If you’ve ever considered escaping to the country, this scheme might be your best chance to do so.
One lucky family has the opportunity to live completely rent-free in a five-bedroom home – and the only stipulation is that you need to have kids.
The house, which is situated in the rural Connemara Gaeltacht region of Galway, is being offered by a local school to improve pupil numbers.
Scoil Naomh Padraig – which has been open since 1965 – will be forced to lose a teacher if attendance doesn’t improve, so are sweetening the deal with complimentary accommodation for school-age children and their parents.
As a two-teacher school with a learning support teacher, it requires a minimum of 12 pupils to hold two teachers, but too few young people live in the area to make up the numbers.
Principal, Gearóidín Uí Fhiric, told RTE: ‘Once the school goes, you lose that community spirit where everybody is together and it would be such a shame.
‘We have a beautiful school in a beautiful area with fantastic facilities. We have a pitch, a playground, yard games…an outdoor classroom in a beautiful scenic area.’
The school was donated the house by the Comharchumann Dhúiche Sheoigheach Teo co-op and local business ECC, following a similar scheme from the nearby Aran islands to entice new residents.
This initiative received more than 1,600 applications, and Gearóidín says she hopes this campaign will be just as well received.
The area of An Chloch Bhreac, located between Lough Measc and Lough Coirib, is known for its hiking routes and impressive scenery, but it’s far from densely populated.
The rent-free house is located around two minutes’ drive or ten minutes’ walk from the school, roughly 25km from the Mayo town of Ballina.
If you’re looking for the creature comforts of the city, you won’t find it among the fields and woodlands here. If you want an unspoilt escape away from the rat race, though, you’re in luck.
The only stipulation is that applicants have children to attend the school, but speaking Irish Gaelic will likely be a plus since it’s the prominent language used in the Gaeltacht.
Ready to start your new life?
To apply, visit the Scoil Naomh Padraig website for contact details.
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Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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