CONSIDERABLE attention is rightly being paid to the deterioration of high streets across Ireland and the UK, with notable recent interventions from Andy Burnham and RTÉ’s Prime Time programme.

Burnham said earlier this month that main thoroughfares were the “beating heart” of local communities, but accepted they had become unrecognisable after decades of decline, and announced new powers for district councils in Britain which are intended to address the problem.

It remains to be seen how this progresses, and there will be limited confidence in the ability of Irish civic authorities, in both the north and south, to oversee a significant transformation.

The subsequent RTÉ investigation took a detailed look at high streets in several key parts of the Republic, and reported that many respected operators were either struggling badly or had already gone.

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It said that Irish retail insolvencies rose by 35 per cent in the first half of 2026, with almost one in four of the overall related corporate figures in the same category, and further indications that a range of other existing proprietors were actively considering exiting.

A particularly grim summary was provided by........

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