Exorcising Ireland's last ghost estates: Demolition begins on the housing projects built during economic boom that left country with 300,000 empty homes Thousands of Irish housing projects were started during the Celtic Tiger boom years but abandoned after the crash When recession hit in the late 2000s the credit crunch meant hundreds of thousands of homes were left empty Many of the half-finished estates lack basic amenities like lighting and schools and are deemed uneconomically viable Irish housing minister last month ordered a further 40 of the worst estates be pulled down at the developers' expense Irish property prices are still almost 50% below their peak in 2007 They were among the most poignant symbols of the recession, hundreds of unfinished Irish housing estates that had to be abandoned following the credit crunch of the late 2000s. But now demolition has begun on some of the last of the remaining ghost estates, built during the economic boom of 'Celtic Tiger' years but now deemed 'not economically viable'. Between the mid-1990s and 2007, Irish developers flocked to build new homes, spurred on by the easy availability of credit, cheap labour from eastern Europe and a vibrant Dublin property market. Bulldozed: The last remaining units on the Glenatore Esate in Athlone, Ireland, where in 2012 a two-year-old boy was killed after breaking through a fence onto an unfinished development, are being torn down Not economically viable: A contractor stands in the rubble of the Glenatore ghost estate. Thousands of housing estates built during the Celtic Tiger boom years were abandoned following the late 2000s recession Abandoned: Unsold houses lie next to land bought for development at the Castlemoyne housing estate in Dublin, Ireland But then the bottom fell out and by 2010 there were an estimated 600 ghost estates in Ireland with an estimated 300,000 homes lying empty. Some unlucky buyers were caught in the middle of the crash and found themselves trapped living in dangerous, unfinished properties next to rows of empty buildings. In 2009, the Irish government announced that it would invest €20m in properties on ghost estates to use for social housing, but the plan was widely criticised because of the lack of basic amenities such as schools on the estates. As a result many were simply neglected and left to fall into disrepair. In February 2012, a two-year-old boy died after drowning in a pool of water on an unfinished ghost estate. Some unlucky buyers were caught in the middle of the crash and found themselves trapped living in dangerous, unfinished properties next to rows of empty buildings Down tools: The Irish ghost estate at Carickmacross, County Monaghan, where work stopped in October 2010 Slashed: During the economic boom, Irish developers attempted to cash in, building tens of thousands of houses. However, poor planning decisions and the global recession have resulted in a large number of estates being abandoned, unoccupied or unfinished The Waterways in the village of Keshcarrigan, County Leitrim, yet another example of an Irish ghost estate - an empty and unsold housing development Broken dreams: A billboard which offered families the chance to buy their 'dream home' during the boom years stands as a painful reminder of the recession Brick by brick: Demolition begins on the last few standing units at the condemned Glenatore 'Ghost Housing Estate' in Athlone Toddler Liam Keogh is understood to have followed the family dog from his home through a fence into a section of the Glenatore housing estate in Athlone, Co. Westmeath. The tragedy brought the problem of the ghost estates sharply into focus. Those which clearly had no future, lacking basic infrastructure such as roads, lighting, and schools, were deeemed economically unviable and earmarked for demolition. According to figures published in November, since 2010 the number of completed but vacant housing units fell by 72 per cent from 23,250 to 6,350 while the number of unfinished developments fell by 55.8 per cent from 2,846 to 1,258. In October, the Government said it would allocate €10million to resolving the problem of ghost estates and last month Irish Housing Minister Jan O'Sullivan ordered a further 40 of the worst ghost estates should be pulled down at the developers' expense. Despite a long-slow and difficult recovery Irish property prices remain almost 50% below their peak in 2007. Over the past three years the number of ghost estates has fallen by as estimated 56 per cent, with some finally being completed but many being torn down Poignant reminder: A floral tribute to Toddler Liam Keogh, who died after wandering onto the site of an unfinished property at the Glenatore housing estate in Athlone is attached to the perimeter fence