DEMOGRAPHY

Kinawley is a village located in a rural part of Northern Ireland, close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. The population of Kinawley is 700 persons (1991 census) 37.4% of whom are under the age of 20, with a greater proportion of males, as it is common in declining rural areas. Kinawley suffers from a high level of socio-economic deprivation and is among the highest in Northern Ireland. The region is characterised by low population density, low inward migration and high out-migration with a consequent decline in the number of households, caused primarily, by the lack of job-opportunities in the area. Unemployment in the area is higher than the average for Northern Ireland (20.8% vs 15.7%) with only 36.4% of the population being economically active (vs 42.2% in Northern Ireland).

As there is no worthwhile manufacturing sector and very little service industry, its population depends on low-value-added farming (in most cases) or on travelling outside the area to work, and its infrastructure is poor, inevitably, therefore, the area contains pockets of quite severe deprivation. To address this trend KITE was set-up to create an industry in the information technology sector based in Kinawley. KITE has been actively involved in promoting the concept of Teleworking in Northern Ireland. While researching the idea of establishing a Telecottage in Kinawley, the company quickly identified the potential for Teleworking as an opportunity for the employment of women in rural areas. KITE has a detailed working knowledge of the county, its capacity and its potential for growing the economy of the region.