It will come as no surprise to North Tipperary residents that Templemore, Roscrea and Thurles have been named in the top 100 of Ireland’s poorest towns.
Well that is according to a recent published survey undertaken by Teagasc, latter the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, who have studied the effect of the economic downturn on rural Ireland, taking into account emigration and unemployment over recent years.
The downturn has been felt everywhere, but its impact has been far from equal, with Carrick-on-Suir in South Tipperary rated 4th poorest in the country.
This report on the Economic Strength of Rural Towns in Ireland has found that there is a wide variation in how they have been affected by the economic crisis. The report by Teagasc found that there is a significant difference between towns within a particular region and found that the Midlands, South East and West have the highest concentration of the weakest towns, while areas of the South West have the highest concentration of strongest towns.
A government plan to assist rural towns is expected be launched next week and Teagasc Senior Research Officer Dr David Meredith said the solutions to the challenges that these towns now face will have to be tailored to their own specific needs rather than a ‘one size fits all strategy‘ which he believes will not simply work.
This new report was undertaken to support the Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, which is expected to be launched on Monday next and appears to contradict recently published employment figures which showed that 96 people in Thurles had left the live register of unemployed persons, many choosing instead to either emigrate or return to unassisted further education.
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