Irish Rural Link (IRL) – the national network of rural community groups – has said it disagress with today’s report prepared by Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering and commissioned by InterTradeIreland. According to Irish Rural Link the report, Infrastructure for an Island Population of Eight Million , focuses on infrastructure investment on cities, perpetuating the misleading premise that rural areas have no role to play in economic growth.

According to Irish Rural Link Chief Executive Seamus Boland “Over 40% of the Irish population live in rural areas. Despite the report’s claims of an unavoidable trend towards urbanisation, the last census actually showed a significant increase in the rural population. The areas in between the cities are ignored in the report. There are productive people in rural areas looking to do productive jobs and they have not been given the opportunities.”

Mr. Boland continued “Sadly the report sees rural areas as a source of energy, water and waste disposal with no role to play in creating sustainable, high value added jobs. It foresees few jobs in rural areas outside of agriculture and forestry even though already only 1 in 5 of people working in rural areas are involved in agriculture.”

Mr. Boland concluded “The report foresees huge swathes of the centre and west of Ireland crisscrossed with motorways but without community, jobs or access to opportunities.  The report’s vision appears to be one of ghettoisation in urban areas and crippling isolation in rural areas. A symbiotic relationship between cities and rural areas is not considered. Rural households currently have lower disposable incomes and higher poverty rates, this will be exacerbated if the report’s vision was implemented.”

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