{"id":3093,"date":"2026-09-11T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=3093"},"modified":"2026-09-04T13:20:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T12:20:07","slug":"they-lasted-two-winters-in-portugal-and-are-back-in-roscommon-and-say-they-would-still-do-it-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/they-lasted-two-winters-in-portugal-and-are-back-in-roscommon-and-say-they-would-still-do-it-again\/","title":{"rendered":"They lasted two winters in Portugal and are back in Roscommon and say they would still do it again"},"content":{"rendered":"

They left the damp chill of the Midlands for Atlantic light<\/strong>, then circled home to hedgerows and hearths<\/strong>, pockets lighter but spirits steadier<\/strong>. Two winters under tiled roofs and orange trees<\/strong> taught them that a change of sky can rearrange your insides<\/strong> without untying your roots<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why They Went South<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Bills were rising, and the house in Roscommon felt sodden<\/strong> from November to March<\/strong>. Remote work meant their laptops didn\u2019t care which coast<\/strong> they faced, and their children were still young enough to adapt<\/strong>. \u201cWe weren\u2019t escaping Ireland<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife said, \u201cwe were escaping the mould<\/strong> on the window frames and that tired<\/strong> feeling that doesn\u2019t lift<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

They wanted to test a different rhythm<\/strong>, to trade sleet for salt breezes<\/strong>, and find out if less stuff<\/strong> could mean more days<\/strong> that felt truly theirs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Two Winters Taught Them<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

In Lagos, mornings began with strong coffee<\/strong> and narrow streets flashing white<\/strong> in the low sun<\/strong>. Declan worked from a balcony<\/strong>, headphones on, gulls heckling<\/strong> the town square<\/strong>. Aoife homeschooled in the shade<\/strong>, then walked to the market<\/strong> for fish, coriander, and warm custard tarts<\/strong> still breathing steam<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Costs were lower but not a miracle<\/strong>; rent ate a steady slice<\/strong>, though heating was almost an afterthought there<\/strong>. \u201cWe learned to live outside<\/strong>,\u201d she said, \u201cand to eat what the stalls decided<\/strong> we\u2019d cook.\u201d Weekends meant bus rides along stubbled cliffs<\/strong>, kids chasing foam<\/strong>, and sunsets that slid like copper<\/strong> into the sea<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

They made friends with a German ceramicist<\/strong>, a French surf coach<\/strong>, and a Mayo retiree who could fix any hinge<\/strong> with a butter knife<\/strong>. A neighbor handed over a bag of lemons<\/strong> and a grandmotherly scold<\/strong> about hanging towels on the balcony<\/strong>. They learned enough Portuguese to greet and to apologize<\/strong>, which covered more ground than they expected<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Parts That Pinched<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Paperwork hummed with its own maze<\/strong>\u2014numbers for tax, forms for stays<\/strong>, rules that shifted in the queue<\/strong>. The language was a river<\/strong> they could wade but not truly swim<\/strong>. \u201cLoneliness didn\u2019t arrive with a bang<\/strong>,\u201d Declan said. \u201cIt crept in on a Sunday evening<\/strong>, when you can\u2019t name a single local song<\/strong> on the radio<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Healthcare was good but felt opaque<\/strong>, school options were fine but fiddly<\/strong>, and every holiday at home was a carbon sum<\/strong> they counted and winced<\/strong> at. They missed soggy pitches<\/strong>, unplanned cups<\/strong> of tea, and the way Irish weather<\/strong> gives you fifteen conversations in ten minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Homeward, with Sand Still in the Shoes<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They came back because a parent got frailer<\/strong>, because the eldest asked for a club<\/strong>, because the house in Roscommon kept calling<\/strong> their names at night<\/strong>. Fields were still fields<\/strong>, but their eyes had shifted their focus<\/strong>. The first week back, the kettle sang like an old friend<\/strong>, and the sky performed five different greys<\/strong> before lunch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Re-entry was half celebration<\/strong>, half slog<\/strong>. The price of everything seemed a touch sharper<\/strong>, and commutes bit at the days<\/strong> they had learned to stretch<\/strong>. Yet there was joy in the mundane<\/strong>: the corner shop<\/strong>, the cousin\u2019s quick knock<\/strong>, the pitch where your muddy boots<\/strong> are a shared language<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cPortugal didn\u2019t cure anything<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife said, \u201cbut it gave us proof<\/strong> that we can tweak our lives<\/strong> without breaking the whole<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Would They Do It Again?<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Yes, without flinching<\/strong>. But they\u2019d pack fewer fears<\/strong> and better plugs<\/strong>, and treat the move less like a leap<\/strong> and more like a series of small, reversible steps<\/strong>. If you\u2019re toying with the idea<\/strong>, here\u2019s what they\u2019d pass<\/strong> on:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Test the place<\/strong> off-season before you commit<\/strong>. <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Learn ten local phrases<\/strong> and use them with cheer<\/strong>. <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Budget for twice the admin time<\/strong> and half the initial certainty<\/strong>. <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Keep an exit plan<\/strong> gentle and ready<\/strong>\u2014it calms the nerves<\/strong>.<\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    What Stuck, Even Back in Roscommon<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They kept the morning walk<\/strong>, even in needling rain<\/strong>. They kept the habit of buying what the stall<\/strong> has, not what the recipe<\/strong> demands. They kept the slower Sundays<\/strong>, the phones turned down<\/strong>, the impulse to look for light<\/strong> at the edge of any cloud<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    A place can hold your heart<\/strong> without owning your future<\/strong>, and a stint abroad can be a chapter<\/strong>, not a personality trait<\/strong>. \u201cWe\u2019re not braver than anyone<\/strong>,\u201d Declan said. \u201cWe just treated our lives like a draft<\/strong>, not a bound book<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They lasted two winters by the southern sea<\/strong>, came home to hedges and hail<\/strong>, and found that the best kind of journey loops<\/strong>\u2014outward for perspective, inward for belonging<\/strong>. If the chance opens again<\/strong>, they\u2019ll take it with the same blend<\/strong> of caution and play<\/strong>, and that renewed respect for the ordinary miracle<\/strong> of a warm cup in a cold<\/strong> kitchen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3093","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\/3093","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=3093"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3122,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3093\/revisions\/3122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}