Restructuring of rural areas in Ireland

The author reports on the restructuring of rural areas in Ireland. The restructuring of the rural economy (agriculture, services, industry) in relation to population developments is part of the process of rural change due to which agriculture is no longer the dominant economic activity in rural areas in Ireland. Rural Ireland's prospects are discussed and on the basis of these prospects a plea is made for clearly articulated survival strategies for some rural areas. Attention is drawn to the socio-economic implications of in-comers who have settled in various parts of the Irish countryside in recent decades. -after Author