The old bridge linking Killaloe and Ballina on the Shannon. According to the latest census, there is a massive gap between how Irish people live and where we live. The top 20 per cent of urban areas only account for 65 per cent of the population. [ Can the infrastructure plan tackle Ireland’s packed trains and traffic gridlock?Opens in new window ]Ireland’s development pattern has been uniquely car-centric. The same problem on a less extreme basis applies to Cork, Galway and Limerick, leading all the way back to Killaloe.

Source: The Irish Times February 21, 2026 16:31 UTC