In what is 1 of Europe's champion performing economies, mum-of-four Emma says she lies awake astatine nighttime worrying if her children volition get the aesculapian attraction they need.
She is 1 of galore successful the Republic of Ireland who accidental they are not feeling the benefits of the country's considerably steadfast slope balance.
As polls successful the country’s wide predetermination hole to unfastened connected Friday, determination are tons of voters who accidental they consciousness “frustrated” and “grumpy”.
Pressures astir housing, migration and nationalist services person dominated the campaign.
'I perceive we are 1 of the richest countries successful the world'
Two of Emma’s children person analyzable aesculapian needs and person spent years connected “endless waiting lists”, she says.
Her 16-year-old girl waited truthful agelong to spot a rheumatologist she “aged out” of kid services, she says.
“I perceive we are 1 of the richest countries successful the satellite and we person ne'er been richer, but I don't spot it," she tells BBC News NI.
"I perceive it but I don't spot it.”
Emma besides cares for her 2 aged parents and says her mum is forced to regularly thrust a 10-hour circular travel to spot an oculus specialist.
Emma lives successful County Donegal, successful the north-west of Ireland.
It is 1 of the furthest points from the bosom of authorities successful Dublin.
Thirty miles distant successful Bunbeg, connected the county's westbound coast, section writer Áine Ní Bhreisleáin confirms Emma is not unsocial successful however she feels.
“We're being told that things are amended successful Ireland, but radical tin spot the outgo of surviving is rising and rising," she says.
“Housing is precise hard to get. Health services, we’re being told, are having wealth pumped into them, but radical can't entree the wellness services they need."
And “people often ballot archetypal with their pocket”, she warns.
The 'forgotten' county
With its mountains and coastline, Donegal is simply a beauteous spot to unrecorded successful but its standard arsenic a governmental constituency makes it a “canvasser's nightmare”, says Áine.
“People possibly consciousness they've been separated and near connected their ain and forgotten present successful Donegal," she adds.
There are a fig of issues wherefore this whitethorn be, but Áine points to infrastructure, wellness services, expenditure and, pointedly, the contented surrounding defective factual blocks.
Thousands of homes built with blocks containing precocious levels of the mineral Mica are crumbling crossed the county.
The mineral absorbs water, causing walls to ace and crumble.
In November 2021, the Irish authorities introduced what it said was a important fig of improvements to a erstwhile strategy for mica homeowners.
The scheme, which is capped astatine €420,000 (£357,500), is for homeowners successful counties Donegal, Mayo, Clare and Limerick - wherever the blocks are astir present.
Housing is besides a large occupation successful the Republic, with prices soaring and astir 58,000 connected the societal lodging waiting list.
A major study from July besides suggests that astatine slightest 35,000 caller homes request to beryllium built each year to support up with demand.
However, Ireland's colonisation continues to rise.
Last twelvemonth astir 150,000 immigrants arrived – the highest fig for 17 years.
Most were from extracurricular the UK.
County Donegal hosts the largest proportion, per capita, of asylum seekers - known successful Ireland arsenic International Protection Applicants (IPAs).
It is claimed 1 successful each 100 radical successful the region is present an IPA.
“The interest radical person astir migration successful Donegal is equality," section vigor big Greg Hughes says.
"They consciousness radical coming to the country, oregon radical being offered refuge, are fixed priority."
Greg hosts a unrecorded regular section phone-in programme connected Highland Radio.
At his studios successful Letterkenny, helium says possibly voters are “feeling grumpy oregon possibly disconnected” due to the fact that not each the problems successful Ireland are new.
He suggests that radical besides person not seen meaningful moves to code them.
“I americium not saying the authorities isn't trying oregon they aren't doing their champion but the world is you accidental to idiosyncratic successful Donegal that this existent state is incredibly rich, they'll say, 'Well, when's this going to trickle down into my pocket?'”
Wealth gap
While chatting to Margarite successful Letterkenny Shopping Centre, she says that she feels she is being "gaslighted" - the enactment oregon signifier of grossly misleading someone, particularly for one's ain advantage - by politicians.
“I deliberation there's a spread betwixt the wealthiness successful the state and the radical connected the ground,” she tells the BBC.
“I deliberation radical mightiness beryllium grumpy astir the information they're perpetually being told astir they consciousness similar they're being gaslit that we're a affluent state with each these resources.
“But erstwhile it comes down to things successful agrarian areas, nationalist transport, concern successful roads, concern successful section hospitals and the complaint of wage successful areas specified arsenic Donegal, we don't consciousness that wealth.
“And I deliberation that causes an atrocious batch of frustration.”
Irish wide election: What you request to cognize astir the 2024 vote