Ireland's empty towns: High housing demand belies County Clare's dereliction problems
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From its rolling hills to its picturesque coastline, the Covid era has seen County Clare become one of the go-to destinations for those looking to escape city life.
Travel bans have seen Clare, and its other Atlantic Way compatriots, become stand-ins for the usual Costa del Sol getaways.
And for many, armed with the knowledge that a work-from-home life is now indeed possible, the siren's call of Clare is proving too much. Once temporary visitors are becoming permanent residents.
On the surface, this might seem like a godsend. Population drain to larger cities, particularly among young people, has hindered the county, like others on the Western seaboard, for generations.
However, with an already evident housing shortage, the new settlers are having to battle it out with locals for the few homes that are available.
And to top it all off, across the county, vacant and derelict buildings gather dust, hampered by red tape, high redevelopment costs and simple inconveniences.
Sarah Clancy, Coordinator of the Clare Public Participation Network, says this growth is putting further pressure on the localised housing crisis.
It’s difficult to get planning permission to build new houses, and the battle for existing houses is driving up costs and pricing out locals.
At the time of writing, Daft.ie lists just 300 properties for sale across the county. Just 27 properties are available to rent. The 2020 Social Housing Needs Assessment for Clare reports a net need of 1209 households requiring housing in Clare, while there were 106 homeless presentations in County Clare in the year to June, 83 repeats and 23 new presentations.
Efforts are being made by the council to alleviate this. According to its Chief Executive's most recent management report, there are 163 housing units under construction at this time. But the report also highlights 46 current voids, with the caveat that recent funding changes from the Department of Housing has made returning them to stock more difficult for the local authority.
For Ms Clancy, the answer could come in the abundance of derelict and vacant properties in towns dotted across the county. There are currently 39 properties on the Clare Derelict Sites Register.
However, a Council spokesperson said: “There are many sites around the county which may be considered derelict and while we are dealing with many active files, Clare County Council considers that there are many more that could come under this category.”
A drive through many of Clare’s towns and villages would suggest that this figure is indeed a major understatement. Ms Clancy believes that developing these properties would both alleviate the housing crisis, and rejuvenate the towns in question.
“It could be that you are looking for homes for younger people to raise their families or it could be that you're looking for really well-converted properties that older people would find attractive to move into,” she said.
In Clare, as of June, there were 63 adults and 17 children recorded as homeless.
A Fianna Fáil representative in West Clare, Councillor Cillian Murphy, is critical of the manner in which many of the country’s buildings are allowed to stay idle, particularly while there is a prevalence of homelessness across the country.
“It is fundamentally wrong that someone can sit on a property and leave it run to dereliction,” he said.
Ms Clancy believes that housing people should be the first priority, and with that, the towns will flourish.
“People are on waiting lists for years, which is keeping people in non-secure circumstances, which, in turn, is keeping their children in non-secure circumstances and that, in a way, is keeping it going in a cycle,” she said.
“If you were able to get 100 of the 200 families on the waiting list into nice accommodation that would mean they would be secure. You have a great possibility to change the circumstances of the next generation.” One means of tackling dereliction has been the use of derelict site levies. The purpose of this is to discourage companies or individuals from hoarding land.
In total, local authorities in Munster are owed €3,319,630. However, Clare County Council has no outstanding levies. As of July 1, Clare County Council didn’t employ a Derelict Sites Officer, with a spokesperson for the local authority saying: “The derelict sites function comes under the Economic Directorate of Clare County Council and various staff are involved in the function.”
For Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley, the effects of this level of dereliction are felt heavily in the community.
“It destroys it. it destroys the community. It takes away the vibrancy of village and town life. People lose pride in their area when they see such a level of dereliction and it further erodes confidence and just general pride in one's place,” said Mr Dooley.
In the towns of Tulla, Kilrush, and Lisdoonvarna, there are 26 properties registered as derelict, although there are many more that appear vacant, if not entirely derelict.
Each town has its own cause and effect, with regards to dereliction. But two common factors are evident.
In none of these towns has a compulsory purchase order been used in the last two years, and no money has been collected through derelict site levies. And yet, the battle against dereliction goes on.
Kilrush, with its beautiful blue marina and its vibrant streets, is a jewel of a town that shines in the sun, but tarnish is visible where vacant units blot the streetscape.
On a summer's afternoon, with the cheerful hum of local shoppers, staycationers and day-trippers, the town strikes you as somewhere you would like to live. And, if the demand for rent is anything to go by, a lot of people feel the same.
The town’s growing draw has been boosted by the pandemic, and the rise in remote working. This change in work-life has seen sons and daughters, who left for Dublin or other cities, return home.
They are joined by widely welcomed newcomers, looking to escape city life. But this growth has been met with a challenge; a lack of housing. The confusing element of all this, to the casual observer and would-be-resident alike, is the number of vacant and derelict properties.
According to a spokesperson for Clare County Council, they are dealing with 18 derelict properties in Kilrush. However, there are “many more that have not been inspected or examined yet.” With the demand for housing so great, it seems unnatural to see the empty units, which stand out like pockmark scars of the last recession.
With the town home to 2,700 people, Kilrush’s invitingly wide Frances Street connects the marina with the town’s historic market square. Henry Street, equally vibrant, sits just off this square. Local butcher, Jack Kelly, runs one of many businesses on the street.
Mr Kelly says that the number of vacant buildings in the area has changed over recent years, coming in waves, but overall, things are looking up.
“There were more vacant units around 2017 and 2018”, he said, explaining that the problem was at its worst in recent years.
“It started to pick up in 2019, with a few people moving into them,” Mr Kelly said. “Then obviously, in early 2020 we had the start of a pandemic, and God knows, everything kind of ground to a halt.”
However, while many towns struggled as Covid set in, Kilrush saw an unexpected level of growth. This is due in part to staycations, which showcased the beauty of the town to those travelling from busy cities, and the growth in remote working, which saw many of the same people make the move permanent.
“People seem to be taking fonder views of towns along the West Coast,” Mr Kelly said. As more people move into the town, so too are the businesses, which has seen Kilrush get a burst of revitalization.
“I’m not saying that Kilrush is going to become the centre of the Earth, or anyone is making an absolute fortune, but for these units to be picked up and put back into use is very positive,” the butcher said.
However, there are a number of properties dotted across the town’s busy streets that have fallen too far into dereliction to be saved.
“I’d say the wrecking ball is all they’ll get at this stage. These buildings were overlooked when the boom was on.
"You will find empty buildings and you will see for sale signs. But it was worse, so by that perspective, it is not bad.”
Not far from Henry Street is Moore Street. Although still rich in footfall and full of activity, the scars of vacancy and dereliction are more evident.
A number of clearly vacant buildings line the street. One, home now only to pigeons, has a broken window on its second floor. The former arcade and casino has been empty since the 90s.
For local Councillor, Cillian Murphy, these derelict buildings are both a visual eyesore and a kick in the teeth to those looking for a home in town.
“It's private property that has been allowed to be run into dereliction and that is really not acceptable. It's not good enough when you consider where we are in Ireland, at the minute, with regard to housing, that we don't have some quicker, better remedy to take control of properties that are derelict,” Cllr Murphy said.
He is calling for a stick and carrot method to move these properties along. “The state, or the local authority, has to be able to step in here and go, sorry my friend, use it or lose it. So we have to be able to either apply a punitive dereliction rate, or we have to be able to offer some form of incentive,” Cllr Murphy said.
The councillor, who is currently in the process of doing up an old building himself, called for amendments to building regulations, in order to encourage more people to take on these properties.
“We are putting building compliance regs on a building that may be 150 years old as if it were being built new. I'm not saying that you should tear these regulations up and throw them out the window, but I'm saying that we have to be able to amend the guidelines to suit the context.” Cllr Murphy, who spoke to the during peak holiday season in early August, explained that there is a large demand for housing in the area.
“As I’m speaking now, I have six families on my books, who do not qualify for social housing, they are working, and so can afford to pay market rent. And out of curiosity, I looked on Daft.ie this morning and there were 10 properties for rent in County Clare. So there is the demand.”
The desire to have a home with land attached is something that is seemingly ingrained in the DNA of Irish people, Cllr Murphy admits, but he says proper town planning, which would allow for adequate public space, could be a suitable compromise to those who choose to live in town centres - given it is done right.
Cllr Murphy said: “The demand for space around our private houses may be driven by the fact that we haven't invested in really good quality public spaces.
Charlie Glynn, Director of Glynn Technical Diamonds and Chair of Kilrush Town Team said the answer to the dereliction is in forward planning.
“There is no point in whinging about it. We have taken a proactive approach on it,” explains Mr Glynn.
“Ultimately, it is the people on the ground and in the community who are the first ones to identify authority issues,” he adds.
Mr Glynn says that although tourism is incredibly important to Kilrush, he says that it is not the “be-all and end-all,” pointing out that if the town is made vibrant and usable for its full-time inhabitants, then tourism will naturally follow.
The market town still services around 20,000 people in the local area, he pointed out.
As part of the ‘Kilrush master-plan’ that the Town Team is developing, derelict and vacant buildings are identified, and then plans for the building, and the potential that building has are then discussed.
“You can’t take over a building without a plan,” Mr Glynn explained, adding that it is important to take a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach.
“This isn't short term, this is really long-term planning. I would much prefer to see us coming up with a potential plan for vacant properties, and then delivering on that rather than just putting pressure on the local authority to buy properties without an overall plan.”
Further up the west coast is Lisdoonvarna. The town was first built as a place of respite, where wealthy tourists from the Victorian era could come and spend a few summer months resting and healing with the use of the town’s spa waters.
It has remained strong through famines and recessions alike, all the time holding on to a distinct relaxing ambience. However, the town hasn't always stood as proudly as it does today. Twenty to 30 years ago, the town suffered severely from its own blight - dereliction.
But creative business approaches, and a strong community spirit, has seen the town grow, and many of the once vacant and derelict buildings are now full of life. The town, which Christy Moore so fondly captured in song, attracts people from across the world and its five-week Matchmaking Festival stands as a beacon of Irish tradition.
And yet, hampered by costs and buildings caught in legal limbo, Lisdoonvarna, the town of matchmakers, is fighting to be rid of its last few derelict properties. For some locals, the cure to the town’s dereliction could be the very spas it was built around, as lessons from the past lend themselves to hopes for the future.
Martin Lafferty, a retired councillor from the area who has seen the ebb and flow over the years, says the town of Lisdoonvarna is in a far better position now than it once was. With a population of under 750 people, Clare County Council says they are currently dealing with three open files of dereliction in the town.
Like Kilrush, they have also not used a CPO over the past two years. Mr Lafferty explained that if you had visited the town 20 or 30 years ago, you would have found a number of hotels in the town in poor condition, often left empty and idle and going the way of dereliction.
“They would have been an awful eyesore now - if they were left to decay,” Mr Lafferty explains.
However, local business investment has seen the outlook of the town change and now, according to Mr Lafferty, the town is “pristine”. “All the big hotels are now full and operating, thanks in large to Marcus,” he explained.
Mr Lafferty is referring to Marcus White, whose family bought up many of the town’s hotels in the 70s and 80s when dereliction was more prominent. While many in the tourism industry struggled, the White family saw opportunities for growth, and set to work.
"At first, in 1974, we purchased the Hydro Hotel. Then we purchased the Imperial Hotel. We built another out the road, on a derelict premises, and turned it into the Burren Castle hotel and then King Thomond Hotel, which didn’t even have a roof on it, we bought that as well,” Mr White explained.
“So we spent millions doing up these hotels in the 80s and 90s. And with that, we focused on bringing in more tourism,” he added.
Many saw this venture as risky. But the family had a plan for the town.
“People were asking, what the hell we were doing with 350 beds, in a small populated town of 750 people, it doesn't make sense. But Lisdoonvarna was good to us, and we were good in return.” The White family focused on attracting overseas tourism, from the UK, France and Germany, and were then able to extend the tourist season, bringing more money into the town and supplying more jobs.
This growth, spurred by creative and innovative business, saw the dereliction in the town shrink. According to Mr White, the next step, which is the spa wells, could be key to finally vanquishing the last of the town's dereliction.
“Everything has helped. Tourism has helped. The council has helped. But going forward you do need that injection of funding to go hand-in-hand with the strong community drive which Lisdoonvarna already has.”
“The Spa Wells is run by Lisdoonvarna Failte, and they are trying to get funding to reinvent that. And if that happens, we would have tourism year-round. Meaning even more growth and so on.” But the final piece of this puzzle will certainly need funding, and flexibility if it is to work.
Pat Dowling, a singer and historian, describes himself as a blow-in to the town of Lisdoonvarna, despite being a resident for over a decade. Yet there are few in the town with a better understanding of the history of the area.
At The Spa Wells Heritage Centre, Mr Dowling points out a photo of several houses from the 1800s in their former glory, which now lie vacant on the town’s main strip.
One of the most eye-catching vacant buildings, however, sits down by the original spa wells and was once home to the local doctor, when the spas were in full flourish. The house stands as the perfect example of the difficulties that come with trying to keep historic buildings from dereliction.
He points to a window, which looks new and well maintained. “That cost €25,000 to replace. Because it is a listed building, you have to use all the original materials,” Pat explains.
“The whole thing is complicated. It needs a cash injection but I believe that there is a massive future, I would love to see our historical exhibition here. A lot of the houses downtown have similar problems. It is not as easy as it seems to just buy one and do it up,” he adds.
Further east in Clare, the town of Tulla has problems with dereliction that are entirely different to its western counterparts. Driving through the town of Tulla tells a story in itself.
On the outskirts, the town is vibrant and full of life. But the inside tells a different tale. Along one part of Main Street, four or five buildings stand in varying levels of dereliction.
One of the worst-affected buildings was issued a dangerous structure notice earlier this year, a local confirms. Fine Gael Cllr Joe Cooney explains that this building was once a vibrant part of the town, but has been empty now for over a decade.
“It was actually a grocery store and public house. And, unfortunately, it is in private ownership,” Cllr Cooney explains.
“The local authority has been working with the owner of the property to make it safe, in the interest of the people who use the Main Street of Tulla. We have been working on that since last January. Unfortunately, nothing has come from it yet so far,” the Cllr added.
Cllr Cooney says that if the owner does not carry out immediate works to make it safe, the local authority will employ a contractor to do the job.
“But saying that, a lot has been achieved in Tulla over the last few years. Tulla has spread out. There are new housing developments, a new secondary school, developments have been made to the primary school and there is a growth in infrastructure, which is benefiting the town,” he adds.
But despite the town’s growth, this building and a number of others like it, continue to sit empty. Tulla remains a market town, and a number of large employers outside the town's limits continue to provide locals with employment.
The town’s current population of just over 650 is a far cry from its estimated population before the famine, which Clare County Library suggests was around 9,000. In Tulla, there are currently five open files for derelict properties at present.
However, Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley believes there should be more than this being dealt with. “There are about 25 properties on the main street that are in different states of dereliction or are unused,” he said.
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“And while there's a lot of good stuff happening around, it certainly does take from the town,” Mr Dooley added.
Mr Dooley says there is no one cause to this level of dereliction in the town, rather it is attributed to a multitude of issues.
“It is death by a thousand cuts. It's the same in many villages and towns. The level of dereliction has reached such a stage, it takes from the whole heart of the town.”
“Effectively, you're seeing the centre of these towns dying. And there's life on the edges, where new housing developments have happened.” Mr Dooley points to a new development, where new 27 houses are being built.
The Tulla native admits that the town’s centre has once again been overlooked for the periphery. “In truth, there should have been a plan there to purchase, either compulsory or otherwise, vacant properties, bring them up to a standard and utilize those for social and affordable housing.
“There's probably 25 units that you could purchase and repair that are unused at the moment. I think we've got to get a little bit more imaginative about addressing our housing crisis, by looking at properties that are already in existence.” Mr Dooley, who served as a TD for the Clare constituency from 2007 onwards, says this issue is an all too familiar one in rural Ireland.
"Small towns, in particular, where they have seen demand for growth in recent years, you find that all the development takes place on the outside.”
He says that this is understandable because it's easier for developers to come and purchase and build on the outskirts, “so it's going to have to be local authority led to address this.”
“Until the State through the local authorities puts in place a program of regeneration, and it's not just about the tax incentives that were there in the past, but where the State, through the local authority, will take ownership of these buildings, through compulsory purchase or whatever other means. It's really the only way that you're going to see these properties come back into play.”
However, like the towns of Kilrush and Lisdoonvarna, there have been no compulsory purchase orders brought forward by the council in the town of Tulla over the last two years.