'After the crash': Life satisfaction, everyday financial practices and rural households in post Celtic Tiger Ireland

There has been much debate in rural studies concerning (uneven) processes of rural restructuring and its impact on redefining the role of rural areas and in underpinning different development trajectories across rural space. However, to date, there is currently a dearth of literature examining the impact of the current global financial crisis on rural localities, either in terms of how public policies have responded and/or adapted in relation to the potential increased vulnerability of rural localities in the face of extraordinary economic events and shocks. In this paper, we address this deficit by examining the impact of the global financial crisis and its implications for rural localities and households, drawing on Ireland as a case study. The paper aims to explore household everyday financial practices and coping strategies in relation to recession conditions in rural Ireland, in particular related to the bursting of the housing market bubble since 2007/08. To address these themes, the paper is structured as follows: first, we locate the discussion in the literature surrounding the global financial crisis and the role of the housing sector, before examining the implications for rural localities and rural housing markets. Second, the paper examines the housing boom and bust in Ireland and its relationship to the wider economy. Then, drawing on a customised household survey (n = 753), the paper examines the impact of the housing crash on life satisfaction, everyday financial practices and coping strategies among rural households.