Leaders must shout STOP

Nov 27, 2015 | IRL Blog

147,000 per year as president of a volunteer non governmental organisation! A salary of €295,000, a pension contribution of €150,000, a €60,000 bonus and €30,000 director’s fee total €535,000 for a general secretary signed off by the leader of that non governmental...

European projects: Understanding their Long Term Purpose

Nov 13, 2015 | IRL Blog

I am taking the opportunity of this blog post to reflect on what I have learned from my involvement in European projects. I have been active in a number of European projects. Presently I am active in a five partner two year project DIMA (Cyprus, Ireland, Slovenia,...

Addressing Future Demands

Nov 6, 2015 | IRL Blog

Last week’s budget announcement from Minister Howlin and Noonan offers little comfort to people living alone in isolated rural areas especially the elderly. We seen very modest increases to the old age pension, fuel allowance and the 75% increase to the...

Over-the-counter cash limits show how those with little money matter little still.

Nov 6, 2015 | IRL Blog

There is a date in the future when the good people in bank of Ireland will have moved on and be replaced by some kind of artificial intelligence. These will probably look like human beings, but will clearly lack the traits necessary to denote humanity. It will not be...

Irish Rural Link advocates a network of regionally based “Local Public Banks” for Ireland

Oct 1, 2015 | IRL Blog, Public Banking

IRL policy researchers have clearly identified that the need for competition in credit lines for SMEs is vital to facilitate a more uniform economic development across rural areas and by its design, across the country as a whole. To address this deficit IRL calls for...

Rural Visions

Sep 24, 2015 | IRL Blog

Visions. The modern ones relating to rural Ireland  started with Éamon de Valera, when in  1943 in a St Patrick’s day radio address he asserted in what’s known as the ‘Comely Maidens speech’ (wildly miss-quoted) that,  “The Ireland that we dream of, would be the home...