Rural Ireland is not a homogenous area with a single common shared experience. Depending on economic circumstances and geographic location, rural areas face contrasting challenges and experiences. Areas close to large cities and regional towns are experiencing rapid population growth, which increases pressures for development. In contrast, the structurally weaker areas, with low or zero population growth rates, have been affected most negatively by the decline in the economic importance and employment potential of the agriculture sector. There is a significant legacy of dispersed rural settlement throughout most rural areas.
From an economic perspective, the buoyancy in the Irish economy since the mid-1990s, particularly in the construction sector, has enabled rural economies to absorb the decline in the primary sectors of agriculture and fisheries, as well as in industrial employment in certain regions. As employment opportunities grew, many rural areas gained population. However, with the most recent downturn in construction activity, employment in rural areas is already under significant pressure.

It was found from the case studies in Kildare, South Tipperary and Clare that rural housing and settlement patterns were generally underpinned by a fairly stable community with 35.5 per cent of respondents in the survey have been resident in their current dwelling for over 20 years. Moreover, of the more recent "movers", 29 per cent of this group had moved to their current property from within the local area, while a further 20.6 per cent of recent movers had moved from another rural locality. Significantly, over half of recent movers had moved to their current rural dwelling from a more urban location (which was significantly higher in the peri-urban case study). Interestingly, approximately half of this "urban-to-rural" group were originally from a rural background, suggesting a "return-to-the-rural" pattern of movement. In all, 82 per cent of all respondents in three case studies were from a rural background.

The social and physical characteristics of rural areas were reported as the main reasons for moving to a current dwelling. When this was explored further, factors such as the perception of the countryside as a good place to raise children, the presence of social networks and a perceived sense of community were cited. It was also found that rural dwellers report high levels of life satisfaction.

The research revealed too the importance of dwelling type in the decision-making process. For example, of the sample of respondents who were considering making a move, the results suggested that they were influenced by practical considerations (e.g. journey times to work), but were subsequently diverted by the attractions of house design or views. The opportunity for individuals to influence their house design was often a further incentive to move to a new dwelling in the countryside.

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Scott, M. Brereton, F.   "Sustainable Rural Development : Managing Housing in the Countryside". Associated datasets and digitial information objects connected to this resource are available at: Secure Archive For Environmental Research Data (SAFER) managed by Environmental Protection Agency Ireland https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/resource?id=bd5309b8-774a-102d-b891-8d8f2407b579 (Last Accessed: 2024-12-14)

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SAFER-Data Display URL	https://eparesearch.epa.ie/safer/iso19115/display?isoID=153
Resource Keywords	Sustainable development, houses, one-off housing, countryside, rural, settlements
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Code	2005-SD-MS-41-M2
EPA/ERTDI/STRIVE Project Theme	Socio-Economics
Resource Availability:	Public-Open
Limitations on the use of this Resource	There is no data attached to this resource. However further usage of the reports in any significant way should be properly cited or acknowledged in any further publications. A citation is provided below.
Number of Attached Files (Publicly and Openly Available for Download):	4
Project Start Date	Saturday 1st January 2005 (01-01-2005)
Earliest Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Saturday 1st January 2005 (01-01-2005)
Most Recent Recorded Date within any attached datasets or digital objects	Thursday 31st December 2009 (31-12-2009)
Published on SAFER	Tuesday 2nd March 2010 (02-03-2010)
Date of Last Edit	Wednesday 3rd March 2010 at 09:11:48 (03-03-2010)
Datasets or Files Updated On	Wednesday 3rd March 2010 at 09:11:48 (03-03-2010)

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Description of Geographical Characteristics of This Project or Dataset
A range of novel methodologies and the collection of significant new data in relation to rural change and housing in Ireland have underpinned this report. This included a national representative survey of rural households (N = 800), a series of household surveys in three case-study locations (Kildare, South Tipperary and Clare) (N = 1,200), a survey of county councillors (N = 300), a series of focus groups with rural and professional stakeholders, and qualitative interviews with planners, councillors, rural development stakeholders and civil society representatives. The case studies were selected on the basis of location, population dynamics and economic contexts: Kildare local authority: peri-urban rural areas that experienced significant population growth; South Tipperary local authority: agriculturally based rural area with average population growth, in line with national population growth trends; Clare local authority: remote coastal rural area that has experienced population decline in some areas.

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The following is a list of projects, datasets, and resources on SAFER-Data from which users downloaded attachments from soon after downloading attachments from this resource Sustainable Rural Development : Managing Housing in the Countryside. You can view the full description for projects, datasets, and resources by using the links supplied.

• Pilot Programme for Establishing a Regional Eco-Business Recognition Mark View Full Metadata Description
• Evaluating the Role of the City and County Development Boards in Promoting Public Participation in Local Sustainable Development View Full Metadata Description
• Environmental Sustainability and Future Settlement Patterns in Ireland View Full Metadata Description
• Climate Change in Ireland: Refining the Impacts for Ireland View Full Metadata Description
• Conflicts Between Energy Policy Objectives and the National Climate Change Strategy in Ireland View Full Metadata Description

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