Rebuilding Rural Ireland  Code 22 Sept 2020

We continue to assess the ramifications of both the public health and financial consequences of Covid 19 and the yet to be defined, Brexit.

Background

Most business sectors will, and continued to be impacted. A very fine piece of ESRI i research by Martina Lawless, ESRI and Luke Daly, Department of Finance delves into some of the possible consequences for business segments

The current financial support measures are directed towards most business sectors. However, logic suggests this cannot continue in the short term. There are and will be business casualties

Outside of the main media focus, the danger to rural Ireland’s already depleted economy fails to achieve profile or priority

The key economic element of Rural Ireland was farming. In past decades the viability of small scale farming has not embraced reality. As a result the rural economy has continued its decline. Various support measures by government departments have failed to stem this progression.