This article aims to address the disconnect between housing and rural development research. We do this by examining models of rural development (exogenous, endogenous and neo‐endogenous) in the rural housing context. Drawing on in‐depth documentary analysis of planning and rural development policy and research in the Republic of Ireland, we demonstrate a series of policy failures in implementing exogenous and pseudo‐endogenous approaches to housing policy in rural areas. Subsequently, we propose a neo‐endogenous framework for a more effective integration of housing and rural development theory and practice. In an international context Ireland represents an insightful case for studying the relationship between rural development and housing, due to the emphasis on housing development in rural areas, which in essence has represented a ‘quick fix’ for development, as evidenced by the country's liberal planning regime during an extraordinary housing boom period until the more recent property crash. While the article focuses on Ireland as a case‐study, lessons and a framework for a neo‐endogenous model of rural development and housing are also drawn internationally.