{"id":2669,"date":"2026-08-13T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=2669"},"modified":"2026-08-12T13:11:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T12:11:00","slug":"seven-years-after-selling-up-in-athenry-they-winter-in-the-alentejo-and-summer-at-home-%ca%bcthe-flights-cost-less-than-the-oil-bill-did%ca%bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/seven-years-after-selling-up-in-athenry-they-winter-in-the-alentejo-and-summer-at-home-%ca%bcthe-flights-cost-less-than-the-oil-bill-did%ca%bc\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven years after selling up in Athenry they winter in the Alentejo and summer at home \u2014 \u02bcthe flights cost less than the oil bill did\u02bc"},"content":{"rendered":"

They step off a winter flight into lemony<\/strong> light, shoulders unclenched<\/strong>, the Alentejo\u2019s soft air peeling away the damp that clings to Irish bones<\/strong>. Seven years on from selling up in Athenry<\/strong>, they\u2019ve stitched a two-country<\/strong> life together: winters among cork oaks<\/strong> and whitewashed lanes, summers where the hay<\/strong> sweetens the Galway breeze<\/strong>. \u201cThe flights cost less than the oil<\/strong> bill did,\u201d they say, half amused<\/strong>, half relieved<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trading drizzle for dry heat<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t chase a postcard fantasy<\/strong>, just a practical pivot<\/strong>. \u201cWe wanted sun on our backs<\/strong>, not a bigger mortgage<\/strong>,\u201d she says, rolling a market orange<\/strong> across the kitchen table<\/strong>. The Alentejo\u2019s broad skies<\/strong>, slow rhythms<\/strong>, and silver olive<\/strong> groves offered exactly that: a winter that is gentle<\/strong>, bright, and walkable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Back home they keep a modest<\/strong> base\u2014small, snug, and paid-for<\/strong>\u2014close enough to the Burren<\/strong> and the bogs<\/strong> to feel rooted. Down here, they rent a simple apartment<\/strong> near a tiled square<\/strong>, five minutes from a bakery that sells warm papo-secos<\/strong> and gossip in low tones<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The sums that made sense<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The arithmetic started as a dare<\/strong> on a bitter January<\/strong>. They\u2019d watched the oil tank swallow euros<\/strong> and still leave the rooms cold<\/strong>. The winter before the move, heating had cost over \u20ac2,000<\/strong>, and that was with sweaters and a cautious thermostat<\/strong>. \u201cWe ran the numbers<\/strong> one evening,\u201d he says. \u201cFlights for the two of us, plus a few months\u2019 rent<\/strong>, versus barrels of oil<\/strong> and grey skies<\/strong>. It wasn\u2019t even close<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Down here, they spend mornings in sunlight<\/strong>, not in a queue for the boiler<\/strong> man. Electricity is predictable<\/strong>, winter produce is cheap<\/strong>, and the need for heavy heating<\/strong> simply fades. \u201cWe learned the difference between spending<\/strong> to endure and spending to enjoy<\/strong>,\u201d she says, lifting a bag of mandarins that would cost twice as much<\/strong> at home.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How the rhythm works<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They move with the seasons<\/strong>, not with a schedule<\/strong>. In late October<\/strong>, when Atlantic wind starts to gnaw<\/strong>, they fold sweaters into a carry-on and book two seats<\/strong> to Lisbon or Faro<\/strong>. By mid-May<\/strong>, with Ireland greening like a new notebook<\/strong>, they\u2019re back among wildflowers<\/strong>, mending gates and minding nephews<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Winter: walks<\/strong>, markets, language class on Tuesdays<\/strong>, volunteer shifts at a local library<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Spring: slow trains<\/strong> north, early mornings<\/strong> in airports, first tea in the Galway light<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Summer: family tables<\/strong>, GAA on the radio<\/strong>, barbecues fought by heroic midges<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Autumn: lists, packing<\/strong>, and the familiar click of the seatbelt<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cWe don\u2019t collect countries<\/strong>,\u201d he says. \u201cWe collect habits<\/strong>.\u201d There\u2019s a caf\u00e9 where the owner knows their order<\/strong>, a bench where the river answers the wind<\/strong>, a grocery list that reads like a warm poem<\/strong>: bread, tomatoes, sardines, smiles<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Work, time, and the lighter bag<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    He kept a part-time contract<\/strong>, remote before remote was fashionable<\/strong>. She shifted to freelance<\/strong>, pinning deadlines to the slow tilt<\/strong> of daylight. \u201cPortugal gave us hours<\/strong>, not just weather<\/strong>,\u201d she says. Without a car, they walk to errands and walk off their frowns<\/strong>. Without central heating<\/strong>, they learned layers and timing<\/strong>: sun in the window by ten<\/strong>, stew on the hob by five<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Their things shrink to the useful<\/strong>: a well-worn pan<\/strong>, a short stack of paperbacks<\/strong>, sandals that know the cobbles<\/strong>. \u201cI thought I\u2019d miss<\/strong> the clutter,\u201d she says. \u201cTurns out I miss<\/strong> it like I miss a headache<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The heart\u2019s logistics<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    None of it is all ros\u00e9<\/strong> sunsets and perfect tiles<\/strong>. There are doctors to register<\/strong>, forms to translate<\/strong>, and the odd burst of bureaucratic theatre<\/strong>. \u201cWe learned to smile<\/strong>, to ask twice, to carry three photocopies<\/strong>,\u201d he says. Language arrived in patches<\/strong>\u2014enough to say please, thank you, and where exactly the good bread<\/strong> is.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Homesickness still nips<\/strong>. A funeral you can\u2019t attend, a storm you want to watch together<\/strong>. \u201cOn those days we phone home<\/strong>, then walk to the sea<\/strong> and let the horizon do its work<\/strong>,\u201d she says. Distance hurts, but so did the winter doldrums<\/strong>, the afternoons swallowing light<\/strong> by four.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    What they\u2019ve learned, and what they keep<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The biggest gain is clarity<\/strong>. Back in Ireland, the summer stretches<\/strong>; they plant herbs, paint sills, and greet neighbours by full name<\/strong>. In Portugal, winter softens<\/strong>; they write, cook slowly, and remember to sit in the sun<\/strong> while it\u2019s there<\/strong>. \u201cWe didn\u2019t chase more<\/strong>,\u201d he says. \u201cWe chased less of what made life small<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They don\u2019t brag, but the phrase returns like a refrain<\/strong>: \u201cThe flights cost less than the oil<\/strong> bill did.\u201d Money was the lever, but time was the door<\/strong>. They traded noise for notes<\/strong>, hurry for habit<\/strong>, and found their year dividing into two bright, legible<\/strong> pages.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    If the world tilts, they\u2019ll adapt<\/strong>. If rules change, they\u2019ll pivot<\/strong>. \u201cWe\u2019ve learned to pack light<\/strong> and love what we use<\/strong>,\u201d she says. Galway remains their anchor<\/strong>, Alentejo their winter harbour<\/strong>. Between them, a slim ticket<\/strong> and a wide sky<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2669","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\/2669","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=2669"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2683,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2669\/revisions\/2683"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}