Desmond A. Gillmor

The Rural Environment Protection Scheme of the Republic of Ireland

Agricultural modernisation has had an impact on the Irish environment but official policy to address this developed only slowly. The reform of the EU CAP provided the incentive for the formulation of the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS). This is a wide-ranging scheme to promote environmentally friendly farming through application of 11 measures and six supplementary measures. Significant characteristics of the REPS include its: universal availability, voluntary nature, comprehensiveness, payment limitation, tailoring to individual farms and inclusion of training. There has been a high level of adoption, with participation being greatest in the small-farm west with its cattle and sheep enterprises.

Promoting Integrated Rural Tourism: Comparative Perspectives on Institutional Networking in France and Ireland

Abstract This paper investigates the roles of horizontal and vertical networking in promoting integrated rural tourism (IRT) through a comparative study of the West Region of Ireland and the Auvergne region of France. New regional and local partnerships and territorial structures have been established in both countries during recent decades but control of tourism policy remains centralized to a greater or lesser extent, resulting in feelings of limited representation among smaller scale producers who are at the centre of the integrated tourism model studied in SPRITE (Supporting and Promoting Integrated Tourism in Europes Lagging Rural Regions). Differences between the regions include greater executive power at regional and local scales in France, which is conducive to more extensive horizontal networking, and more successful vertical networking for promotion and marketing in Ireland. Lessons may be learned from both for the more effective promotion of IRT.

Organic Agriculture in the Republic of Ireland

This paper comprises a review of the development of organic agriculture and a survey of organic producers in the Republic of Ireland. Organic agriculture in Europe was initiated by individual enthusiasts; organisational structures subsequently evolved and increasingly its development is being promoted by official policy, especially within the context of the changing Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This sequence came later in the Republic of Ireland and is described in (his paper. Much of the paper is based on a survey of an 81% sample of the producers who were officially recognised as organic symbol holders in 1988, before recent state promotion began. Immigrants played an important role initially. Respondents in the survey were motivated mainly by ideological reasons. The spatial distribution and size structure of organic holdings were found to be quite uneven. As compared with conventional Irish agriculture, organic holdings were of more mixed character, with greater emphases on horticulture and arabl...

Evolving air-charter tourism patterns: change in outbound traffic from the Republic of Ireland.

Abstract This article explores the growth and destinations of outbound air-charter traffic from the Republic of Ireland as an example of the evolution of package tourism from a small source country. Spain has always been the prime destination but regional shifts have occurred within it. The role of Spain has diminished, however, as traffic has dispersed to other countries, mainly to Mediterranean coastal and insular destinations. The many influences which promote both continuity and change in package tourism patterns in general, and especially the tendencies towards concentration and dispersion of destinations, are outlined.

The Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming in the Republic of Ireland

There is a rigid agrarian structure in Ireland. An opportunity to promote greater land mobility was provided by the 1992 EU CAP Reform Accompanying Measure relating to farmer retirement and this has been implemented in Ireland through the Scheme of Early Retirement from Farming (ERS). The characteristics of the EU and Irish policies are outlined, Over X000 farmers have participated in the ERS during the period 1994–1998. Adoption levels are highest in the south and lowest in the west and north-west. Various aspects of the F.RS are discussed, including some which have detracted from its effectiveness and interrelationships with other schemes.

Experiences and perceptions of rural women in the Republic of Ireland: studies in the Border Region

There has been surprisingly little study of Irish rural women and much of the limited research has focused on farm women. This paper reports on investigations of the experiences and perceptions of rural women in general in two study areas in counties Louth and Leitrim, in the Border Region of the Republic of Ireland. The aspects dealt with are transport, employment, education and training, childcare and elderly care, health, social contacts and information, migration, and rural living. Access to services and opportunities presented difficulties but many accepted this as an inevitable part of rural living, which generally was favoured. There were variations, however, between the study areas and to a greater extent between different women depending on their circumstances.

The role of quality tourism and craft SMEs in rural development: evidence from the republic of Ireland.

ABSTRACT Niche industries such as handcrafts production and rural tourism services, particularly those which may be defined as ‘quality’, are being assigned increased importance in national and EU rural development policies. Yet relatively little attention has been devoted to quality enterprises in the research literature to date. This paper reviews recent evidence relating to the formation and growth of 99 small and medium-size quality tourism and handcrafts enterprises in two regions in Western Ireland. The characteristics of the entrepreneurs, features of the businesses and the role of support agencies are discussed in the context of the production and marketing of quality products and services. Businesses are clustered on the basis of key actions and outcomes and similarities and contrasts between regions and industrial sectors are discussed.

An investigation of villages in the Republic of Ireland

Major growth and change have occurred in villages of under 500 population in the Republic of Ireland. There had been no data or research on these small places. This paper reports on an investigation of twenty-six villages, one in each county. There was a high rate of natural population increase and also substantial in-migration, which was mainly over short distances. Housing was found to be a major locational factor. Village expansion had far exceeded local employment opportunities and half those at work travelled to employment elsewhere, the extent of commuting varying greatly between places. Urban orientation had increased greatly, though most villages had retained a range of basic services and the usage patterns of each place were different. Residents were generally favourably disposed towards village development and life but they suggested a wide range of improvements, led by the great need for employment. With some functional shift from service centre towards place of residence, villages have become ...

An analysis of summer sun tourists – outbound package holidays from Dublin Airport

This paper is a study based on a questionnaire survey directed to package holiday-makers leaving Dublin Airport in summer for sun destinations. A profile of the respondents is established first. Consideration of the destinations and components of the holiday is followed by an investigation of the booking process. Influences affecting the choice of holiday are explored. Possible relationships between the holiday destination, the holiday choice and booking processes and the previous package holiday experiences are tested.

Changing religions in the Republic of Ireland, 1991–2002

Abstract In contrast with Northern Ireland, there has been little study by geographers of religion in the Republic of Ireland. The consistent trend in religions, as recorded at the Census of Population, had involved an increasingly very high level of Roman Catholic affiliation and a continuous decline in the share of minority denominations. The 1991–2002 intercensal period marked a striking reversal of this trend, with substantial expansion and diversification of the minority religions sector. The nature and spatial patterns of these changes are considered. Attention is given to factors that might have had an influence on them, comprising the census questions and answers, migration, natural demographic change and age structure, households of mixed religions and religious mobility. The changing religious structure of its population is a part of what might be considered to be a shift towards a multicultural society in the Republic of Ireland.