Full coverage: rural Ireland

In the second of a two-part series, Stuart Fitzgerald says analysis of data from typical Irish pharmacy, grocery, restaurant and pub businesses shows that SMEs’ viability is under increasing strain — and is set to get worse.

Rural Ireland is blighted with extensive commercial decay. There are scars everywhere. Input costs for businesses continue to rise and profit margins fall. Can the model survive rampant entshittification?

As the population increases, the urban/rural mix will become more complex. Policymakers can’t have a static view of rural Ireland in particular. The new strategies show they get the complexity, but as always, the challenge is in implementation.   

The Government's new strategy for rural Ireland shows a rare grasp of the deep implications of remote working. The challenge lies in its implementation – and, crucially, in the right timing for the roll-out of proposed policies.

Mellett's pub has been trading for 223 years. Now, the family-owned business must endure the impact of the global health crisis. Marie Mellett, the current family member running the pub, talks about the importance of survival and why social distancing may not work in a pub like hers.