Study reveals almost 20% of houses in Clare are empty

A vacant house in Tulla, Clare. A report states that more than 10,000 homes, or 18% of the county’s housing stock, are currently unoccupied. Picture: Caitlín Griffin

Almost one house in five in Co Clare is lying vacant, a new study into the impact of Government policy on rural poverty has claimed.

The report, compiled on behalf of a number of Clare community groups by independent researcher Dr Conor McCabe, states that more than 10,000 homes, or 18% of the county’s housing stock, are currently unoccupied.

Of those 10,281 vacant homes, 4,912 are unoccupied holiday homes with the remaining 5,369 vacant dwellings. Just 10% of the empty homes are rentals.

The data was gleaned from the 2022 Census and is somewhat at odds with the official figures presented by Clare’s local authority, which states the number of vacant properties is much lower.

The study is the cumulation of a research project involving testimony gathered over the course of nine months from the groups that represent people experiencing poverty and social exclusion in Clare.

It found that the “specifics of local situations find little reflection in policy”, according to Sarah Clancy, coordinator of the Clare Public Participation Network which spearheaded the research.

“Little of national policy appears to be grounded in anything more than anecdotal research,” Ms Clancy said, adding that Dr McCabe’s study is the first of its kind in terms of a dedicated county-level social study.

The report found that there is a “crisis in all types of housing in Clare — social, rental and privately owned”, with the Traveller community particularly facing discrimination in accessing services, housing and supports.

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Disabled people in Clare are likewise at a particular disadvantage because of failures in national policy to guarantee their rights, the report found, most notably in terms of accessibility to public transport and transport funding supports.

The research also states that, despite the population in almost all areas of Clare being on the rise at present, “policy-making in relation to Clare does not yet reflect this”, while basic services, infrastructure and opportunities are available unequally across the country.

Health services in Clare also display an inequality with the rest of the country, with the report showing that at least 50% more dentists and 33% more GPs are required in the county in order to “even be on a par with the national average”.

Dr McCabe’s report makes numerous recommendations, including that the National Development Plan be reviewed as it applies to Clare, and that the county develops a dedicated social housing action plan on foot of its “chaotic” housing situation.