A Dutch warning: Disconnection from Dublin feeds rural discontent
20 May 2023
The recent call by Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice to set up a “rural party” to contest the next general election has been widely dismissed in political circles. After all, to many metropolitan minds, farmers are – quite literally – a dying breed. For them, rural Ireland begins and ends between the farm gate and the nearest greenway.
But, as the ongoing protests in Co Clare over accommodation for people seeking international protection highlight, small-town Ireland is about more than just farmers. And in many of these communities, an increasing sense of disconnection to decision makers in Dublin is taking hold.
