A young Irish woman is managing an entire island

DW (English)

At 24, a young Irish woman is managing an entire island. Whether there are disputes to settle, the bank needs to be opened or tourists are arriving, the 345 inhabitants of Inis Oirr know that Chloe is up to the task.

Transcript

00:00Innishire is an outlying slice of Irish rock,

00:04holding strong against the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

00:08Here, 24-year-old Chloe O'Malley has taken on responsibility

00:13many people her age would shy away from.

00:16She came here to be the island manager.

00:19I don't find that city isolation and anonymity

00:22any good for my mental health or wellbeing.

00:24I'd rather be in a place where you feel connected

00:26and I think that's what's really strong about rural Ireland

00:30The smallest of the three Aran Islands is famous for its shipwreck,

00:34framed by the sweeping cliffs of Moher on the mainland,

00:38off Ireland's west coast.

00:41For the 345 Irish-speaking people who live here,

00:45there's no permanent police, no court, no ambulance.

00:52But there is Chloe.

00:54You don't have any one role. You might have a plan for the day,

00:57but you go in and something happens, there's a funeral, there's a missing cat.

01:00Whatever it's going to be, you're going to pitch in,

01:02roll up your sleeves and take part.

01:04Hailing from Ireland's mainland,

01:06Chloe fought for her job three years ago

01:08after falling in love with the island during a brief internship.

01:14She'd be called a blow-in by the islanders,

01:17not someone who's lived here for generations.

01:27This is who I am, I guess.

01:29This wall here and that wall there.

01:31That's what I've been doing since I was 10 years old,

01:35trying to improve the bit of land I got from my dad.

01:39Now it's a lot harder to do

01:41because there's so many rules and regulations.

01:44When it comes to the disputes over walls and land,

01:47Chloe can play a mediating role.

01:49She's not from Inishear and can stay out of disputes.

01:53She manages the island's co-op, which was set up in 1971

01:57and is owned by the families.

02:01It earns money from selling fuel and parts

02:04and reinvests back into the community.

02:09Every island family only has one vote each

02:12on decisions affecting the island.

02:16Chloe is the only woman in the family

02:18to have a say in the decision-making process.

02:24The job requires Chloe's clarity, diplomacy and dexterity.

02:28I want to work for the island and make sure

02:30it's the best place for them to live

02:32and for our young people to come back to.

02:34The islanders say Chloe's understanding

02:36of mainland politics means modernisation.

02:39She's been able to pressure authorities

02:41to help access EU and national funds for Inishear.

02:45We're very lucky that we have Chloe now.

02:48She's a young person, she's very good with computers

02:52and knows what's going on in the modern world

02:56and to bring us to the modern world.

03:01Once a month, Chloe facilitates for the National Bank

03:04to come to the island.

03:06And there's a monthly visit from the police

03:08for people to make official reports.

03:10But when the guard leaves, it's often down to Chloe

03:13to sort out disputes and problems.

03:17For example, along the pier.

03:20Despite being granted permission for a breakwater 16 years ago,

03:24there's been no movement in the government

03:26to make it a reality.

03:32Islanders fear an impending disaster.

03:35The overtapping, when I was driving down,

03:38just a wave hit on the car and I was so disorientated.

03:42For a few seconds, I just stopped.

03:44I was saying, oh my God, is the car moving?

03:47Is it the wave? I could see nothing.

03:49It was the most awful experience.

03:51I can't even explain how bad it was.

03:53That's why Chloe is campaigning politicians off-island

03:56about the pier.

03:59We're importing water, about 20,000 litres,

04:01up on twice a day in summertime.

04:03Irish taxpayers are funding this and we need infrastructure

04:06to collect more rainwater and harvest it ourselves

04:08and clean it on the island to reduce that carbon footprint.

04:11The young woman manages the island well,

04:13says her predecessor, who lives on the island.

04:17The experience you get in a co-op, in a small community,

04:21is unmatched, really, anywhere else.

04:24And if you manage to do that job,

04:26well then, you know, the sky's the limit after that.

04:30The skills will last, but the values Chloe lives by

04:33have always been there.

04:35There's a sense of community here and I think a lot of people

04:38come to the islands or Arran Islands as a place of maybe healing

04:41or a place that they can connect again,

04:43even if they have their own family issues

04:45or they have stuff going on.

04:47The wall-lined paths of rugged Inner Shear

04:49are the ones Chloe has chosen to call home,

04:52working together with the islanders

04:54to overcome the challenges of this remote island

04:57to harness and protect its outstanding beauty.

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