A Living Countryside?: The Politics of Sustainable Development in Rural Ireland

By examining a range of experiences from both the north and south of Ireland, this book asks what the ideal of sustainable development might mean to specific rural groups and how sustainable development goals have been pursued across the policy spectrum. It assesses the extent of commitment to a living countryside in Ireland and compares various opportunities and obstacles to the actual achievement of sustainable rural development. How different sectors of rural society will be challenged in terms of future survival provides an overarching theme throughout.

Dr John McDonagh is from the Department of Geography and Dr Tony Varley is from the Department of Politics both at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Dr Sally Shortall is Director of the Gibson Institute for Land Food and Environment at Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland.