There are five ghost estates listed in Ballaghaderreen, that received planning between 2002 and 2004 for almost 200 homes. All that in a town with a population (in decline) of 2,651 in 2016. The stone cottages (or what’s left of them) stand in an idyllic and beautiful setting at the base of the highest peak in Achill. The village was one of the longest running booley villages - which meant that while it’s certain that some lived in the cottages all year, the village truly thrived in the summer months. There are plenty of derelict, vacant or abandoned properties across Ireland, with some on sale with hopes of a new life and others left to fall apart. There are many abandoned ghost towns in Ireland that now stand as reminders of times when these uninhabited places were once thriving and full of life.

Fellow residents gathered at the estate on a sunny Wednesday afternoon are angry that the derelict estate continuously surfaces in discussions when the village enters the SuperValu Tidy Towns competition. What causes dereliction? Morris Conway, a County Council architect went a long way toward explaining this in the piece on Co. Waterford when he said: “Each building has a story; there’s a reason why it’s vacant and there’s a reason why its derelict.”

Glenview Lodge, Bohatch, Mountshannon, Co. Clare

A reminder of Ireland’s colonial past, many of these houses lie in ruins, the story of their former owners gone untold for decades. Inmates were free to leave when they liked, but most of those who entered weren’t in the position to do so. Many children lived their entire lives there, not knowing any other existence.

The department’s March report showed that the number of unfinished developments had fallen to 420 from 2,846 in 2010, a reduction of 85 per cent in six years. Of the remaining estates, 129 developments, or 31 per cent, are empty with no residents. Some 291 developments are home to residents. So, obviously the dork within me was well on board for listening to a talk all about abandoned buildings, in an abandoned building. How very meta. The sense of history evoked when walking between rooms traversed by people of a different time has an awe-inspiring capability that I find endlessly fascinating.A more humble abode known as Maggie’s House at Williamstown outside Slane, is typical of the type of vernacular buildings which Rebecca loves to photograph and document.