26 old buildings to be repurposed for 21st-century community use

€4.5m funding to tackle dereliction and vacancy in rural Ireland

‘Longford Skate and Recreational Park’ in Longford Town. Officially opened by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, on Friday, February 16, 2024. Picture: Clare Frances Photography

Some years ago, a concerned senior drinks company executive told me that 11 public houses had closed on the route from Cork to Killarney. No doubt, a few more have gone since.

Reasons for pub trade decline have been well aired. The shut-down hostelry, once a magnet in a local community, but now shabby and neglected, is another symptom of general rural decline.