The pandemic has accelerated the shift toward remote working in Ireland, with growing evidence suggesting office workers are considering a move out of the city as a result. Recent data from MyHome.ie shows searches for properties less than €100,000 have gone up six-fold in the counties of Cork and Leitrim, and up five-fold in Galway, Wexford and Mayo, as buyers look for value without the constraints of a commute. As a consequence, some of Ireland’s smaller towns are seeing an increase in economic activity.

A nationwide survey of 7,000 people across Ireland found that 87% of respondents were working remotely because of the virus and 83% of those surveyed said they would like to continue to do so in some form after the pandemic. The Western Development Commission (WDC), which conducted the survey alongside the Whitaker Institure at NUI Galway, is running a campaign to encourage remote workers to move west called ‘More to Life.’ The commission is also working with more than 100 remote working hubs along the Atlantic coast, from Donegal to Kerry, to draw them into one network.

While remote working has driven a lot of new home sales to the region, so has “value for money”. A Daft.ie report at the end of 2019 found that many of the country’s cheapest housing market are located there, with average property values below €100,000.