Something in the water? Baby boom is welcome news for Limerick village
AN UNEXPECTED baby boom is helping one Limerick village to blossom, as one new mother tells of her decision to move her family back into the beauty of the rural countryside.
Baby Flora is one of seven new infants born in a quiet village between Rathkeale and Kilmallock and at just eight weeks old, is the youngest member of a recent baby boom in Ballingarry.
Sarah Stuart Trainor, Flora’s mother, has a long family history in the village. Their local pub Trainor’s, now temporarily closed, celebrated its 200th anniversary pre-pandemic.
“We decided to move back home from London three years ago. The cost of living and the quality of education here is incomparable,” she told Limerick Live.
With lots of family in Ballingarry and an amazing school, Sarah said the move made perfect sense for her, her husband Paul Russell from East London and their three daughters, Evie (6), Isla (3) and Flora. “Not only that, with both my husband and I working from home, we have found that the broadband connection is even stronger here in Ballingarry,” she stated.
The village, which recorded a population of 521 in the 2016 census, is going from strength to strength, and with a recent baby boom, Sarah is predicting a packed-out school in 12 years’ time. “There is a great sense of community here. We wanted to give the girls that upbringing,” she added.
She also conceded that her husband is slowly adjusting to the “positive change” of everyone knowing their neighbours and supporting one another, having come from the UK capital. What’s more, the county Limerick woman has noticed houses in the village being “snapped up” much more quickly than in previous years. “It is great to see such community spirit and development in the village,” she said, referencing the new rejuvenation works to The Mall in the middle of the village.
“There is huge opportunity here. Let’s hope this is the sign of things to come for Ballingarry,” smiled Sarah.