If you’ve ever dreamed of quitting your job and living on a remote island, now might be your chance as Ireland will be paying people a grant of up to 84,000 euros ($92,297) to move to one of the country’s 30 remote coastal islands.
The program is called “Our Living Islands,” and it’s a project from the Irish government that aims to rejuvenate around 30 sparsely populated offshore spots.
However, there are some conditions attached to the deal, as well as a few factors that may deter people from making the move.
According to Irish government, the islands are cut off from the mainland by the tide on a daily basis, and aren’t connected to it by bridges or causeways. Only about 3,000 people live there year-round.
Around 300,000 visitors come to these islands each year, the government noted in its policy outline — but barely anyone lives there. Some islands have as few as two year-round inhabitants, while the largest has over 700.
“It’s all about improving housing, better access to essential services in health and education, delivering high-speed broadband, and further developing our outdoor amenities, which will in turn increase tourism and support sustainable island communities,” Heather Humphreys, the country’s minister for rural and community development, told international media.
Declining population levels — especially the lack of young people — is a key concern, according to plan’s details. Between 1996 and 2016, the population of the islands covered by the policy was found to have fallen by 12.8%.
The moving process
The grants are part of an existing scheme the government runs across the country. Buying an existing, vacant property will get you 60,000 euros if it is on a remote island, just 10,000 euros more than if you bought on the mainland.
The largest amount — 84,000 euros — will go to those choosing to take over derelict properties. Moving into such a property on the mainland comes with a 70,000 euro grant.
The grants are designed to help people refurbish old properties that may otherwise decay. The properties in question also need to have been built before 1993 and have been unoccupied for at least two years.
The scheme officially starts on July 1, but will apply to existing homebuying applications.
This isn’t the first time a destination has come up with a plan like this. Towns and regions across Italy are using similar promises of money, from Calabria (giving new residents $33,000) to Santo Stefano di Sessanio (which offered up to $52,500). And in the U.S., there have been similar programs, with regions, cities and states paying people to move there.
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