Mary Kennedy comes to Leitrim to talk benefits of West life with two local couples

Moving West, the popular six-part series hosted by Mary Kennedy which follows the lives of families and individuals who have made or are in the process of making the move to this vibrant region is back with the presenter and crew filming in Ballinamore and Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrim last week. 

The series has captivated audiences with its focus on individuals and families who have chosen to embrace life in the west of Ireland, highlighting the region's stunning landscapes, vibrant communities, and unique opportunities for a fresh start.

From small business owners and artisans to families seeking a slower pace of life, the series has become a celebration of innovation, resilience, and the enduring allure of Ireland's western counties.

Presenter Mary Kennedy told the Leitrim Observer the show is set to air the springtime. 

She said: "The message we would like to go out there for this series is, as with the other series, is 'give it a try!' The difference to your wellbeing, your children's freedom, your sense of community, your peace and tranquility. You can have city life and if that's what you really want, fair enough but you won't get that tranquility in the city; you have to make that move and everyone we interviewed, unless there were circumstances where they had no choice and were maybe looking after an ill relative or something like that, they all have loved it and feel it's been a no-brainer."

Speaking of the show's beginnings, she said: "It started off as a response to covid and people working from home and living in other parts of the country that were less urban and then realising, 'hey, I could like this!' There is a nice work/life balance; the broadband is excellent on the West. Where possible, people started to extend their time in the West."

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The producers of the show put the call out for those who are loving West life and spent a number of days in Leitrim. "We are will be doing 24 stories for the next series including Leitrim. We filmed in Roscommon and Leitrim this week and there are two stories featured in Leitrim. One was in Ballinamore. It was a lovely story about a young couple, Ciara and Sean. Sean is from just beyond Ballinamore and Ciara is from Ballinamore."

She explained that the couple had been living in Swords previously, both secondary school teachers, and have a little boy Naoise. She said that commute was an issue to get to and from work and they were unable to source childcare. "How they worked it was, his mother came up one week and her mother came up the following week, which is really exhausting and no way to live your life."

The pair decided to take a career break and went travelling before returning home to Leitrim. "They are now living in her granny's house, which had been vacant for a long time, just at the end of town on the main street. It is a really gorgeous house; it reminds me of my granny's house because it has the old dresser, the presses, the lovely big doors and the tiled fireplace. They have loads of sheds out the back and literally go out on to the lane and they are on the Greenway which is wonderful for them and their little lad."

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She said the couple have immersed themselves in the community with Ciara joining Cumann na Gaeilge and The Ciorcal Comhrá which is a free Irish conversation circle held at Ballinamore library.

Mary explained: "She's teaching Irish to people who are living in Ballinamore but are from outside the country. Sean plays for his local GAA club which he had always done but before they moved home, he had to come home on a Tuesday night back to Leitrim to the training and come back done on the weekend."

She continued that the couple were paying an incredible €2,000 for their rent. "Now they have their own house and are living in the town. Naoise's grandad is a a farmer so Naoise is two, is up every morning, puts on the wellies and goes out to feed the chickens with his grandad. He feels like a real farmer. What goes into children's minds and hearts is such so precious, when they are living in a place like that. In Dublin, for example, you can't just let them loose in a field and run around and have that freedom."

She added: "It's a very special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. When they are older, they can just hop up the road to see their grandparents. It's a very wholesome way of living; if you look at less 'sophisticated' ways of living such as in rural Africa or rural India. They all live together with the grandparents. The joy for the grandparents having their grandchildren around and the joy that the kids get from that as well, just to be spoiled, is really special."

Mary and her team also visited a couple in Carrick-on-Shannon who previously lived in Celbridge, Co. Kildare. "Around twenty years ago, they decided to move to Carrick-on-Shannon. The man was originally from Limerick and the woman is originally from somewhere near Carrick-on-Shannon. They bought a new build and they had children. They are both retired now from their jobs. He is in The Leitrim Male Choir and he is the church choir as well as being a member of the Tidy Towns committee."

She said he is  thrilled to live in  Carrick-on-Shannon and enjoy "a lifestyle that they just wouldn't have had living in Celbridge. He said that the lack of traffic lights is a big thing for him; he spent his days going through traffic lights; it's all traffic lights in Kildare because really, it's suburban Dublin."

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The team also interviewed introduced a woman from Ukraine who is a part of the Tidy Towns committee and "who has been living there for two years with her two daughters and has completely embraced the community. She teaches English to other Ukrainians also and is just completely immersed in the community."