In this episode, presenter Brian O'Connell delves deep into what sustains community life in rural Ireland today. In a vastly changed and changing world, what are the challenges to a rural society today and what solutions are rural communities discovering for themselves?

The Ties That Bind is a four-part series on RTÉ Radio 1. The series, which paints a portrait of rural Ireland today, is produced and presented by award-winning reporter Brian O'Connell, who is, himself, Co. Clare born and bred. The Ties That Bind looks at community life in Ireland today, guided by the intriguing work of two Harvard anthropologists who studied the people of Clare in the 1930s.