New figures have revealed that hundreds of people are leaving Clare’s most remote rural areas each year.
While the population of the county is growing overall, a fresh analysis of Census Data suggests Clare’s smallest communities could be effectively wiped out within a generation.
Clare’s population grew by 1,100 in the five years up to the last Census in 2016.
There was a growth in the number of people living in a city – that’s the area of the county closest to Limerick – as well as towns, and even in rural areas with what’s described as an ‘urban influence.’
But in the most remote areas, there’s been a marked decline in population.
There, in the five years to 2016, population levels fell by 3238.
That’s the equivalent of three families each week, and at this rate of decline, the entire population of rural Clare would be wiped out soon after 2050.
While it’s not a surprise to see figures showing a decline in Clare’s rural population, these statistics are a stark reminder of the extent of the issues faced in those communities.
