Soaring rents, evictions, and a shortage of housing — welcome to rural Ireland

An analysis of 11 rural counties, from Clare to Kerry, Tipperary to Waterford, shows the housing crisis is not just confined to the cities

Renters nationally have faced an increase in rents of 15% in the last three years, but rural renters have faced substantially higher increases. File photo:Leon Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The housing crisis in rural Ireland has not received the same level of attention as Dublin and some of our bigger cities, but there is no doubt that it exists.

In a presentation to the British-Irish parliamentary Assembly inquiry on rural housing, I analysed 11 rural counties, which showed just how serious the housing catastrophe is, its causes, and solutions required urgently.