A New LifeSwapping the capital's hustle and bustle for the tranquillity of the rural life can be quite a gamble. Michelle McDonaghspeaks to a man whose move paid off
Many people may dream of leaving the hustle and bustle (and expense) of the capital city for an idyllic life in the country, but very few actually take the plunge to make that dream a reality.
Tom Keane had lived in Dublin all his life when he made the decision to move his family and antique stove business lock, stock and barrel to picturesque rural west Cork.
A Dubliner born and bred, Keane (49) had found he was working hard just to pay the ever-increasing rent on his shop at Bachelor's Walk. With two children under the age of three, he and his wife, Claire Graham, found that their house in the city centre seemed to be shrinking and they would have been hard pressed to afford something bigger in Dublin.
Then there was the cost of childcare and the cost of living in general, the traffic congestion and the increasingly hectic pace of life in the capital.
In the end, they made the decision to move mainly because it would mean a better quality of life for the children.
"I found that most inquiries for the business were coming across on the internet which meant that I could literally move anywhere in the country," he explains.
It was during a visit to Baltimore for a friend's 40th birthday that Keane and his wife started to consider the idea of moving to west Cork. They also had to deliver two 18th-century stoves to Jeremy Iron's castle which was in its second year of renovation at the time - one for his library and one for his snooker room.
"In 2000, we made the move lock, stock and barrel from Dublin city centre to west Cork. We rented for a year and a half until we found the property we were looking for. It's two old mills and a house attached in Leap. Spacewise we have about 4,000 sq ft. Even if we wanted to move back to Dublin, I don't think we could afford it now," says Keane.
And instead of having to worry about exorbitant rent hikes and long-term leases, Keane's new shop is attached to the house so he just has to walk through the kitchen door to work every day.
He does a lot of his business over the net and his only bugbear is that he can't get broadband.
As the only business in the State selling reconditioned antique stoves, Ovne Antique Stoves is kept steadily busy. Keane has an extensive client base of architects and designers who keep him on their files and use his services over again.
He and his wife both have family in Dublin who they enjoy getting back to see. Keane is back in Dublin once or twice every month doing deliveries which gives him the regular opportunity to catch up with family and friends while also getting a fix of city culture.
"It took us two to three months to settle down here with peaceful minds," he says.
"Coming from the city, we were used to restaurants, theatres, cinema, etc all within walking distance. It has been a massive change. Having to drive everywhere is one of the downsides of living here.
"The local shop is a few miles away and if we want to do a big shop, we have to drive 13 miles to Clonakilty. It can be costly to go out at night as well between paying for babysitting and taxis."
However, the pros of living in west Cork far outweigh the cons for the Keane family. The children, who are now aged eight and 10, go to school in nearby Rosscarberry, a three-minute drive away and they love living in the country.
"They both have Cork accents and they support Cork rather than Dublin. They really love it here, they can go for a swim in five minutes or go hill walking or boating, they're perfectly happy here."
Tom's wife, a freelance PR consultant and journalist, also works from home which means both parents can be totally hands on with the kids, a luxury many city-dwelling parents can ill afford these days.
When Keane needs to travel abroad on business, it's only an hour to Cork Airport where it's easy to get parking.
"West Cork attracts a lot of actors, painters, directors and artistic types like David Puttnam and Jeremy Irons. It also attracts a lot of English people.
"There are a lot of blow-ins like us here. We are absolutely delighted that we made the move and are over the moon with our life here," he says.
Most inquiries for the business were coming across on the internet which meant that I could move anywhere in the country