Preserving identity along the Wild Atlantic Way

Billed in 2014 as the world’s longest planned coastal touring route, the Wild Atlantic Way (WAW) is a €10m investment that is aimed at growing Ireland’s €3.5bn tourism economy. The goal of the WAW is to create an “overarching tourism brand for the west coast” that will lead to €5bn in revenues and ten million visitors by 2025. The WAW comes at an important time. Rural communities along the route from Inishowen to Kinsale are lagging behind urban centres economically. Their young are being drawn to cities by the lure of good wages in the growing tech, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries. As a result, though Ireland is experiencing a small population boom, it is only cities that are growing, at nearly 11%, while rural areas hover below 5%. Rural Ireland is greying out, economies are withering, infrastructure is decaying, and towns and villages are pockmarked with shuttered storefronts. Generating new revenue streams would bring needed economic relief.

Download the full policy brief

Author & Contact

Dr Liam Carr, Whitaker Institute – liam.m.carr@nuigalway.ie