unfortunate tag applied to Limerick, as if no one was stabbed in Cork, Dublin or Galway. Car theft became synonymous with the north side of Cork, as if no one stole a car and drove it at speed, putting lives in danger, on the other side of the river. It wasn't on the north side that a garda suffered brain damage a few years ago when struck with a concrete block after a car chase - that happened on the south side.
But once again, the north side of Cork is in the frame. This time because of the demise of yet another section of the Apple Computer plant. For 19 years, Apple has been a huge employer in Cork. It once employed thousands, but when the latest rationalisation is over within the next few months 500 workers will be left and there are growing doubts that even these jobs at the Hollyhill plant will be safe. The virtual demise of the facility has enormous implications for an area that is trying to cope with various hardships. Too often local efforts have gone unreported. Instead, car theft incidents, which have been a manifest problem, grab the headlines.
If you want to paint a picture of the real north side of Cork, you have to take into account all that is happening on the ground. Organisations like the Local Employment Service (LES) are working within the community to help people to find work, to match their skills to suitable employment. There are local health initiatives dealing with dental care, general fitness, lifestyle, and so on, and there is the vibrant community group, We the People.
These groups, says Labour councillor Kathleen Lynch, are rarely mentioned in the media when it comes to writing about areas like Farranree and Knocknaheeny. Their effect, she adds, has been to instill in the people the belief that they can help themselves and that help is there for them.
"For instance, a unique estate management project has been developed in the Mayfield area, where crime has dropped by 50 per cent over the past three years. It has brought tenants directly into the management of their own estates, identifying problems and solving them directly. It means that complaints are not being made to some anonymous person.
"The people themselves are dealing with the issues and receiving back-up from the local authority to solve them. The scheme has now been introduced in Knocknaheeny. Schemes like this are making a difference."
Claire Fielding, press officer for We the People, says the media seem to pounce on everything negative about Cork's north side.
There are 54 voluntary groups in the area and education programmes are bringing young adults, and adults generally, back into the education cycle with increasing success, she says.
"Of course there are problems in the north side. We don't hide that or try to run away from it. 97 per cent of the people here are decent people trying to get on with their lives. We have 150 volunteers in our group. They are running programmes on community development; education; drugs and the environment. These programmes are very active and are doing a great job. It would be nice for a change if the media acknowledged this."
But the blunt fact is that according to the latest figures, 50 per cent of young people in the Knocknaheeny area are leaving school by the age of 15 and longterm unemployment figures show that 50 per cent of those out of work have been unemployed for three years or more.
The reduction in the Apple workforce will undoubtedly have an impact on the area. It's expected the skilled workers who are being let go will be employed by other industries. But the unskilled workers who are the bulk of those leaving will find it harder to get work. In some households, there is no history of employment from grandfather to grandson. That circle must be broken, says Kathleen Lynch.