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Anthony Kelly was preparing to move to Los Angeles with his wife Fionnualla and their son Darragh (2) when “Covid struck.” The co-founder of Glofox, which provides business management software to fitness studios and gyms, ordered the visas and rented a house. But suddenly it didn’t seem like a good idea to get on a plane, especially since Fionnualla was six months pregnant.
Instead of LA, the family found themselves living in the town of Erribul in Co Clare, Fionnualla’s home county. “We thought we would try a season here instead of staying in Dublin,” says the father of two.
Glofox, which employs 120 people around the world, already had a significant proportion of staff working remotely, but now the company has become “completely remote.” Kelly is one of a growing number of professionals, many in the high-tech sector, who are adjusting well to a new lifestyle in the West of Ireland.
“So far it’s been great, really amazing,” says Dubliner, recalling that the company decided to close its South William Street office before government directive. “He just didn’t feel safe.”
The bustle of Grafton Street is something they remember fondly, but the beauty of Shannon’s estuary seems to make up for it, especially since they had “a locked up baby, Cathal, who was born on June 11.”
The little things
It’s the little things that have surprised you, such as the personalized attention and quality of service from many companies. “I love it so far. People seem to care. In Dublin it can seem more transactional. “Having lived in the capital all her life, Kelly is pleased to say that” at work, I haven’t missed a beat. “
The Western Development Commission’s new More to Life campaign aims to showcase both the career opportunities and attractive lifestyle available to those moving west.
The campaign highlights the attractive job opportunities in the region, as well as more obvious benefits such as low housing costs, short trips and easy access to the great outdoors.
With more and more people working remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the WDC stresses that now is a good time to make that move.
Nathalie Moyano, like Anthony Kelly, has already said goodbye to the East Coast and has no intention of returning.
Born in France, she moved to Ireland in 2002, lived in Dublin for 10 years and also spent many years traveling from Wicklow to the city.
Coincidentally, she moved to Co Mayo on the first day of confinement and says she found herself surrounded by woods, beautiful riverside walks and stunning gardens at a time when many people were confined to city apartments with no access to open spaces.
Moyano now lives and works in the converted stables of Coolcronan House, formerly the home of the Earl of Limerick, on the banks of the River Moy near Foxford, Co Mayo. “It’s in the middle of nowhere, I’m very lucky,” says the founder of Moytilingual, a company that offers consulting and language services.
He has always wanted to live close to nature and says that “he could not go back to a closed space”. A translator and interpreter who has traveled the US and India, Moyano says that having made a conscious effort to achieve a better balance between work and life, being able to walk out the door and see horses and beautiful gardens is a blessing.
John Savage switched an office on Dublin’s Dawson Street to telecommute from his new home in the town of Rosses Point, Co Sligo, where his wife, Julie Carty, was raised.
The machine data scientist, who landed a job at American technology company Overstock in Sligo last June, hails from Ballisodare and he and Julie began to feel the call of the west two years ago when their son Luca was born.
The couple are expecting a second child in November and, according to John, one of the surprises of the move is that he doesn’t feel like he has sacrificed career opportunities to take advantage of a more relaxed lifestyle.
“We decided to return in January before the pandemic started,” he says. They didn’t make the move until June, when the restrictions eased, and they are finding that their social circles have increased. “I know many people who decided to temporarily move to Sligo when the lockdown started because they were working remotely.”
‘Friendly people’
Not all of your friends may stay there, but the family feels it is the right place for them for many reasons. “We love the space, the views and the welcoming town,” he says. In addition, her rent in Dublin was about € 1,500 per month, “so here we get a better value for money.”
As part of its campaign, the WDC has launched the Talent Tool, a platform to help attract expertise for difficult-to-fill roles in all sectors.
It allows job seekers to sign up to receive alerts about new roles and provide companies with information on professionals looking to move west. The WDC believes this will help attract more investment from companies in need of a talent pool, while also showing the range of career opportunities available across the region.
For those who don’t like their kitchen table becoming an office, the WDC is developing a network of over 100 centers through the Atlantic Economic Corridor. The commission hopes the initiative will give cities and towns a boost, while allowing a number of successful companies to have “second places” in the west.
WDC Executive Director Tomás Ó Síocháin says the More to Life campaign is about taking advantage of the changing circumstances that many people have faced in 2020. “Out of adversity comes opportunities and the West of Ireland has a great opportunity to renew and revitalize. There are now an unprecedented number of career options in the West, some of them caused by the unexpected events of 2020 and the global pandemic. “
More affordable
Ó Síocháin says that more affordable living costs mean that money goes further in the region.
Founded in 1997, the WDC is a statutory body charged with promoting social and economic development in the western region.
Anthony Kelly says he is convinced of the benefits of moving west, but some obstacles remain. One of those obstacles is Wi-Fi in your area. “If the government is really serious about people working remotely, they have to solve the broadband problem.”
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