{"id":4041,"date":"2026-11-05T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=4041"},"modified":"2026-11-04T04:05:27","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T04:05:27","slug":"we-left-dublin-for-a-village-in-leitrim-and-our-rent-dropped-by-two-thirds-two-years-later-we-would-never-go-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/we-left-dublin-for-a-village-in-leitrim-and-our-rent-dropped-by-two-thirds-two-years-later-we-would-never-go-back\/","title":{"rendered":"We left Dublin for a village in Leitrim and our rent dropped by two thirds: two years later we would never go back"},"content":{"rendered":"

We packed our lives into a van on a wet<\/strong> Friday and pointed it northwest<\/strong>. Friends called it a phase, a trial, a \u201csee-how-it-goes.\u201d We just called it a change<\/strong>. By Sunday, our boxes were stacked in a quiet<\/strong> cottage, and the sound of the city had been replaced by wind<\/strong> through trees and the tapping of rain on slate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why We Walked Away<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Dublin had begun to feel like a treadmill<\/strong>. We worked more to pay for the privilege<\/strong> of being near what we rarely had time to enjoy. Even the groceries felt expensive<\/strong>, even the evenings felt rushed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not try a smaller place<\/strong> for a year?\u201d I asked, half joking<\/strong>. She nodded, half relieved<\/strong>. We looked at maps, called a few agents<\/strong>, and one day a long lane<\/strong> in Leitrim floated into our lives like a possibility<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Rent That Changed Everything<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The numbers were the first big shock<\/strong>. Our monthly rent in the village was about a third<\/strong> of what we\u2019d been paying in the city<\/strong>. We didn\u2019t just cut a bill; we bought back time<\/strong>. \u201cIt felt like someone handed us an afternoon<\/strong> every day,\u201d she said, \u201cand told us to spend it on living<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With the extra breathing<\/strong> room, we upgraded our old car<\/strong>, fixed a leaky roof<\/strong>, and still had enough to save for trips<\/strong>. The constant mental calculator\u2014Can we do this? Can we afford<\/strong> that?\u2014grew quieter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A Different Kind of Abundance<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Here, abundance looks like space<\/strong>. It\u2019s a lane with blackberry briars<\/strong>, a field that glows a rare gold<\/strong>, a kitchen big enough for six friends and a pot of stew<\/strong>. Our neighbours trade eggs for advice<\/strong>, stories for time<\/strong>, laughter for lifts<\/strong> into town.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We found ourselves saying \u201cyes\u201d more\u2014yes to the lake at dusk<\/strong>, yes to a Tuesday ceil\u00ed<\/strong>, yes to the farmer who needed an extra pair of hands<\/strong>. The calendar grew fuller<\/strong>, but our heads grew lighter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Work, But Saner<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

We both kept our jobs<\/strong>, thanks to solid broadband<\/strong> and bosses who valued results over postcodes<\/strong>. There were hiccups: a storm knocked the power<\/strong>, a neighbour lent us a generator and three candles<\/strong>. We learned to plan around the weather<\/strong>, to download files before the wind made the trees argue<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Oddly, we became more focused<\/strong>. Fewer coffee-line chats<\/strong>, more finished projects<\/strong>. Lunch is a loop around a bog<\/strong> road, or ten minutes pruning an unruly rose<\/strong>. \u201cMy work day has edges<\/strong> now,\u201d she said. \u201cIt begins, it ends<\/strong>, and then I\u2019m not working anymore<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What Changed, Measured Simply<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Rent shrank, our margin of error<\/strong> grew <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Commutes vanished, our evenings stretched<\/strong> <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Friends thinned out, neighbours thickened<\/strong> <\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Noise dropped<\/strong>, birdsong rose<\/strong><\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Trade-Offs We Accept<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    There are trade-offs, because there always are<\/strong>. A great gig happens on a Thursday<\/strong> in the city, and we see it from a glowing screen<\/strong>. Buses run when they can<\/strong>, not when you will them to arrive<\/strong>. Winters are long and wet<\/strong>, and the sky sometimes presses like a low ceiling<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    We\u2019ve learned to be active<\/strong> about culture: drive to Sligo for a play<\/strong>, host musicians in the kitchen<\/strong>, stream what can\u2019t be found at the local hall<\/strong>. We keep a shelf of emergency candles<\/strong> and a WhatsApp group for storm updates<\/strong>. You don\u2019t fix the weather<\/strong>; you fix your expectations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Community, Unscripted<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    In the city we knew first names and closing times<\/strong>. Here we know the sound of our neighbour\u2019s tractor<\/strong>, the day the calves are due, the shortcut when the river swells<\/strong>. \u201cYou can\u2019t hide in a small place<\/strong>,\u201d a woman at the shop told us, smiling. \u201cBut why would you want<\/strong> to?\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Grief and joy are shared<\/strong> fast. A new baby brings casseroles and loud jokes<\/strong>. A funeral brings traffic on a lane<\/strong>, and a patience that stretches into the evening<\/strong>. Community isn\u2019t an event you attend<\/strong>; it\u2019s the fabric you wear<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Home, Relearned<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    We look different now in the mirror of our days<\/strong>. We linger over breakfast<\/strong>, walk out back to check the rain and end up on our knees in the soil<\/strong>. Weekends have themes\u2014water, hedges, friends<\/strong>, rest\u2014rather than a ballet of errands and queues<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    If Dublin is a thrill, Leitrim is a long, deep breath<\/strong>. The thrill was grand, and we still love its loud, brave<\/strong> heart. But we didn\u2019t move for novelty<\/strong>. We moved for a quieter center<\/strong>, and we found it.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Two Years On<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    People ask if we\u2019ll ever move back<\/strong>. We say the same thing every time<\/strong>: not to the life we had<\/strong>. Maybe someday we\u2019ll keep a city bolt-hole<\/strong>, or spend a month chasing theatre and late-night noodles<\/strong>. But our week-to-week belongs to the lake, the lane<\/strong>, the small routines that make large sense<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cEvery choice writes a story<\/strong>,\u201d she says, and the wind tugs at the edge of her scarf<\/strong>. Out here, our story reads clearer<\/strong>. We pay less in money<\/strong>, more in attention<\/strong>, and it has made us quietly, stubbornly rich<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4041","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\/4041","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=4041"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4064,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4041\/revisions\/4064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}