The population of rural Ireland is in decline and some areas have seen a fall-off of 50% over the past 75 years. The vicious circle created by the withdrawal of services as population declines pushes more and more people to look for a better life elsewhere. A large number of schools are at risk from population decline in rural areas. One need only look at the recent census of population in County Longford, where the population is falling and migration rates are the third highest in the country.