Moving from Dublin to rural Ireland: ‘Every time we went away we loved all the green around us. Then we thought, let's just go do it'
often better value
.
Having land and property in picturesque rural settings can also
provide opportunity
in itself – in the form of tourism, food production and even pet training.
Siobhán Owens has devoted her life to animals since she began volunteering with the DSPCA in Ballymun, north Dublin, in 1989. 'It's a small selection of people, along with plants and animals,' that make her happy, she says, speaking from her home in Athboy, Co
Westmeath
.
Her youngest daughter starting college was the catalyst for her and her husband Jonathan to bite the bullet and move with their family to the countryside, where Owens would have the land to expand her pet-training business, Dublin and Meath Pet School.
READ MORE
'Every time we went away – we'd go on camping and caravan holidays in Ireland – and when we were sitting there in those caravans with all that green around us, we said: 'Oh, isn't this wonderful? Isn't this what we love?' And then we thought, let's just go do it.'
Siobhan Owens, owner of Dublin and Meath Pet School. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
In 2023 the Owens family sold their four-bedroom semidetached home in Finglas and moved to a three-bedroom bungalow with a big attic (that they hope to convert) in Athboy, just over the border from Meath in Co Westmeath. Most importantly, the property is on more than 5.8 acres of land, providing more than enough space for Owens to carry out obedience classes and behavioural assessments on her four-legged clients.
She continues to operate home visits in Dublin as she always has done, but it's much better to carry out assessments of dogs in a safe and secure space on her land in Athboy rather than in public parks where other dogs and owners tend to interrupt, she says.
[
How to move job, move country and find a new social scene
Opens in new window
]
One of the Owens's first logistical considerations was for two of their children, both in their 20s, to get their driving licenses so they could drive back and forth to Dublin for work and college. It turned out to be much quicker to get their driving test at the Navan test centre than to graduate from the waiting list they had been on in Dublin, and they both got sorted quickly – a benefit of living in a less populated area.
[
Naoise Dolan: Moving home to Ireland was an easy decision. Here's what I've learned
Opens in new window
]
Not having a convenience shop within walking distance of their home was something the family had to get used to though, Owens says. 'It could be a little annoying. I'd suddenly discover that there is this one ingredient that I'm missing and I have to get in the car and drive. But it's just a seven-minute drive away, so it's not the end of the world.'
The Owens family moved out of Dublin for a quieter life and to find space for Siobhán to operate her dog-training business. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
Jonathan also has to commute to work in Dublin city centre more often now that the company he works for called for a return to the office, whereas he had previously been able to work from home in the wake of the Covid pandemic, she says.
'He just gets up a little bit earlier and he gets in just ahead of the traffic and that's really all that you have to do. There's always a way around it. If you really want to [move to the country], hesitation is going to be your biggest hindrance,' Owens says.
And despite the commute her husband has no regrets. 'Listen, he's out there on his tractor going around the land in the sun, having a great time. It's great for the mental health,' she says.
'We adapted to the country lifestyle very easily and now we just come home in the evening and have all the green around and you have peace and quiet, and I just love it.'
Two donkeys have also taken up residence at the Owens' new home. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
The grounds have also become home to two donkeys and two horses, which Owens adopted from My Lovely Horse Rescue, as well as chickens which produce eggs for the household and are 'whistle-trained' to come out and say hello on command. She also grows an array of vegetables, has installed a hive to attract bees and has plans to rewild an area of marsh land and add a pond.
Siobhan Owen with one of her three dogs Morgan on the Agility Course. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
Just a 10-minute drive across the border into Co
Meath
is another dog-friendly business, the Pheasant Lane short-stay retreat, near the village of Clonmellon. Geraldine Curran and her husband Derek Keogh bought the early 1800s farmhouse and outbuildings as their first home together in 2018 for €165,000, Curran says.
There are often pheasants around the place, she says, but her inspiration for the property's name came to her was when she saw a hen followed by 10 or so chicks waddling up the lane.
She originally stumbled upon the listing for the property one weekend and thought she'd have to wait until Monday to view it, but when she called selling agent Chris Smith from Quillsen, he got the couple a viewing that Sunday afternoon, and they immediately fell in love with it.
Geraldine Curran of Pheasant Lane Retreat, Killacroy, Clonmellon, Co Meath. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
'The driveway sold it to us because it's a beautiful 300m-plus driveway and it was just idyllic; there was a new forest just planted around it, it was two or three years old at that stage, but now it's matured over eight years and it's all around the house ... and the birds are constantly singing,' Curran says.
Curran grew up living in a B&B run by her family in Spiddal on the Co Galway coast, and both she and Keogh have a background in hospitality, so they saw the potential to convert the cut-stone outbuildings into guest accommodation.
Pheasant Lane is a short-stay retreat. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
Geraldine Curran offers a range of holistic therapies on-site. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times
With a little help from their friends, they have converted them into three short-stay cottages – two of which are named after their mothers, Iris and Sarah – catering for guests who want to take a break and breathe in some fresh countryside air.
Trained in holistic therapies, Curran has a therapy room on the property where she provides a range of services from reflexology to Indian head massage. Also on site for guests are two hot tubs and a barbecue hut.
'I love having people around but I also like my own company so the short-term rentals work quite well; you have the best of both worlds' Curran says.
Potential 'working homes'
Renovation opportunity in Rathosey
Rathosey, Coolaney, Co Sligo
Rathosey, Coolaney, Co Sligo
Rathosey, Coolaney, Co Sligo
€248,000, Sherry FitzGerald
The right person could make something really special out of
this property
near the village of Coolaney, and 20km outside
Sligo
town. It contains a fully converted, beautifully fitted-out outbuilding, where you could live comfortably while developing the rest of the property. The main house on the site is a derelict period farmhouse, but with a healthy budget and the right know-how, it could be transformed into a guest house or retreat space. There is also a hay barn and old farm sheds on this 7.4 acre plot.
Artistic inspiration in west Cork
Dunkelly Middle, Goleen, Cork
Dunkelly Middle, Goleen, Co Cork
€975,000, Charles McCarthy Auctioneers
Artists, writers or craftspeople may find inspiration in the stunning views from this
contemporary waterfront property
on Mizen Peninsula overlooking Dunmanus Bay towards the Sheep's Head Peninsula in west
Cork
. The property comes with approximately 30 acres of land and potential to add separate studio buildings, a workshop or guest accommodation to create an artist's retreat centre. Extending to 235 sq m (2,530 sq ft), the home is B2 Ber-rated and has three bedrooms. It is just a 10-minute drive from Goleen village and 20 minutes from Schull.
Horsey haven in Co Monaghan
Annacramph, Castleshane, Co Monaghan
Annacramph, Castleshane, Co
Monaghan
€250,000, Sherry FitzGerald Conor McManus
If you have ever dreamed of turning your love of horses into a business, this property on 7 acres may be the right place to do it. It is currently home to two horses and offers them plenty of field space, as well as two stables.
The house
itself extends to 67 sq m (721 sq ft) and has three bedrooms. It is in decent condition but could do with a cosmetic refresh, and the E2 Ber rating will need to be addressed. You can easily access both the Dublin Road (N2) and Armagh Road (N12) from this tranquil spot.
B&B by the Brosna
Riverside House, Charlestown, Clara, Co Offaly
Riverside House, Charlestown, Clara, Co
Offaly
€345,000, Mark Nestor Property Services
This
four-bedroom, five-bathroom period town house
sits right beside the River Park in the charming town of Clara. With a C1 Ber, this home needs an enterprising new owner to give the interior a modern refresh to restore it to its former glory as a B&B. It has a spacious driveway to the front for guest parking and a lovely back garden where you could grow fruit and vegetables to delight your guests. It is walking distance from the town and train station, where there are services to Dublin Heuston, Galway, Athlone and Westport.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Muted opposition to latest Clonliffe College apartments plan
A renewed bid by the Irish arm of property firm, Hines , to construct a €646 million large-scale apartment scheme on the grounds of the former Holy Cross College in Drumcondra has met only limited opposition. Hines partner fund, CWTC Multi-Family ICAV, lodged plans last month with Dublin City Council for a 10-year planning permission for the 1,131-home scheme that includes a 13-storey apartment block for the site on Clonliffe Rd. The new application comes four years after Hines lodged its original plan for 1,614 apartment units under the Strategic Housing Development (SHD) framework to An Bord Pleanála . Only three local residents have called for outright refusal of the latest application but the developer. READ MORE More than 120 submissions were made on the original build-to-rent scheme, including an objection from Sinn Féin party leader, Mary Lou McDonald . She stated that if planning is approved, it would only further exacerbate the housing crisis . An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the original development but that permission was quashed by the High Court after a challenge was brought by Fionnuala Sherwin from Foxrock, Dublin 18. With the date for third party submissions on the latest plan now closed, the city council has received just eight submissions with only three calling for a refusal of planning permission for the entire development. The 1,131 apartments in the new scheme would be built across 12 apartment blocks ranging in height from three to 13 storeys. Local resident Alison Hay is one of those who has called on Dublin City Council to reject the entire scheme, arguing that 'a building height of 13 storeys is incongruent and sets an unwanted precedent for further developments. This is further amplified by having multiple apartment blocks of similar heights close together near Drumcondra Road'. Denis McGee of Distillery Rd said the scheme was inappropriate and 'will completely destroy residential amenity in the immediate area in the short, medium, and long term'. Broadly welcoming the proposal, Dublin Central Labour TD, Marie Sherlock said in a submission that 'this site must be used to provide housing'. 'In the context of a housing crisis both in our city and in the country at large, it is vital that sites such as this be converted into space for new homes,' she said. 'However, it is just as vital that the homes constructed are sustainable, high-quality and affordable. These homes must also be integrated meaningfully within the existing community and provide real options for people to put down roots and live in the area long-term if they wish.'
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Would-be homebuyers urged not to hold off in expectation of lower mortgage rates
Borrowers and would-be homebuyers should be wary of making financial decisions 'based on the hope that European Central Bank (ECB) rates will drop further or indefinitely'. That's according to Trevor Grant , chairman and co-founder of Irish Mortgage Advisors. Mr Grant was speaking after the Central Bank published its latest monthly data on interest rates in Wednesday, showing Ireland remained one of the more expensive jurisdictions in the euro zone for mortgages . The regulator's latest monthly data indicated that the weighted average interest rate on new mortgages here fell marginally to 3.6 per cent in June. READ MORE This was down one basis point from 3.61 in May and 51 basis points lower in annual terms. The equivalent euro zone average was 3.29 per cent, the Central Bank said, making Ireland the seventh most expensive jurisdiction in the bloc. The latest figures come after last month's decision by the ECB to pause a recent run of interest rate cuts. Analysts now anticipate that there might be just one more cut this year, in December. 'This significant shift in ECB policy could not only mark the end of its rate cutting cycle, it could also herald that ECB rate hikes might be on the cards in late 2026, particularly if inflation starts to edge upwards in the EU again,' Mr Grant said. 'So mortgage borrowers and would-be house buyers should be mindful that the pace of further mortgage rate cuts is likely to slow or even come to an end,' he said. 'Borrowers should therefore avoid making large financial decisions based on the hope that ECB rates will drop further or indefinitely.' He said there were many reasons why Ireland remains one of the more expensive euro zone countries for mortgages. 'For example, Irish lenders are required to hold more capital than many of their European peers,' he said. 'Also, when a borrower defaults on a mortgage, Irish lenders have stated that they often find it more difficult than other European lenders to take control of and sell off the assets that were pledged as collateral to secure the mortgage,' he said. 'Notwithstanding all this, there is still room for improvement and slowly competition is bringing rates down.' Rachel McGovern , deputy chief executive at industry group Brokers Ireland , said while more competition is entering the mortgage market the benefit may become more evident later in the year. The Central Bank figures also show that Irish consumers had €166 billion in savings with Irish banks as of last month. Of that, over 85 per cent – or over €142 billion – is held in overnight deposit accounts which are attracting a meagre 0.13 per cent in interest on average. Retail banks here have been criticised for failing to increase their deposit rates in line with ECB levels while reporting big annual profits. The figures also show that an increasing number of new mortgage holders are opting for fixed rates, which now constitute 85 per cent of all new mortgage contracts. 'Mortgage borrowers are seeking security,' Ms McGovern said. 'With property prices continuing to increase, they are taking on ever higher levels of debt.'
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Electric vehicles account for one in five new cars licensed in July
Electric vehicles accounted for 20 per cent of the rising number of cars licensed in July, the Central Statistics Office said. July is an important month in the motor industry calendar as 252-registered cars come on to the market for the first time. The number of new private cars licensed in July 2025 was 8 per cent higher compared to 2024, according to the CSO, at 19,923. Of that, almost 4,000 were electric vehicles, a rise of 64 per cent year on year. EVs accounted for almost 20 per cent of the new cars licensed during the month, with plug-in hybrid vehicles at 15 per cent. Petrol cars remain the most popular, at 5,030, but that figure is 13 per cent year lower than at the same time last year, while diesel also showed a decline to 3,242, or a 22 per cent fall-off. READ MORE The combined share of petrol and diesel cars has fallen to 44 per cent compared to 56 per cent in 2024 over the seven months. Electric vehicles have continued to grow in popularity despite concerns over charging infrastructure. The share of EVs among new private cars licensed between January and July 2025 was 17 per cent, up from 14 per cent in 2024. Plug in hybrids have also become increasingly popular rising from 9 per cent over the same period in 2024 to 15 per cent, and up 56 per cent in the month. 'In the first seven months of 2025, there was a rise of 34 per cent in new private electric cars licensed when compared with the same period in 2024,' said Damien Lenihan, a statistician in the transport section of the CSO. 'There were 26,454 new petrol cars licensed compared with 30,911 in the same period of 2024, a fall of 14 per cent. Comparing the first seven months of 2025 with 2024, the number of new diesel cars licensed decreased by 23 per cent.' Toyota was the most popular make of new private vehicle last month, followed by Volkswagen, Hyundai, Škoda and Kia. The Volkswagen ID4 topped the list of popular cars, with Hyundai's lower cost Inster in second place. The number of used imported cars licensed also rose, increasing by 17 per cent compared to July 2024, to 6,640.
