Last month the Western Development Commission launched a new campaign called ‘More to Life’ to showcase the growing number of career and lifestyle opportunities available in the West of Ireland. With more and more people working remotely because of the Covid19 pandemic, the WDC believes now is the time for people to make a permanent and viable move to the West.
This week the Commission has released the second video in the series of their campaign. The video features Nathalie Moyano who moved to Foxford from Dublin in March this year and is now enjoying the fruits of working remotely with a more relaxed pace of life.
More To Life - Living the best life in Co. Mayo from Western Development on Vimeo.
Born in France, Nathalie moved to Ireland in 2002 and spent years commuting from Wicklow to the city centre. She moved to Mayo on the first day of lockdown and found herself surrounded by woodlands, beautiful riverside walks and stunning gardens at a time when many people were confined to city apartments with no access to open spaces. She now lives and works in the converted stables of Coolcronan House, formerly the home of the Earl of Limerick, on the banks of the river Moy.
Nathalie says: "I quit my corporate job and decided to set up as a sole trader providing language services. I also work part time as a contractor on the basis that going to Dublin for meetings is an exception, rather than a regular thing. I wasn’t set on any location but the west appealed to me as it isn’t too far from Dublin for airports.
"My first introduction to Ireland was through Galway so I had always thought I would move west at some point but I thought it would have to be after I retire.
"Remote working has offered so many opportunities" says the founder of Moytilingual, a company that provides language and consulting services.
As well as the new ‘More To Life’ campaign, the WDC has launched a new website westerndevelopment.ie to showcase the resources and supports available for those looking for a new role, to work remotely or those thinking of starting a new a business.
As part of the campaign, the WDC is launching a new platform to help attract talent for hard to fill roles across all sectors. This Talent Tool will allow job seekers to register for alerts on new roles and give companies information on talent looking to move west. The WDC believes this will help attract more investment from companies and also showcase the range of roles available across the region.
Commenting on the new campaign, Western Development Commission CEO Tomás Ó Síocháin, said: "The phrase ‘More to Life’ has never been more true and now is the time for the West of Ireland, one of Europe’s great regions, to write a bold new chapter. Out of adversity comes opportunity and the West of Ireland has a big opportunity to renew and reinvigorate itself. There are now an unprecedented number of career options in the West, some of them caused by the unexpected events of 2020 and the global pandemic.
"We also enjoy much more affordable living costs which means money goes further and people can enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle for themselves and their families.
"There is More to Life and we hope our campaign will clearly show people that to be the case. We have put together our resources to make it easy for people to see what is on offer for them in the Western Region. We are also telling the stories of real people who have made the move out of more congested, expensive urban centres – and thrived.”
Allan Mulrooney, Head of Communications at the Western Development Commission commented; "More To Life is an ambitious campaign that aims to remind the world what many of our colleagues based here already know – that the West of Ireland is great place to live, work and invest in. I would encourage all businesses to get on board, raise your business profile and tell the world why there is More To Life in the West."
