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Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

The most economically depressed town in Ireland is...

The results are in…Teagasc has ranked every town in Ireland.

Updated 10.51pm

BUNCLODY IS OFFICIALLY the most economically depressed town in Ireland, a new report by Teagasc shows.

The County Wexford town, classified as Bunclody-Carrickduff in the report, is the worst performer out of 302 towns included.

Using an index based on unemployment rate and inward migration figures, the food and agriculture development agency ran the rule over all towns with a population of more than 1,500.

The top five best performing towns were:

  • Bearna, County Galway
  • Rathmore, County Kerry
  • Balraheen, County Kildare
  • Bantry, County Cork
  • Whitechurch, County Cork

Bunclody was joined in the bottom five by Robertstown in Kildare, Rathkeale in County Limerick, Carrick-on-Suir in Tipperary and Abbeyfeale in Limerick.

Sligo and Cork were the best performing counties, with Offaly and Carlow performing worst overall.

In one of the most complete portraits of rural Ireland ever compiled, huge variances in the fortunes of Ireland’s rural town-dwellers were uncovered, including:

  • There is a 40 percentage point difference in the levels of tertiary education between the strongest and weakest towns.
  • Weaker towns have more empty houses than the average.
  • Weaker towns are located on the edges of the commuter belts associated with cities

Teagasc cautioned that a one size fits all solution wouldn’t work when trying to address the myriad issues facing small towns.

Head of rural economy and development Cathal O’Donoghue said despite the fact that one third of the Irish population live in rural towns and their immediate hinterlands, they are often ignored at a strategic planning level.

“These rural towns have a lower focus in national development strategies over the past decade and a half.”

Originally published 2.17pm

Column: It’s time to tackle decline in rural Ireland>

Do we need a junior minister for rural development>

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139 Comments
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    Mute Eamonn Hughes
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    Feb 20th 2016, 11:15 AM

    Any chance of an update on concerned citizen millionaire banker brother of FG TD who you claimed yesterday was a non political small business owner? No didn’t think so.

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    Mute Stephen Brady
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    Feb 20th 2016, 11:44 AM

    Good aul Hugh deleted my comment yesterday as I outed him. Good man Hugh.

    39
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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Feb 20th 2016, 11:56 AM

    *yawn*

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    Mute pjm
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:01 PM

    Neal what’s yawn about this story, it was plastered all over the media yesterday that’s he was a small business man who was apolitical. He was lying about both these issues, he was the CEO for a banking fund and he is the brother of ex FG TD, Seymour Crawford.

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    Mute Mark Byrne
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:04 PM

    Nothing yawn about it. Downright deceitful!!

    30
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    Mute Tweety McTweeter
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:22 PM

    I am outraged!

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    Mute Scottie Delaney
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    Feb 20th 2016, 11:26 AM

    Can we have additional reporting done on your article regarding Mary Lou and this concerned citizen from yeaterday please. This is what you need to be covering not some elitist boarding school in the US.

    35
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    Mute Brinster
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:04 PM

    Exactly.

    What we need is a witch hunt against the private citizen who dared to criticise SF.

    We need to know his name, his family history, his occupation and as many details of his personal life as possible.

    We need to show people that dissent will not be tolerated.

    We need to print his name as often as possible to try to intimidate others into silence.

    WE NEED TO SHOW – IN CAPS LOCK – THAT WE ARE A BUNCH OF SCREAMING WHINGING BABIES WHO ARE CHRONICALLY INCAPABLE OF RESPONDING TO CRITICISM WITHOUT ASSASSINATING THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSON CRITICISING OUR POLICIES.

    That’ll show ‘em.

    24
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    Mute Donna Moss
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:13 PM

    Calm down ffs you will give yourself an ulcer. Politics is a dirty game and this was up there in the top five but SF are no strangers to doing the odd dirty trick.

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    Mute Brinster
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:21 PM

    A private citizen expressing an opinion publicly is not a dirty trick, Donna.

    Printing his name, occupation, background and – most disgustingly – family details online IS a dirty trick.

    It sends a very clear message of intimidation. “Dare to criticise us, and our fanatics will expose you”.

    Shameful.

    17
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    Mute Donna Moss
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:31 PM

    Are you saying he just happened to be walking by at that time? Did he not seek her out to confront her? Is he a FG supporter? Connected to FG?

    17
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    Mute Brinster
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:41 PM

    I’ve no idea, Donna.

    He could be the worst ***** in all of Christendom for all I know.

    But what I do know is shooting the messenger, playing the man and not the ball and refusing to engage in any discussions or debates with someone who disagrees with you paints SF supporters in a very bad light.

    Ad hominem attacks make SF supporters look like whinging toddlers.

    Why not point out where he was wrong?

    Try to convince us where his argument was weak?

    Show us that there is a better way?

    14
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    Mute Meehawwl O'Buachailla
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:42 PM

    Spot on Brinster. A knee-capping will be next.

    8
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    Mute Donna Moss
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:46 PM

    Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t vote SF no matter what they promised. Your man was a bit of a knobend. Mary loo is like Adams all talk and nothing else just the same old mantra.

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    Mute Diarmuid Doran
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    Feb 20th 2016, 7:04 PM

    Btinster , do you really think that Hugh would report the truth , that Concerned Citizen is actually Concerned Hedgefund Manager and FG TD’s brother ? It’s above his (FG) pay grade.

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    Mute Richard Cynical
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    Feb 20th 2016, 11:38 AM

    two weeks in a row, I won’t get my head out the door

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    Mute IrishGravyTrain
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    Feb 20th 2016, 11:55 AM

    3 in a row and you qualify to write articles on here.

    39
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    Mute Meehawwl O'Buachailla
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    Feb 20th 2016, 1:18 PM

    Lucinda Creighton will be watching you next week. Locked up for life if you get three!

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    Mute Richard Cynical
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    Feb 20th 2016, 2:26 PM

    a whole article, now I’m really going to try

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    Mute Diarmuid Doran
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    Feb 20th 2016, 6:59 PM

    Richard , it’s a trick to quiten you down.They did the same to Captain Adebayor , haven’t heard from him since. Time to change your moniker from Richard Cynical to Richard Compliant.

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Feb 20th 2016, 7:30 PM

    Ah Captain A had some great comments , very witty .

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    Feb 20th 2016, 11:54 AM

    That “concerned citizen” was a dirty trick by fg,labour. They will pay for it in GE.

    24
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    Mute Brinster
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:09 PM

    Yeah – and hijacking every other story because someone dared to criticise Mary Lou doesn’t make you look like a whinging, screaming toddler at all.

    Maybe you could try to defend the policies, rather than attack the messenger?

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    Mute Luke Sarpish
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:11 PM

    His Brown Thomas leather gloves and blue scarf kind of gave it away for me.

    24
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    Mute Turlough O' Connor
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:01 PM

    Id like to see the journo covering that fake FG supporter who went on the attack at Mary Lou ….come on Hugh

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    Mute Donna Moss
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:07 PM

    I will not be voting FG after that episode yesterday. If you can’t get votes fairly then you don’t deserve them.

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    Mute Kieran OKeeffe
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:54 PM

    If he was a plant,it’s another own goal by FG..but in fairness to ML..she engaged with him once he said he wasn’t a journalist..

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    Mute Brinster
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    Feb 20th 2016, 1:56 PM

    Mary Lou engaged and fair play to her. It’s the SF activists who screamed blue must and immediately started the witch hunt that I have the issue with. Demanding to know who he was, what’s his family history, publishing his name for dating to speak his mind. Whinging toddlers the lot of them.

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    Mute Brinster
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    Feb 20th 2016, 1:56 PM

    *Blue murder

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    Mute Meehawwl O'Buachailla
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    Feb 20th 2016, 12:48 PM

    The shinnerbots don’t like it up ‘em! Been a bad few days on the campaign trail, Jorry making a fool of himself with Sean Duignan….sounds like an email went out from IRA HQ this morning saying “Attack every comments board you can find”. It’s actually very funny to see.

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Feb 20th 2016, 7:35 PM

    I notice Eugene hasn’t commented so he must be still sleeping off his hangover !

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