{"id":2945,"date":"2026-09-01T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=2945"},"modified":"2026-08-27T09:48:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T08:48:54","slug":"a-pair-of-26-year-olds-left-a-dublin-house-share-for-a-caravan-on-a-mayo-headland-and-work-online-from-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/a-pair-of-26-year-olds-left-a-dublin-house-share-for-a-caravan-on-a-mayo-headland-and-work-online-from-it\/","title":{"rendered":"A pair of 26-year-olds left a Dublin house share for a caravan on a Mayo headland and work online from it"},"content":{"rendered":"

They were both 26<\/strong>, both tired<\/strong> of splitting rent with strangers, and both itching<\/strong> for a swap of skyline<\/strong> for sea. In the end, Orla and Ciar\u00e1n<\/strong> didn\u2019t just move neighbourhoods; they traded<\/strong> an overfull Dublin house share<\/strong> for a white caravan perched<\/strong> on a Mayo headland, where gulls spiral<\/strong> and broadband hums. \u201cWe wanted to feel space<\/strong> again,\u201d Orla said<\/strong>, \u201cand hear something other than traffic<\/strong> through the window<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The caravan is small<\/strong>, the horizon endless<\/strong>, and their work\u2014UX design for her<\/strong>, content strategy for him<\/strong>\u2014travels neatly inside laptops<\/strong> and a weatherproof router<\/strong>. \u201cWe still clock our hours<\/strong>,\u201d Ciar\u00e1n said, \u201cbut the clock feels kinder<\/strong> when the Atlantic<\/strong> is your screensaver<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Leaving a crowded city for a bigger sky<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Dublin\u2019s rents<\/strong> had crept from worrying<\/strong> to absurd, and the flat\u2019s fourth housemate<\/strong> was mildew in the bathroom<\/strong>. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t just the money<\/strong>,\u201d Orla said. \u201cIt was the noise<\/strong>, the queue for the kettle<\/strong>, the permanent sense of being temporary<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

They\u2019d always talked<\/strong> about decamping west, but it took a single Sunday<\/strong> drive in February\u2014rain on windscreen<\/strong>, gulls like paper kites<\/strong>\u2014to seal the deal<\/strong>. A fortnight later, they\u2019d found a second-hand<\/strong> caravan, a sympathetic landowner<\/strong>, and a sliver of clifftop<\/strong> that felt like a promise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Turning a caravan into a living, breathing home<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The caravan\u2019s first gift<\/strong> was silence; its first challenge<\/strong> was damp. They stripped vinyl<\/strong>, resealed windows<\/strong>, and tucked insulation<\/strong> behind thin walls<\/strong>. A wedge of oak<\/strong> became a fold-down desk<\/strong>, and fairy lights\u2014clich\u00e9 but gentle<\/strong>\u2014softened the wind\u2019s edge<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Power comes from solar<\/strong> panels and a cautious battery<\/strong> bank, topped up by a quiet generator<\/strong> on stubborn days<\/strong>. Water is a blend of rain<\/strong> collection and a neighbour\u2019s outdoor tap<\/strong>, with a compact filter<\/strong> that hums like a distant bee<\/strong>. A composting loo<\/strong> made its case on day one<\/strong>: simple, practical, not nearly as grim<\/strong> as the internet warns<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted something light-touch<\/strong>,\u201d Ciar\u00e1n said<\/strong>. \u201cIf we leave, the ground should look unchanged<\/strong>, apart from a few flattened<\/strong> daisies.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Work that rides the weather, and weather that sets the pace<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They ordered a satellite<\/strong> dish after the third Zoom<\/strong> froze mid-nod<\/strong>. Now the latency is low<\/strong>, the speeds are honest<\/strong>, and meetings rarely blink<\/strong>. Mornings start with coffee steaming<\/strong> against a cold pane<\/strong>, a quick scan of swell charts<\/strong>, and a pact: work first, ocean later<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Storm weeks are a different beast<\/strong>. The caravan shudders like a drum<\/strong>, and conversation turns to checklists<\/strong> and charge levels<\/strong>. \u201cYou feel the weather<\/strong> here,\u201d Orla said. \u201cIt\u2019s not outside<\/strong> your life; it\u2019s part of it<\/strong>.\u201d On calmer days<\/strong>, seals bob like grey punctuation<\/strong>, and the afternoon light<\/strong> makes their to-do lists kinder<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What it costs, and what it saves<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The numbers told a simple story<\/strong>. Two rooms in the capital<\/strong> versus a rolling tin<\/strong> room with a vast view<\/strong>. They broke it down on an envelope<\/strong>, then typed it up with tea<\/strong> rings drying at the edges<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Caravan purchase: \u20ac7,800<\/strong>; monthly site contribution to landowner: \u20ac150<\/strong>; broadband: \u20ac95<\/strong>; power (solar plus generator fuel): \u20ac35\u2013\u20ac60<\/strong> depending on weather<\/strong>; total living costs down roughly 40\u201350%<\/strong> from Dublin\u2019s baseline<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cThe money<\/strong> mattered,\u201d Ciar\u00e1n admitted<\/strong>, \u201cbut the real dividend<\/strong> is hours we don\u2019t commute<\/strong>, and evenings that start with sky<\/strong> rather than screens<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Neighbours, gulls, and finding your own pace<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Community here is smaller<\/strong>, but not thin<\/strong>. The nearest town is a drive<\/strong>, but the shopkeeper knows their names<\/strong>, and the surf-club WhatsApp is lively<\/strong> on windy Fridays<\/strong>. They learned to bring their own containers<\/strong> to the fish van<\/strong>, and to say thanks with fresh bread<\/strong> still warm in the bag<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They also learned to set boundaries<\/strong>. \u201cWorking where you live<\/strong> can blur the edges<\/strong>,\u201d Orla said. They mark quitting<\/strong> time with a walk along the cliffs<\/strong>, phones in pockets<\/strong>, talk loosening like shoelaces<\/strong>. The goal isn\u2019t to work less<\/strong>, but to work with more texture<\/strong>, more air<\/strong> beneath the hours<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Hard truths on a windy ledge<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Not every day is Instagram<\/strong>. Mornings can be raw<\/strong>, condensation beads like tiny arguments<\/strong>, and a flung gust<\/strong> can rattle nerve and shelf<\/strong>. Repairs are constant<\/strong>, deliveries can go astray<\/strong>, and a week of rain<\/strong> turns the track to pudding<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They\u2019ve made rules<\/strong>. Keep three days of water<\/strong>, four days of food<\/strong>, and one day of unplanned joy<\/strong>. Charge devices by midday<\/strong>, stack towels on the heater<\/strong>, and never pretend a storm<\/strong> is smaller than it is<\/strong>. \u201cResilience is a muscle<\/strong>,\u201d Ciar\u00e1n said. \u201cYou build<\/strong> it by using it<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    What living on the edge taught them<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They\u2019ve become fluent in small workarounds<\/strong> and big skies<\/strong>. Success looks less like square<\/strong> footage and more like a tide<\/strong> chart on the fridge, like dinner eaten with sandy hair<\/strong> and an open door<\/strong>. \u201cI used to chase the next thing<\/strong>,\u201d Orla said. \u201cNow I chase a patch of light<\/strong> across the floor<\/strong> and call that enough<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Asked if they\u2019ll stay, they smile like people who\u2019ve learned not to make forever<\/strong> promises. \u201cWe\u2019ll ride the season<\/strong>,\u201d they said, \u201cand keep the caravan honest<\/strong> and our work good<\/strong>.\u201d For now, the wind is talkative<\/strong>, the kettle sings<\/strong>, and the world arrives on a silver dish<\/strong>, then leaves them to the sound of their own breathing<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2945","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\/2945","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=2945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2970,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2945\/revisions\/2970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}