A new report warns rural depopulation.
Rural GAA Clubs across the country are struggling to survive, according to an Offaly Councillor.
A new report from the GAA, titled 'No one shouted stop', warns rural depopulation is no longer merely a sporting concern, but a national crisis endangering community life.
Tullamore rep for Fine Gael Neil Feighery feels the report overstates the issue in Offaly.
However, he says there are clubs facing severe challenges elsewhere:
It follows a new report from the GAA presented at the recent Offaly County Council meeting titled 'No one shouted stop.'
GAA Strategy Manager Dr. Peter Horgan delivered the findings to county councillors, saying that rural depopulation was starting to threaten community life, due to combination of mass migration, toward urban centres and a plummeting birth rate-which fell from 100,000 in 2010 to just 73,000 in 2024.
The report also claimed there are currently 47 clubs in Westmeath, 48 in Laois and just 41 in Offaly.
Fine Gael Councillor for Tullamore Neil Feighery felt the report was overly negative, particularly in relation to clubs across Offaly but noted other remote parts of the country are indeed struggling to survive. He also noted people are tending to migrate towards more urban centres to seek employment, which in turn affects clubs.
Following the presentation of the report, Dr Horgan urged local government to take measures in relation to housing in order to ensure the long term survival of GAA clubs.
Cathaoirleach John Leahy called for a targeted study to create a "heat map" of the county.
The map would identify the most sustainable locations for rural housing, with a push to integrate these findings directly into the next Offaly County Development Plan.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
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