Sir, – Time and again, media outlets assert that “rural depopulation” is the cause of small businesses failing and villages dying away. In most instances, such articles are packed with sentimental anecdotes about long-established businesses closing and the local GAA club finding it hard to field a team, with a few carefully chosen figures thrown in as the “science bit”.
According to official CSO census figures, the total population of rural areas in Ireland was 1.58 million in 2002, 1.66 million in 2006 and 1.74 million in 2011. The population of rural Ireland increased by 10 per cent between 2002 and 2011. This is not speculation, feeling or anecdote. This is fact.
A breakdown of 2016 census figures by rural and urban classifications is not yet publicly available from the CSO. However, the preliminary results are that the overall population of the State increased from 4.59 million to 4.76 million over the past five years. The population of all but three counties (Sligo, Mayo and Donegal) experienced population increases, including Leitrim, with 90 per cent of its population in areas classified as rural. We can reasonably assume, pending release of the official figures, that the total rural population has at least remained steady, if not increased again since 2011.
It is a natural human reaction when we fail to seek circumstances beyond our control to which we can attribute our failure. However, in most situations the harsh reality is that businesses fail because the people running them are not up to the task. Rather than making excuses, proprietors of failing businesses in rural areas should take heart from the official statistics, which show that the market for goods and services locally is still there and is, in the main, growing year on year.
At the same time, as the population has grown, the nature of rural life has changed remarkably. It is certainly the case that universal car ownership, much-improved road networks and public transport systems, and online working and shopping have transformed both the normal working day of many rural dwellers and the way in which they source goods and services. The way young and old spend their free time has also changed dramatically. The local GAA club and pub are no longer the only shows in town, as people all over Ireland have embraced both alternative sports and healthier lifestyles.
It is a universal truth that all business and institutions need to adapt to change or risk fading into obscurity, and those in rural areas enjoy no exception. Change brings with it challenges, but also opportunities, and it is up to savvy entrepreneurs to size up these opportunities and create new business that can exploit them.
The excuse that “Dublin stole our babies” just won’t wash anymore. – Yours, etc,
JOHN THOMPSON,
Phibsboro,
Dublin 7.