Ireland’s housing crisis, along with pressures on childcare, is leading some urban workers to consider moving out of urban centres to regional locations. The fact that they can do so without hindering their career prospects is something the Western Development Commission (WDC), the agency tasked with supporting economic and social development in the Western Region, has promoted through campaigns with tag lines such as “More to Life” and “Local Living, Global Opportunities”.
The WDC spans nine counties – Clare, Donegal, Kerry, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Limerick, Galway and Sligo. For those considering a move to any of them, its job board Westernjobs.ie, is a mine of information.
It provides proof positive that the region offers diverse career opportunities, with big employers spanning everything from medtech and biotech to ICT and renewable energy.
Choose your location well and you can benefit from a thriving community spirit, a beautiful landscape or cheaper – though rarely cheap – accommodation. Choose really well and you’ll find all three.
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The creation of the Atlantic Technological University has been a game-changer for those who want to upskill as well as move, with eight campuses across Galway, Mayo, Sligo, and Donegal.
But there are significant all-round educational benefits of living in the west, with an average pupil-teacher ratio of 17 to one in primary schools in the region. Little wonder, perhaps, that a larger percentage of young people from the west attend third-level education than anywhere else in the State, according to the WDC.
For workers, the agency’s pioneering Connected Hubs project, an umbrella brand for almost 400 remote working hubs spread across the State, is also supporting the transition from urban to rural life, providing ready-made solutions for remote and hybrid working.
Significant population increases have been recorded in all western counties and it’s not just popular seaside spots that are benefiting either, with Leitrim’s population up 9.8 per cent and Roscommon’s up 8.9 per cent, according to the 2022 Census. That benefits everyone.
“A thriving West means a more balanced and resilient national economy, lessening the burden on Dublin and distributing opportunities more evenly across the country,” says Allan Mulrooney, chief executive of the Western Development Commission.
According to Daft.ie, the average cost of renting in Leitrim was €1,161 in Q3 of this year. While that’s up 13.5 per cent on the same period last year, it’s still significantly cheaper than the €2,704 average monthly rental price in south Co Dublin. In counties Clare, Kerry and Mayo, average rents are all less than €1,500.
For average house prices there are even greater savings, at €204,000 in Longford, €207,000 in Leitrim and €226,000 in Sligo. That compares with an average house price in west Dublin of €403,000 and of €708,000 in South Dublin.
There are savings be made on childcare too: average weekly fees in Fingal are €213, compared with counties Monaghan, Carlow and Longford, all of which came in at under €160, according to a recent Dáil debate.
All of that, plus the rise in working from home brought about by the pandemic, has meant that after generations of traffic moving just one way – rural to urban – the west has experienced nothing less than “reverse migration, with individuals drawn back to their roots or seeking a different pace of life,” says Mulrooney.
The result has been a revitalisation of its communities. “Crucially, the embrace of remote working has emerged as a game-changer, offering professionals and businesses alike the flexibility to thrive outside urban centres,” he adds.
Today he regularly meets people who have moved to the rural west not just from Irish urban centres, but from UK cities such as Manchester and London. Often one half of the couple will have roots in the area and typically both will initially work remotely for their existing employer, while on the lookout for good career prospects in the west.
Thanks to IDA Ireland’s continued success in attracting foreign direct investment, and the success of Enterprise Ireland, which has a policy of driving indigenous enterprise growth in the regions, there are now plenty of opportunities for career development outside of Dublin, says Mulrooney.
But for anyone thinking of following suit, his advice is clear: pick your location carefully and make sure to factor your preferred lifestyle into the equation. Not everyone will want to move to an isolated spot surrounded by fields, he points out: “Some will want to move somewhere there’s a tennis club, a good restaurant or somewhere to have a beer on a Friday.”
Choosing to locate to somewhere with a vibrant remote-working hub can be a bonus too. At one near Mulrooney members have a WhatsApp group to organise sea swimming at weekends and camping trips in summer, making it a great way to tap into a ready-made social life.
Lower-priced properties are of course harder to find in highly sought after locations. So, if you are moving from urban to rural life, be open to moving to less well known towns and villages to secure the best possible bang for your buck.
In Sligo, for example, popular locations such as Ross’s Point and Strandhill have prices to match. For savings, search out less well publicised spots that still have great amenities, such as Ballysadare, Mulrooney suggests. In Clare it might be about choosing less crowded Ennistymon over more popular – and more expensive – Lahinch.
By not adding to already congested hot spots you’ll get better value for money, can still enjoy the benefits of a vibrant community, and achieve the rural idyll you dreamed of.
