{"id":1425,"date":"2026-06-05T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=1425"},"modified":"2026-05-31T20:33:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T19:33:59","slug":"everyone-thought-this-wexford-village-was-%ca%bctoo-quiet-for-young-people%ca%bc-they%ca%bcre-moving-there-in-droves-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/everyone-thought-this-wexford-village-was-%ca%bctoo-quiet-for-young-people%ca%bc-they%ca%bcre-moving-there-in-droves-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Everyone thought this Wexford village was \u02bctoo quiet for young people\u02bc \u2013 they\u02bcre moving there in droves this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

They used to say the place was for retirees<\/strong>, for quiet<\/strong> evenings and early mornings. Now the streets hum with skateboards<\/strong>, laptop bags, and the soft thud<\/strong> of parcel deliveries to short\u2011term lets that turned into long\u2011term homes. On warm nights, the harbour glows with headlights<\/strong> and fairy lights, and voices carry over the tidal<\/strong> hush.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What changed is less a fad than a reset<\/strong>, a re\u2011wiring of what \u201chome\u201d can mean<\/strong>. A few summers ago, a few curious twenty\u2011somethings booked a week in Kilmore Quay<\/strong>, stayed for a month, then phoned friends who stayed for good<\/strong>. This year, they\u2019re arriving in droves<\/strong>, arms full of surfboards and second\u2011hand plants<\/strong>, ready to work by day and wade into sea\u2011pink sunsets by evening<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

New rhythms on old streets<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The village\u2019s thatched cottages still lean into the wind<\/strong>, and the marina still smells of diesel and salt<\/strong>. But morning queues now form at the espresso hatch, where oat flat\u2011whites<\/strong> outnumber builder\u2019s tea<\/strong>. \u201cWe used to shut by four<\/strong>,\u201d laughs Maeve, who runs the cafe by the pier<\/strong>. \u201cNow we\u2019re open till eight<\/strong> because the laptop crowd prefers a golden\u2011hour deadline<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Fishermen in weathered jumpers<\/strong> nod to fresh\u2011faced designers, and nobody is quite sure who is more surprised<\/strong>. \u201cThey respect the tide<\/strong> tables,\u201d says Tom\u00e1s, a skipper who\u2019s seen every kind of wave<\/strong>. \u201cSo we respect their Zooms<\/strong>. Fair\u2019s fair<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The remote\u2011work revelation<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t just the sea that pulled them; it was signal<\/strong>. The fibre rollout stitched a fast line<\/strong> through the village, and a once\u2011sleepy community hall became a co\u2011working<\/strong> room with strong coffee and stronger Wi\u2011Fi<\/strong>. \u201cI pushed a gaming update from a bench facing the marina<\/strong>,\u201d says Ahmed, 29, who moved down from Dublin<\/strong>. \u201cIt felt like hitting \u2018publish\u2019 on a saner life<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Rent that would barely cover a box room in Rathmines<\/strong> stretches to a light\u2011filled cottage near Ballyteige<\/strong> Burrow. Weekends that used to evaporate on the M50<\/strong> now begin at dawn with a cold dip<\/strong>, and end with shared bowls of chowder on a windy deck<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

From sleepy to sticky<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Transient tourism made memories<\/strong>, but community makes people stay<\/strong>. A handful of twenty\u2011 and thirty\u2011somethings set up a Friday potluck<\/strong>, a book swap on the pier, and a WhatsApp for \u201cwho needs a lift<\/strong>.\u201d Someone painted a mural of gannets and coding<\/strong> brackets. A local band added an extra set<\/strong>, and the GAA started an informal five\u2011a\u2011side on spare Sundays<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t come to reinvent the place<\/strong>,\u201d says R\u00f3is\u00edn, a UX designer and newly minted lifeguard<\/strong>. \u201cWe came because the pace felt human<\/strong>, and because the village said hello<\/strong> back.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Summer, amplified<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

This summer feels different<\/strong>. The old calendar\u2014regatta, sea shanties<\/strong>, Saltee trips\u2014now shares space with dusk film<\/strong> screenings and a tiny skate jam behind the chipper\u2019s yard<\/strong>. Pop\u2011ups bloom like thrift plants<\/strong>: record swaps, crochet lessons, a Thursday night dumpling stall<\/strong> that sells out before the swallows quiet down<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some days, the harbour looks like a mood board<\/strong> come to life: neon beanies, linen shirts<\/strong>, wet hair and wire\u2011rimmed glasses<\/strong>. Other days it\u2019s just the usual weather<\/strong>, the gulls heckling your lunch and wind door\u2011stopping your plans<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Negotiating change with care<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Growth carries friction<\/strong>. Locals worry about rents, parking, and the cost of a proper shop<\/strong>. Newcomers worry about being permanent tourists<\/strong>, about taking more than they give back<\/strong>. \u201cYou earn your welcome by showing up<\/strong>,\u201d says Maeve, sliding a tray of scones toward the window<\/strong>. \u201cMeetings, clean\u2011ups, and matches\u2014same rules as for everyone<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

To their credit, the arrivals seem game<\/strong>. A handful joined the RNLI fundraisers<\/strong>. Others volunteer on beach counts<\/strong>, cataloguing shells, plastics, and storm\u2011thrown seagrass<\/strong>. Someone started a monthly rent\u2011a\u2011room clinic<\/strong> to help would\u2011be tenants and wary landlords<\/strong> find each other without the usual chaos<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why they\u2019re choosing this corner<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Sea<\/strong> on your doorstep, real community<\/strong>, solid broadband<\/strong>, and rents that still feel vaguely sane<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Place as an anthem, not an algorithm<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    It\u2019s tempting to turn a village into a trend<\/strong>, to package it with a punchy hashtag<\/strong> and call it policy\u2011proof. But the alchemy here is more fragile<\/strong>: a harbour that keeps its working<\/strong> boats, a main street that keeps its butcher and post office<\/strong>, a flow of newcomers who learn the names of the winds<\/strong> as well as the names of their neighbours<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Stand by the pier at sunset<\/strong>, and you\u2019ll hear the soft overlap of old and new<\/strong>. A dog barks at a bobbing buoy<\/strong>. A phone dings with a calendar reminder<\/strong>. Voices rise around chips wrapped in clean newsprint<\/strong>, and someone points toward a cloud shaped like a mackerel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cPlace is a kind of collaboration<\/strong>,\u201d Ahmed says, stuffing a charger into his canvas bag<\/strong>. \u201cYou bring your best bit, the village brings its weather<\/strong>, and you try not to get in the way<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    If that sounds impossibly romantic<\/strong>, come on a grey Tuesday<\/strong>. Watch the rain lift off the harbour<\/strong>, watch the first coffee steam in the cafe\u2019s window<\/strong>, watch a girl in a wetsuit jog past a man carrying nets and a thermos<\/strong>. It\u2019s not perfect, but it is perfectly alive<\/strong>\u2014a small port<\/strong> where young people aren\u2019t just pausing, they\u2019re choosing to belong<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1431,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1425"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1428,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1425\/revisions\/1428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}