Title page 1

Contents 6

Foreword 4

Acknowledgements 5

Abbreviations and acronyms 11

Executive summary 14

1. Assessment and recommendations 17

Introduction 17

Assessment 17

Recommendations 21

Conclusion 52

References 52

Note 55

2. Ireland's rural story: Structure, trends and challenges 56

Introduction 57

Defining rural Ireland through OECD and national classifications 57

Demographic trends 63

Economic trends and competitiveness 66

Environment 75

Accessibility of services and social outcomes 82

Enabling factors 85

Conclusion 91

Annex 2.A. Methodological notes and supplementary figures 92

References 97

Notes 99

3. Rural policy in Ireland 100

Introduction 101

The evolution of rural policy in Ireland 102

The different components of rural policy in Ireland 106

Rural policy at the subnational level in Ireland: Actors and mechanisms 133

The rural public finance framework in Ireland 141

Summary 149

Annex 3.A. OECD Rural Review of Ireland - Virtual missions and field visits 151

References 151

4. Making rural policy work: From strategy to delivery 158

Introduction 159

The OECD principles and well-being approach offers a framework for examining rural policy in Ireland 160

Policy objectives: Turning rural potential into measured outcomes 163

Policy targets: Getting "rural" right - Definitions, functions and delivery 180

Policy implementation: Towards an evidence-led place-based approach 201

Policy tools: Turning strategy into delivery, refining instruments for co-ordination and impact 208

In summary 215

Annex 4.A. OECD Rural Review of Ireland: Virtual missions and field visits 217

References 218

5. Why rural Ireland needs more forward-looking, targeted action 226

Introduction 227

Strengthening the economic foundations for the rural economy in Ireland 228

Rebalancing Ireland's agrifood model and developing the bioeconomy for sustainable rural futures 235

Housing as part of rural economic development 240

Preparing the rural workforce for the green transition 249

Addressing social inequalities and inclusion in rural Ireland 253

Improving access to services in rural Ireland 256

Strengthening rural well-being measurement 261

Embedding foresight into long-term rural policy development processes 264

Conclusion 268

References 269

Table 1.1. OECD standards and Irish Rural Policy: an overview 20

Table 1.2. Why typology-based data matter 36

Table 1.3. Recommendations of the Rural Policy Review of Ireland 50

Table 2.1. OECD regional typology correspondence to Ireland's six-way rural-urban split 60

Table 3.1. Example of occupations by their exposure to generative AI 113

Table 3.2. Who is involved in rural development in Ireland 134

Table 3.3. Overview Our Rural Future funding 142

Table 3.4. EU funding allocations to Ireland by region (2021-27) 146

Table 3.5. LDC funding source 147

Table 4.1. OECD Principles on Rural Policy 160

Table 4.2. OECD Rural Well-Being framework 161

Table 4.3. Comparing planning approach to small towns in Ireland 197

Table 4.4. Potential benefits and challenges of place-based policies 206

Table 5.1. Converting national strength into local resilience: Building on existing initiatives to diffuse FDI benefits 232

Table 5.2. Agriculture and rural economic development: Building on existing measures to strengthen farm and household resilience 238

Table 5.3. Linking housing and rural economic development: Building on existing programmes to strengthen spatial and labour market coherence 246

Table 5.4. Green skills and workforce transition: Building on existing systems to strengthen rural labour market integration 252

Table 5.5. Addressing Social Inequalities and Inclusion in Rural Ireland: Building on Existing Initiatives to Strengthen Participation and Well-being 255

Table 5.6. Strengthening rural service access: Exploring different ways to enhance delivery 258

Table 5.7. Strengthening rural health systems: Exploring new ways to improve access 260

Table 5.8. Potential rural well-being indicators 262

Table 5.9. Strengthening rural well-being measurement 263

Table 5.10. Using foresight to strengthen rural policy design and anticipatory governance 267

Figure 1.1. Comparison of the key indicators for different types of rural regions in Ireland 18

Figure 1.2. Policy actions to harness local knowledge and encourage experimentation 22

Figure 1.3. Create a systematic rural entrepreneurial discovery process 23

Figure 1.4. State of the Countryside 2010 - Table of contents 35

Figure 2.1. Classification of Irish regions according to the OECD regional typology 58

Figure 2.2. Classification according to the Irish six-way rural-urban split 60

Figure 2.3. Heatmap of key indicators by Irish region 62

Figure 2.4. More people living in urban regions according to the Irish six-way split 63

Figure 2.5. Ireland exhibits above-average population growth in rural regions 64

Figure 2.6. Ireland stands out with low old-age dependency ratios 64

Figure 2.7. Ireland's population growth is driven by both migration and natural increase 65

Figure 2.8. Ireland experiences a comparatively smaller increase in its old-age population 66

Figure 2.9. Snapshot of rural share in GDP, population and territory 67

Figure 2.10. Accounting for multinational investment spending 68

Figure 2.11. Key demographic and economic trends in Ireland 69

Figure 2.12. Irish non-metropolitan regions show strong GDP growth 70

Figure 2.13. Irish regions exhibit high levels of local economic confidence 71

Figure 2.14. Rural regions in Ireland show high per capita disposable income 71

Figure 2.15. Dublin experienced the largest gain in disposable income 72

Figure 2.16. Share of employment in agriculture, forestry and fishing 73

Figure 2.17. Share of employment in manufacturing 73

Figure 2.18. Share of employment in public administration 74

Figure 2.19. Urban regions attract the majority of FDI in Ireland 75

Figure 2.20. GHG emissions over time 77

Figure 2.21. GHG emissions per capita over time 77

Figure 2.22. Agriculture, transport, and power lead GHG emissions 78

Figure 2.23. Agriculture has the highest per capita emissions in rural regions 79

Figure 2.24. Rural remote regions in Ireland lead in renewable energy production 81

Figure 2.25. Wind energy dominates renewable energy production in Ireland 82

Figure 2.26. Rural-urban gaps in healthcare accessibility 83

Figure 2.27. Dublin stands out in terms of service accessibility 83

Figure 2.28. Access to primary care 84

Figure 2.29. Lower satisfaction with the healthcare system in Ireland's rural regions 84

Figure 2.30. The West stands out with high patent intensity 85

Figure 2.31. ICT, medical and agriculture lead in number of patents 86

Figure 2.32. Disparities in fixed download speeds 87

Figure 2.33. PISA reading scores gaps between rural and urban areas 88

Figure 2.34. PISA math scores gaps between rural and urban areas 88

Figure 2.35. Participation rates in education 89

Figure 2.36. Rural population is becoming more educated 90

Figure 2.37. Higher satisfaction with the education system in Irish regions 90

Figure 3.1. Rural Policy changes in Ireland 106

Figure 3.2. Optimising Broadband Connectivity: Policy Measures Snapshot 108

Figure 3.3. Value of Connected Hubs for Different Users 110

Figure 3.4. Supporting employment and careers in rural areas: Policy measures snapshot 111

Figure 3.5. Labour market exposure to generative AI could range from 16% to 77% across regions 112

Figure 3.6. Revitalising rural towns and villages: Policy measures by department 114

Figure 3.7. Enhancing participation leadership and resilience: Policy measures by department 116

Figure 3.8. Enhancing public services in rural areas 121

Figure 3.9. Transitioning to a climate-neutral society: Policy measures snapshot 125

Figure 3.10. Shortages in green jobs in Ireland 126

Figure 3.11. Snapshot of employment by industry in Ireland, 2011 and 2022 128

Figure 3.12. Supporting the sustainability of agriculture marine and forestry: Policy measures snapshot 129

Figure 3.13. Sustainability of the islands and coastal communities: Policy measures snapshot 130

Figure 3.14. Implementation of the policy: Policy measures snapshot 133

Figure 3.15. Local development companies and local community development committees 138

Figure 3.16. Volunteering across regions in Ireland 140

Figure 3.17. Mapping voluntary engagement across activities 141

Figure 3.18. Limited fiscal autonomy of subnational governments in Ireland 144

Figure 3.19. Subnational tax revenue 144

Figure 3.20. Allocation of LEADER funds across Irish regions by OECD typology 147

Figure 4.1. OECD Rural Policy Frameworks 161

Figure 4.2. OECD Rural Framework 163

Figure 4.3. Poverty and deprivation by OECD typology in Ireland 164

Figure 4.4. Tourist accommodations trends: Domestic versus foreign overnight stays, 2023 166

Figure 4.5. Tourism rebound after COVID-19 167

Figure 4.6. Employment patterns across Irish regions 169

Figure 4.7. Employment developments in key industries 169

Figure 4.8. Local-Enterprise-Office-supported jobs 170

Figure 4.9. Enterprise size composition by county: NMR-NMS 172

Figure 4.10. Labour productivity across Irish rural regions 173

Figure 4.11. Boil water notices 181

Figure 4.12. OECD territorial typologies 181

Figure 4.13. Rural remote regions in Ireland lead in renewable energy production 182

Figure 4.14. Farm sizes in Ireland, change between 2000 and 2020 184

Figure 4.15. Moving from narrow to more holistic economic strategies 191

Figure 4.16. Distribution of different types rural in Ireland 194

Figure 4.17. Impacts of local fiscal dependence on rural development 204

Figure 5.1. Average farm gross income distribution, 2024 237

Figure 5.2. The housing stock is relatively recent and not excessively skewed towards home ownership 241

Figure 5.3. Increases in the housing stock fell short of population growth in the last decades 242

Figure 5.4. Projected change in the demand for skills between 2019 and 2030 when considering relative growth in employment, by main skill category 250

Figure 5.5. The intelligence package to support rural foresight work 266

Boxes 9

Box 1.1. Rural innovation labs and dialogue circles in Sweden: Linking local enterprise to national policy 25

Box 1.2. Addressing interconnected barriers to rural business growth: Australia, Japan and Sweden 26

Box 1.3. Adapting compact growth, linking vacancy to labour market needs: Lessons from Austria, Finland and France 28

Box 1.4. Leveraging social innovation as a catalyst for rural entrepreneurship 31

Box 1.5. Economic zones examples for OECD Member countries 33

Box 1.6. State of the Countryside reports 34

Box 1.7. How other countries rebalance volunteer dependence 42

Box 1.8. Portugal's PlanAPP: Using foresight to drive planning strategies 45

Box 1.9. Rural Housing Enabler Network: England and Wales 47

Box 2.1. Accounting for multinational investment spending in Ireland 68

Box 2.2. Measuring greenhouse gas emissions 76

Box 3.1. The 2014 Local Government Reform Act 104

Box 3.2. Connected Hubs 109

Box 3.3. Workforce exposure to generative AI 113

Box 3.4. Town Centre First 115

Box 3.5. OECD Guidelines for Citizen Participation Processes 117

Box 3.6. Common issues affecting young people in rural Ireland 119

Box 3.7. Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan 122

Box 3.8. Healthcare access and the Limerick Declaration on Rural Health Care 2022 123

Box 3.9. OECD Rural Agenda for Climate Action 124

Box 3.10. Climate action in rural Ireland: Agriculture, land use and local innovation 127

Box 3.11. Rural proofing: Key considerations in Ireland 131

Box 3.12. A shift toward decentralisation: The case of the directly elected mayor in Limerick 135

Box 3.13. Examples of SICAP projects in rural communities 147

Box 4.1. Strategy for responsible regional development: Poland 165

Box 4.2. The Regenerative Tourism and Placemaking Scheme: A just transition investment in sustainable rural futures 167

Box 4.3. The role of social enterprises in developing skills and creating employment opportunities in the United Kingdom 175

Box 4.4. The OECD Rural Agenda for Climate Action 176

Box 4.5. Overcoming barriers of physical distance: The Agritech Industry Transformation Plan 178

Box 4.6. Moving away from an idyllic view of rural places 186

Box 4.7. Strengthening rural planning through data tools: Lessons from Korea and Lithuania 191

Box 4.8. Differentiated approaches to rural policy: Canada, Finland, France, Japan, Korea and Norway 192

Box 4.9. Looking beyond commuting flows to capture more nuances in rural-urban relations 196

Box 4.10. Eircode: Enhancing public service delivery and emergency response in rural Ireland 198

Box 4.11. Align strategies to deliver public services with rural policies 199

Box 4.12. Limited fiscal capacity at the subnational level 205

Box 4.13. Designing consultations to sustain engagement and trust 209

Box 4.14. Empowering regions in Chile 211

Box 4.15. Monitoring and communicating progress: Insights from Costa Rica and Germany 213

Box 4.16. Measuring well-being on islands: Insights from Gotland, Sweden 214

Box 5.1. Brexit effect across rural Ireland 231

Box 5.2. Approaches to diffusing FDI benefits and strengthening regional innovation systems 234

Box 5.3. Lessons for building rural innovation and resilience 239

Box 5.4. Will action plan Delivering Homes, Building Communities deliver for rural areas? 244

Box 5.5. Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030 246

Box 5.6. Approaches to integrating rural housing and economic development 248

Box 5.7. Spatially disaggregated skills intelligence systems 251

Box 5.8. Storm Éowyn: Stress-testing rural resilience 256

Box 5.9. Foresight in action, examples from different countries 265

Annex Table 2.A.1. Classification of small regions (TL3) by access to metropolitan areas 92

Annex Table 2.A.2. Degree of urbanisation 93

Annex Figure 2.A.1. Strong improvements in employment and unemployment rates in Irish regions 94

Annex Figure 2.A.2. Fertility rates in Ireland remain strong despite recent declines 94

Annex Figure 2.A.3. Death rates in Ireland remain comparatively low 95

Annex Figure 2.A.4. Ireland's life expectancy ranks relatively high in international comparison 95

Annex Figure 2.A.5. Ireland's demographic growth remains robust and persistent 96

Annex Figure 2.A.6. The number of older people in Ireland will rise strongly in the coming decades 96

Annex Figure 2.A.7. Age group composition for rural regions of Ireland 97

Annex Boxes 10

Annex Box 2.A.1. Definition of a functional urban area 92

Annex Box 2.A.2. Definition of the degree of urbanisation (DEGURBA) 93