On 26th September 2019, the International Centre for Local and Regional Development (ICLRD) and Co-operation Ireland jointly launched the proceedings of their previous conference, Rural Society in Transition: Planning for 21st Century Rural Potential and Challenges. Part of the rural revitalisation series of conferences, this report captures the essence of the 1-day conference held on 26th April 2018 in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dundalk. As noted in the ‘Introduction’ by Ms. Kate, Clifford, Chief Executive of Rural Community Network, “Rural areas throughout Europe, across the island of Ireland, have evolved in different ways over the past half century. This has resulted in there being many types of ‘rural’ with each experiencing its own range of challenges; some of which are generic and some of which are place-specific… More recent rural development and diversification policies have placed an emphasis on exploiting local asset-bases, the harnessing of the endogenous potential… As an approach, this is the right way to go”. This document provides a synopsis of each of the papers delivered during the course of the day, and draws out key opportunities and challenges posed by each of the contributors as they considered the future of rural places and communities across the island of Ireland for the remainder of the 21st Century.
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