This Artist Is Spotlighting Ireland’s Rural Loneliness Epidemic
Text: Izzy Copestake
In 2023, the European Commission declared that Ireland is the loneliest country in the EU, with 20% of respondents reporting feeling lonely, compared to the EU average of 13%. Tales of loneliness have dominated the news cycle, with causes ranging from youth emigration to countries like Australia to the housing crisis preventing many rites of passage. But what does this mean for a region already shaped by physical isolation and vast rural landscapes?
This is exactly what Ronan Dillon set out to explore in his project Where do we all belong? For a week in May, Dillon and his team travelled across County Sligo in a research van, consulting with local communities and collecting anonymous personal stories about experiences of loneliness. The responses reveal a reality far removed from the romanticised depictions of rural life often seen in art — one that focuses instead on its human impact.
The project runs until November 15th at the Abhainn Gallery, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo, and is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am–6pm.
