The housing crisis in Ireland was caused by the state allowing the construction industry to die off almost entirely after the financial crisis (likely driven by incorrect projections that assumed that Ireland would return to our traditional pre-90s perma-recession, with the working-age population largely going back to emigrating). Most developed countries kept the construction sector on life support to some extent after the bubble burst, but in Ireland it essentially vanished.
Today, Ireland has the highest rate of housing unit completions per capita per year in the OECD, but it still isn’t enough, because there was a decade where housing completions were, essentially, _zero_ per year.
A secondary factor is a fairly painful planning process; getting planning can take _years_, and is subject to derailment via judicial review. This hits both housing directly, and infrastructure essential to housing. There are currently four major Dublin rail projects in advanced states of planning (DART+ West, DART+ Southwest, DART+ North, Metrolink), which, combined, will more or less double peak-time rail commuting capacity. Metrolink has been dramatically delayed by planning objections, and DART+ West is now under judicial review, and may be, ah, derailed.
Today, Ireland has the highest rate of housing unit completions per capita per year in the OECD, but it still isn’t enough, because there was a decade where housing completions were, essentially, _zero_ per year.
A secondary factor is a fairly painful planning process; getting planning can take _years_, and is subject to derailment via judicial review. This hits both housing directly, and infrastructure essential to housing. There are currently four major Dublin rail projects in advanced states of planning (DART+ West, DART+ Southwest, DART+ North, Metrolink), which, combined, will more or less double peak-time rail commuting capacity. Metrolink has been dramatically delayed by planning objections, and DART+ West is now under judicial review, and may be, ah, derailed.