Irish Rural Link

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Press Release

Irish Rural Link Welcome Publication of new Rural Development Policy – Our Rural Futures

Irish Rural Link (IRL) – the national network representing the interest of rural communities has welcomed the launch today, 29th March 2021, of the new Rural Development Policy – Our Rural Futures 2021 – 2025.

IRL are hopeful that this policy document will set out a roadmap of how rural communities can develop over the next 5 years while also set out measures to recover from the impact of Covid-19.  IRL have engaged with the Department and Minister for Rural and Community Development over the past two years and at the first look of the policy document we welcome that some of the lessons learnt from Covid-19 will be built on.

Rural communities have a lot to offer in terms of how they want the future of rural to look like.  They also have key roles to play in addressing climate change and transitioning to a zero carbon society but communities must be engaged with every step of the way and supports made available to both households and communities who need to make the necessary changes to help achieve this.  Workers, some who have already lost their jobs and with more losing theirs in the coming years as we move away from peat harvesting must be engaged with early on in the process and have courses to upskill and/or reskill available to them before the jobs end. 

Incentivising people to live and work in rural areas must be met with proper investment in public services – such as a robust public transport system, high speed broadband, access to clean water and waste water systems and decent and affordable housing close to these services and local village are available.

IRL saw first-hand the importance of community in rural areas during the Covid-19 pandemic and the strength of people coming together to make sure no person was left behind.  This must be a pivotal aspect of this new policy document. A lot of this was made possible by more people working from home and we have long supported remote working as a way of creating jobs and building sustainable rural communities.  We welcome that more investment will be made into co-working spaces in rural areas, which will allow people to continue to work close to where they live once the pandemic is over.  We call for support from employers, whether SME’s or large multinational organisations to facilitate their employees to work from these hubs and have a better work-life balance.

The role of community and voluntary organisations in delivering health and social care services, such as meals on wheels, is critical to communities. Supporting the development of such organisations so they can continue to support people age in their communities must be a key factor in this new rural policy.  These services were crucial during Covid-19 and will remain crucial into the future as we address the needs of an ageing population.  

We welcome that one of the aims is to grow regional employment by creating an environment that supports entrepreneurship and enterprise growth in rural areas.  There are a lot of emerging sectors in terms of the green and digital economy where rural areas can be at the forefront of job creation.  Access to finance and funding continues to be one of the main barriers for entrepreneurs to start up a business but also to grow their business. This and other barriers to starting a business and how these can be addressed will be important to achieve this aim. Collaborations between entrepreneurs, business groups and universities/technological universities will be key over the next 5 years to ensure the creation of innovative new businesses and jobs in rural areas. 

The tourism sector has been one of the hardest hit by Covid-19 but is one of the key sectors in rural areas with a lot of communities depending on the sector for job creation. Supporting those businesses to recover from the pandemic must be a key priority but also making jobs in the sector more viable.  As the sector reopens there is an opportunity to make it more sustainable, ensuring communities can directly benefit while at the same time the environment and cultural and heritage sights are not negatively impacted by over-tourism.

While the policy document looks good on paper, the success of its implementation needs the political will from all of Government and policy cohesion with other Government policies. The measures outlined must be properly resourced with adequate budget allocations to ensure that all measures are realised within the given timeframe. There is also a responsibility on all of us to engage with different schemes and services that are available and make use of these to develop our local areas.

IRL look forward to working with the Government on the implementation of this policy.

The new Rural Development Policy is available on https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/4c236-our-rural-future-vision-and-policy-context/ -Ends- 

For further information, please contact (anytime): 
Seamus Boland (Chief Executive) 086 2491153 or Louise Lennon (Policy and Communications Officer) 086 1069244

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In Conversation with Irish Rural Link Webinar Series: Rural Innovation

This webinar series aimed to help us get a better understanding what is meant by Rural Innovation, what opportunities are available for both communities and enterprises in rural areas to become more innovative, what new sectors are emerging as a result of new technologies and the transition to a greener economy; and society and what supports are available or needed for micro and SME’s to become more innovative.

Week One – Rural Innovation

In the first conversation of this series, Irish Rural Link was joined by an experienced panel who gave us an understanding of what rural innovation looks like in action and we delved into the emerging opportunities and funding across sectors which will ensure sustainable rural and regional development.

Week Two – The Value of the Irish Bioeconomy

Discussions around the Bioeconomy are relatively new and there is a growing desire to deliver more from the bioeconomy in terms of added economic value as well as outcomes that meet emerging social and environmental needs. This is driven by a variety of factors including a desire to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, increase resource efficiencies and to reduce waste, while supporting broader rural development strategies. Supporting the bioeconomy efficiently can offer an opportunity for rural investment and improved delivery of public goods including enhanced biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Irish Rural Link encouraged all those who have an interest in exploring bioeconomy projects and policy in Ireland, to join them in this conversation.

Week Three – “Food Innovation in Ireland”

Food innovation relies on the development of new food products, processes, and services. Primary producers, entrepreneurs, food and beverage companies are always seeking new ways to address consumer trends by making new product offerings such as healthy, nutritious food alternatives that are not only enticing, accessible, and unique, but also sustainable. The development of a short food supply chain or values chains enhances the connection between citizens and producers, building mutual trust and simultaneously providing producers with a higher return for more premium products.

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Irish Rural Link Welcome Funding of €40 million COVID-19 Support Package for Community and Voluntary Organisations

Irish Rural Link (IRL) has today welcomed the announcement by Minister Michael Ring and Minister Sean Canney, of a COVID-19 support package of €40 million for Community and Voluntary Organisations, Charities and Social Enterprises. Full statement is available here

The package consists of a €35 million ‘COVID-19 Stability Fund’ which will provide a level of support to qualifying organisations who are most in need and have seen their trading and/or fundraising income drop significantly during the crisis and a €5 million Philanthropy Fund.

Applications for the Stability fund will be open from Monday 11th May and will close on Wednesday 20th May at 5pm. The guidelines, further information about the scheme and how to apply and application forms (available from 11th May) are available on Pobal website here

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Community Call Advice and Contact Information

On Thursday 2nd April, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, announced the Governments ‘Community Call’ to link local and national Government with the community and voluntary sectors. It aims to coordinate community activity, direct community assistance to where it is needed, and marshal the volunteering energy of the country while people are cocooning. Our COVID-19 Community Outreach Champions are working as part of this Government Initiative helping to fill the gaps in services and identifying the needs of people living alone who are cocooning. You can find your Local Champion on the map here

The Government Community Call Advice and Contact Information is available here

You can find your Local Authorities Helpline here.

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New Social Distance Measures while Outside

The Government announced yesterday, 24th March, new measures in relation to going outdoors during COVID-19 pandemic. Due to overcrowding of public parks, beaches, popular walking sites, playgrounds, many of these are now closed or there is an increase presence of Park Rangers and Gardai at these sites. It is still important to get out during self isolation, for both physical and mental health, but we must take responsibility for our own safety and the safety of others and maintain the recommended 2 metre distance from others. Leave No Trace have developed a set of guidelines to help people to get out and enjoy the outdoors while maintaining social distance. These include;

Plan Ahead – Check weather, bring proper clothing and footwear, water and food. Park and walk responsibly.

Expect Closures –  Before leaving home, consider lack of usual  facilities such as toilets, shops, cafes, restaurants.

Stay Home or Local – Unwell? Don’t go! Feeling well? Look for local trails, hidden gems, explore closer to home.

Be Considerate: Maintain social distancing throughout the day – at least 2 metres apart. There is plenty of space in the outdoors for everyone!

Time and Place: Find those hidden gems, avoid peak times, avoid difficult routes. Adhere to HSE guidelines.

Leave No Trace: Don’t rely on or add to already overburdened services. Bring your own rubbish home.

Be Dog Responsible: Keep dogs under control. Mind out for young wildlife. Pick up and bring home dog waste.