{"id":3134,"date":"2026-09-11T17:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T16:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=3134"},"modified":"2026-09-11T10:32:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T09:32:28","slug":"they-kept-the-dublin-jobs-and-moved-to-ballymahon-and-now-do-the-commute-twice-a-month-instead-of-daily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/they-kept-the-dublin-jobs-and-moved-to-ballymahon-and-now-do-the-commute-twice-a-month-instead-of-daily\/","title":{"rendered":"They kept the Dublin jobs and moved to Ballymahon and now do the commute twice a month instead of daily"},"content":{"rendered":"

They traded rush-hour<\/strong> panic for riverbank<\/strong> quiet, and built a week that finally fits their lives<\/strong> instead of their calendar<\/strong>. In Ballymahon, mornings start with mist<\/strong> on the River Inny and the soft hum<\/strong> of tractors, not the sirens<\/strong> and squeal<\/strong> of city buses. The Dublin jobs are still theirs<\/strong>, but the daily grind is now a twice\u2011a\u2011month ritual<\/strong>, not a relentless racket<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why they left the capital<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The decision wasn\u2019t a rebellion<\/strong>, it was a recalibration<\/strong>. \u201cWe realised our best hours<\/strong> were going to commutes<\/strong> and queues,\u201d Aoife said, voice equal parts tired<\/strong> and relieved<\/strong>. Mark added, \u201cWe didn\u2019t want our thirties to be a blur<\/strong> of receipts and ring roads<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Redesigning the work week<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They pitched a hybrid<\/strong> rhythm: deep work from Longford\u2019s<\/strong> edge, in\u2011person Dublin days<\/strong> bundled together. Their managers saw the output<\/strong>, not the postcode<\/strong>, and signed off. Now they plan sprints<\/strong> of meetings, two trips a month<\/strong>, and block the rest for focus<\/strong> and flow<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The new cost equation<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Money was a factor<\/strong>, but so was sanity<\/strong>. Their Ballymahon mortgage is lower<\/strong> than their old rent<\/strong>, with a spare room that doubles as a studio<\/strong> and a dog\u2011napping suntrap<\/strong>. \u201cWe swapped a shoebox for a garden<\/strong> and still pay less<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife said, half laughing, half amazed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Home, space, and silence<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Space does a strange alchemy<\/strong> to a person\u2019s nervous system<\/strong>. With an extra bedroom<\/strong>, work doesn\u2019t colonise the kitchen<\/strong> table. With a stretch of lawn<\/strong>, evenings don\u2019t need a reservation<\/strong>. The silence isn\u2019t empty<\/strong>; it\u2019s useful<\/strong>, a buffer that turns attention into craft<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Belonging in Ballymahon<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Ballymahon isn\u2019t just cheaper<\/strong>; it\u2019s stickier<\/strong>. People wave from vans<\/strong>, baristas remember your order<\/strong>, and the GAA pitch fills with muddy shouts<\/strong> by dusk<\/strong>. \u201cWe arrived as blow\u2011ins<\/strong> and got invited to a barbecue<\/strong> within days,\u201d Mark said, still a bit stunned<\/strong>, still very grateful<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The twice\u2011monthly commute<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The commute became an event<\/strong>, not a sentence<\/strong>. They book an early train<\/strong> via Longford or drive before dawn<\/strong>, stack meetings like dominoes<\/strong>, and stay one night<\/strong> in the city. \u201cWhen you go in rarely, you go in intentionally<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife said. \u201cYou\u2019re a laser<\/strong>, not a lantern<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Work that finally breathes<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Without daily traffic<\/strong>, time expands in weird<\/strong> and welcome ways. Lunch can be a walk<\/strong> under ash trees, not a wrangle<\/strong> with microwaves. The afternoon dip<\/strong> is solved with a kettlebell set<\/strong> or a dog loop<\/strong> by the Inny, then back to an inbox that feels possible<\/strong>, not predatory<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What they actually miss<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They miss the accidents<\/strong> of the city: impromptu pints<\/strong>, gallery openings<\/strong>, after\u2011work noise<\/strong> that turns into stories<\/strong>. But they\u2019ve learned to make serendipity<\/strong> on a smaller stage<\/strong>. Potluck Fridays, board game nights<\/strong>, slow\u2011cooked Sundays<\/strong> with neighbours who bring bread<\/strong> still warm.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The rules that keep it working<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They wrote a short charter<\/strong> and follow it with almost religious<\/strong> zeal:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Batch city meetings<\/strong> and book the train<\/strong> early<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Protect two mornings for deep<\/strong> work, phones buried<\/strong><\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Say no to midweek<\/strong> late\u2011nighters unless truly critical<\/strong><\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Spend saved commute<\/strong> cash on small luxuries<\/strong> that nourish<\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Health by subtraction<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Remove a daily commute<\/strong>, add an hour of sleep<\/strong>. Replace late\u2011night emails<\/strong> with a twilight cycle<\/strong> past fields that look like spilled velvet<\/strong>. Blood pressure drops<\/strong>, quarrels fade<\/strong>, and the dog becomes the best therapist<\/strong> they never hired<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Career without compromise<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The worry was visibility<\/strong>; the reality is clarity<\/strong>. In the office, they over\u2011prepare and over\u2011deliver<\/strong>. At home, they ship work<\/strong> that\u2019s sharper because it\u2019s uninterrupted<\/strong>. \u201cOur careers didn\u2019t stall,\u201d Mark said. \u201cThey got a strategy<\/strong>, not just a speed<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The town that shapes your days<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Place is a quiet co\u2011author<\/strong> of our habits<\/strong>. A shorter queue<\/strong> at the grocer invites more cooking<\/strong>. A reliable river<\/strong> invites regular pauses<\/strong>. Ballymahon writes its rhythm<\/strong> onto their planner in small, forgiving<\/strong> strokes.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    A future made of choices<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Twice a month, they thread the motorways<\/strong> back to the city, see the old life<\/strong> in fast\u2011forward, then return to their lane<\/strong> where stars are unexpectedly loud<\/strong>. \u201cWe wanted room to choose<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife said. \u201cNot just where we live<\/strong>, but how we live<\/strong>.\u201d And now they do, with calendars that feel human<\/strong> and days that feel earned<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3134","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\/3134","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=3134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3191,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3134\/revisions\/3191"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}