Donal Hickey: Get life back into derelict Ireland — for locals and visitors

Clonakilty, Kenmare and Westport are all tourist magnets which are protecting their past and resisting the temptation to become tacky

Efforts to bring new life into Irish towns, often through restoring much of their natural and historic features. Top left; Kenmare aerial; And Macroom Tidy Towns planting work

Some friends who have just holidayed in Ireland were taken aback at the derelict state of many towns they saw: shops closed, buildings derelict and a glaring sense of decline overall.

A reminder, indeed, of the late John Healy’s book, Death of an Irish Town, about his native Charlestown, County Mayo, published more than a half-century ago. The ‘death’ of such places is still being talked about and matters have got much worse for many towns since Healy’s time.