Farming protest
Trespassing hunters who front for criminals eyeing up equipment a major concern for farmers
The concerns about thefts in particular comes as rural dwellers feel that their areas are being neglected when it comes to gardaí on the beat

Thu, 17 Sep, 2026

Rural Ireland Thinks: Just 13% of 25-34-year-olds attend Mass weekly
Rural Ireland Thinks: Just 13% of 25-34-year-olds attend Mass weekly
The survey found 57% of rural respondents consider themselves religious, despite significant differences in weekly Mass attendance

Wed, 16 Sep, 2026

The Carmore team warm-up 26/1/2020
Rural Ireland Thinks: Women in rural Ireland more likely to feel disadvantaged than men
About 37% of women surveyed in the Irish Examiner's Ipsos B&A Poll said they felt disadvantaged living in rural Ireland, compared to 23% of their male counterparts

Wed, 16 Sep, 2026

Rural Ireland Thinks: Majority think Government has neglected rural pubs and way of life
Rural Ireland Thinks: Majority think Government has neglected rural pubs and way of life
The Vintner’s Federation said Ireland should look to EU compatriots like France, which offers grants of up to €80,000 to keep pubs, shops and cafés in the countryside

Wed, 16 Sep, 2026

Rural Ireland Thinks: Just over half of people in rural Ireland consider themselves religious
Rural Ireland Thinks: Just over half of people in rural Ireland consider themselves religious
Just over a third of respondents to the Irish Examiner/Ipsos B&A poll said they attended Mass weekly

Wed, 16 Sep, 2026

Girl using her smart phone sitting on couch
Rural Ireland Thinks: Social media restrictions on under 16s supported by vast majority
The Irish Examiner survey results indicate that the Irish public favour restrictions over a ban

Wed, 16 Sep, 2026

Sarah Harte: Is the urban/rural divide as straightforward as we think?
Sarah Harte: Is the urban/rural divide as straightforward as we think?
The Irish Examiner’s Rural Ireland Thinks poll highlights how the narrative of one-dimensional socially conservative rural communities is so inaccurate

Wed, 16 Sep, 2026

New Taoiseach appointed
Elaine Loughlin: The coalition parties have work to do to win rural Ireland back
Irish Examiner poll finds two thirds of people living in rural Ireland feel independent TDs represent them best

Tue, 15 Sep, 2026

Micheál Martin speaks to the crowd during the trophy presentation 13/9/2026
Rural Ireland Thinks: Nearly half of rural Ireland wants Micheál Martin to step down in 2027
Rural Ireland Thinks: However, it is clear there is no immediate threat to Mr Martin's position, with many in Fianna Fáil conceding that there is little appetite for a heave

Tue, 15 Sep, 2026

Donald Trump visit to Ireland
Rural Ireland Thinks: Almost 60% want to see a united Ireland
The latest 'Irish Examiner' survey has also shown that almost one in 10 (9%) are still strongly against the idea

Tue, 15 Sep, 2026

Sellafield Nuclear power plant
Rural Ireland Thinks: Voters split on lifting Ireland's ban on nuclear energy
Younger generations were generally the least likely to back lifting the ban

Tue, 15 Sep, 2026

INDEPENDENT TDS
Rural Ireland Thinks: Independent TDs gaining ground as disconnect from main parties deepens
Despite a growing frustration with the Government, if there was a general election tomorrow, 15% of those asked would vote for Fine Gael and 14% for Fianna Fáil

Tue, 15 Sep, 2026

Rural Ireland Thinks: Nine in 10 favour deportation of foreign-born criminals 
Rural Ireland Thinks: Nine in 10 favour deportation of foreign-born criminals 
89% of those surveyed for the Irish Examiner/Ipsos B&A poll believe foreign people convicted of a crime should be deported

Mon, 14 Sep, 2026

Fianna Fail think in - Tullamore
Paul Hosford: Tougher stance on immigration is not solely about ideology
The Irish Examiner Rural Ireland Thinks survey shows us why this Government has put more emphasis on immigration than most of its predecessors

Mon, 14 Sep, 2026

Rural Ireland Thinks: Only a third of drivers stopped at Garda checkpoint in the last year
Rural Ireland Thinks: Only a third of drivers stopped at Garda checkpoint in the last year
Three-quarters of respondents to the Irish Examiner/Ipsos B&A poll feel overall policing in rural areas has been downgraded

Thu, 10 Sep, 2026

Image Ref. No. 2005/017
Liam Quaide: Rural Ireland is not a costume to put on for political theatre 
Rural Ireland is far more diverse and inclusive than the monolith portrayed by some who patronise us by claiming to represent it

Fri, 08 May, 2026

Wolfe Tone commemoration - Kildare 2024
S Elaine Loughlin: Can Sinn Féin arrest its long decline in time for the general election?
The party has plummeted from a high of 37% this time two years ago to below the 20% mark — and yet members continue to insist that a term in office is within the party’s grasp.

Sun, 29 Sep, 2024

Cost of building new practices beyond many GPs, conference told
Cost of building new practices beyond many GPs, conference told
Dr Diarmuid Quinlan told the Irish College of GPs national conference in Dublin that Ireland need to expand its GP numbers by 50%

Fri, 27 Sep, 2024

Mental health stock
Tara Farrell: Insidiousness of domestic violence is magnified in rural Ireland
Finding a pathway out of domestic violence is difficult, but that process proves to be even more arduous in a rural setting

Mon, 23 Sep, 2024

Elaine Loughlin: Poll shows domestic violence is devastatingly pervasive
S Elaine Loughlin: Poll shows domestic violence is devastatingly pervasive
The Irish Examiner’s rural survey of attitudes reveals that domestic and gender-based violence continues to be down-played and dismissed, writes Elaine Loughlin

Sat, 21 Sep, 2024

FILE PHOTO An Bord Pleanala has refused planning permission for a 179-unit apartment development on the site of the Bessborough
Irish Examiner view: The Disappeared — What lies beneath must be brought into the light
Work is accelerating to create the first global open-source mass-graves map

Sat, 21 Sep, 2024

Domestic violance
Half of people living in rural Ireland unconcerned about domestic violence, survey shows
More than a quarter said they knew someone who had been a victim of such harm, while 6% said they had been victims themselves

Fri, 20 Sep, 2024

Irish Examiner view: The Church is damaged by the sins of the past
Irish Examiner view: The Church is damaged by the sins of the past
Proposed pastoral centre at bishop's palace dubious

Fri, 20 Sep, 2024

Rural Ireland Thinks poll: A snapshot into the thinking of modern-day rural Ireland
Rural Ireland Thinks poll: A snapshot into the thinking of modern-day rural Ireland
Rural Ireland is often referred to as one homogenous group but as the Irish Examiner/Ipsos Rural Ireland Thinks poll reflects, this is not a uniform group about whom the same old sweeping assumptions can be made. Sean Murray reports.

Thu, 19 Sep, 2024

Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Two-thirds say there is no visible garda presence on roads
Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Two-thirds say there is no visible garda presence on roads
Just over two in five (43%) of the 500 people surveyed said they had been stopped at a garda checkpoint in the last year

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Missal in a church
Rural Ireland Thinks poll: One in four do not consider themselves as religious 
'Rural' Ireland accounts for 33.4% of the country, according to the survey

Wed, 18 Sep, 2024

Hospital Stock
Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Majority of rural Ireland would favour assisted dying
These broadly liberal views come despite the poll also finding that a slight majority of people in rural Ireland consider themselves to be religious 

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Visitors bask in glorious sunshine on day one of the 2024 Ploughing Championships
Visitors bask in glorious sunshine on day one of the 2024 Ploughing Championships
People used to splashing through muddy puddles in wellies and raincoats during the festival are enjoying the Indian summer in Ratheniska, Co Laois

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Watch: Ploughing Championship attendees have their say on safety in rural Ireland
Watch: Ploughing Championship attendees have their say on safety in rural Ireland
What do people in rural Ireland really think about the issues that matter in Ireland today? The Irish Examiner Rural Ireland Thinks poll, conducted by Ipsos/B&A, gives us a snapshot of rural Irish attitudes.

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Harbor at the Coast of Dingle in Ireland
S Rural Ireland Thinks poll: New faces welcomed to rural areas scarred by decades of emigration
Perhaps in rural Ireland, there is a greater appreciation that people are the lifeblood of community and commercial life, irrespective of their origins

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Immigration is not a deciding issue for rural voters
Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Immigration is not a deciding issue for rural voters
Despite immigration making headlines and dominating political discussion over the last year, only 42% of people say it will be a 'very influential' factor when voting

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Health, housing, and the cost of living remain key voter concerns
Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Health, housing, and the cost of living remain key voter concerns
When people were asked about the factors most likely to influence their vote, the leading concerns were the cost of living and inflation, followed by the state of healthcare, the economy, and housing

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Michelle McGlynn: Not all sunshine and rainbows at Fianna Fáil think-in
Michelle McGlynn: Not all sunshine and rainbows at Fianna Fáil think-in
The late summer sunshine in Killiney was marred only by haze from a nearby gorse fire — and maybe concern about how FF are faring in the Irish Examiner Rural Ireland Thinks polls

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

Watch: Marketgoers in Bantry have their say on the issues that matter in rural Ireland
Watch: Marketgoers in Bantry have their say on the issues that matter in rural Ireland
What do people in rural Ireland really think about the issues that matter in Ireland today? The Irish Examiner Rural Ireland Thinks poll, conducted by Ipsos/B&A, gives us a snapshot of rural Irish attitudes.

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

Tanaiste Micheal Martin doorstep
S Rural Ireland Thinks poll: More to do for Fianna Fáil to win votes in rural Ireland
With the clock now ticking down to a general election, Micheál Martin will have to cover significant ground to ensure his party's traditional supporter base is not eroded

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

Fianna Fáil party think-in
Tánaiste denies Fianna Fáil is in trouble in rural Ireland after Irish Examiner poll results
Micheál Martin said Fianna Fáil had been very focused on rural Ireland and agriculture in terms of policy and intended to continue that in the future

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

Team Ireland Homecoming
Irish Examiner view: Election should be called sooner rather than later 
Findings in our Rural Ireland Thinks poll may further whet Fine Gael appetites for Simon Harris to name the day

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

European and local elections
S Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Doubts grow over McDonald leadership as Sinn Féin support slips 
When asked directly about her performance at the helm, 43% of respondents said they feel Mary Lou McDonald has damaged Sinn Féin's chances of forming the next Government.

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

Taoiseach Simon harris
Irish Examiner Rural Ireland Thinks poll: Simon Harris most popular party leader
Irish Examiner/Ipsos Rural Ireland Thinks poll will make worrying reading for Mary Lou McDonald who has seen support for Sinn Féin and her leadership of the party slip in recent months

Mon, 16 Sep, 2024

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