The coastal area from Ballyconneely to Roundstone in Connemara has long been a mecca for people who are looking for holiday homes away from it all.
A price reported for a dwelling in a Roundstone townland in the recent past has hit a new high but there are economic and social challenges in this picturesque Connemara community.
The dwelling house in the townland of Ervallagh close to the Gurteen beaches fetched €2.45m.
Ervallagh was once a typical Connemara townland fishing, farming, and whatever else people could do to eke out a living from the rugged landscape.
The landscape stayed the same but the people left.
There were a thousand people in Roundstone village and in the townlands close by 100 years ago; it was down to 500 fifty years ago and it has now dropped closer to 400.
Nowadays almost 60% of the dwellings in Ballyconneely and Roundstone are holiday homes that are occupied for varying parts of the year by their owners. The demand for holiday homes continues and the supply is getting scarcer.
Meanwhile, young local people are experiencing problems sometimes refusals when they look for planning permission for a home.
They are often reminded by the planners that the scenery and the landscape are of outstanding importance and have to be protected.
