They are very energetic, positive, and warm people,” she added. This is a very ancient and traditional form of living in Ireland: to be close to the family unit. “It’s very important for them as their parents and families are only 10 minutes down the road. The main factor in moving back is they wanted to raise their children here,” said Mary. Because they moved back, they have been able to build their dream home. “Declan is a wonderfully vibrant, ‘can do’ type of person. Louise is a hairdresser and runs a salon from the back of the family home. He also runs his own digital hub company, Office Light, in the town. It should be our motivating factor,” said Mary.ĭeclan and Louise Sugrue moved to County Cork from Cahersiveen but have since returned home to raise their family.ĭeclan is an architectural technician with a practice in Cahersiveen. ![]() I think if the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that friends and family need to be nurtured. “There is also more awareness of spirituality that we have many facets to our make-up and that we have body, mind, and spirit. People now want to live wholesome, interesting, and tranquil lives,” said Mary. COVID created a new way of looking at life and living. “The desire to move west had already started before COVID but has obviously since accelerated. Moving West proves that combining work and self-fulfilment is possible. COVID hastened the chase for a more holistic outlook to life. This also leads to a sense of positive wellness,” Mary added.ĬOVID accelerated many people’s motivations in seeking pastures new and away from urban density. "The service you get comes from interacting with the people in your community. "The people we interviewed are adamant that once you move west, you must engage, open up and integrate in the community. Digital hubs give people that separation between home and work without having to traipse into a city. It certainly feels like there is a connected home-network in the country now. “As part of the programme, we visited a digital hub in Dingle last year and this year we were in a digital hub in Cahersiveen. Mary feels there is now a positive upturn in key infrastructural services. Relocating to rural areas always involves a thorough examination of the services needed to accommodate people. They have seen the other side and that there is a dividend to be had when it comes to quality of life.” This life is achievable now and people have seen they can work efficiently and effectively from home. “I think it is sad when people make work their god. The counterbalance is to enjoy life, to have something other than work to inspire you,” Mary explained. “It’s not all about how much money you earn, or how high up you go in the career ladder, it’s about how you can work diligently and fruitfully. She now considers this way of life ‘rightly tarnished’ as the focus is on achieving a better work-life balance. Mary talks about life before the pandemic when many people wore their ‘busyness’ as a badge of honour. They want a balance between work and life,” she said. “Anyone who has moved west and left the busyness of urban living behind, has done it because they want a more sedate, people-centred, pace to life. ![]() If they have children, it’s about the way they want to raise their families,” said Mary. “From the people we met, what motivates them to move west is the work-life balance and quality of life. However, both aspirants have one thing in common: a desire to live a full life away from busy, urban settings. She uncovers the motivation and emotion of people returning home, and those looking to move west for the first time. Mary’s interviews are a touching insight into people’s lives and what it means to them living in the west. The primary objective of Moving West is the revival of community life and the desire to make the sometimes harsh but eternally loveable west of Ireland a place to call home. 43 years later and Mary steps down from her role at Valentia ObservatoryĪlong the way, Mary archives stories from Kerry contributors that include Ukrainian pupils at Scoil Saidhbhín in Cahersiveen Tommy and Saundra O’Sullivan in Lios Póil, and Declan and Louise Sugrue in Cahersiveen.‘We are more than a pub, we are part of the community’: Newly renovated Francie Sheahan’s back in business.American travel journalist Peter Greenberg films new travel programme called ‘Hidden Ireland’ in Kerry.
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