Minister Tom Hayes: Rural Ireland isn’t dying

Rural Ireland is not dying and is a far better place than what the “knockers and naysayers” say, according to a Fine Gael minister.

The comments made by Tom Hayes are likely to anger farming and community groups who have seen post offices, bank branches, garda stations and shops close across rural Ireland.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr Hayes claimed: “We talk down rural Ireland and there are people who really frighten people when they don’t examine the success of rural Ireland.” The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture added that rural Ireland is “vibrant” adding the numbers of young farmers remaining on the land is a “real success story”.