Kerry for Sam, Donegal for the holiday homes
A quarter of all holiday homes in Ireland are situated in Donegal
Dublin for Sam, Kerry for the holidays was how the wags on Hill 16 used to sum up the All-Ireland football championship.
With Dublin and Donegal both out of contention on this All-Ireland final weekend, we've given the old saying a twist and reveal that, whatever about Sam Maguire, Donegal is the place to keep a second home.
Donegal is home to one in every four holiday homes in the Republic of Ireland, and one house in every ten in this county is a holiday home.
The latest GeoDirectory Residential Buildings Report, prepared by EY, shows there are 9,423 holiday homes in Donegal out of a national total of 37,100. That means almost 25% of all holiday homes in the State are located in the county.
From Culdaff to Carrick and from Rossnowlagh to Rathmullan, communities see their populations swell each summer as holiday homes reopen and visitors, many of them driving cars with yellow number plates, bring a welcome boost to local life and businesses.
Kerry has holiday homes too, but only half as many as Donegal. Dublin has next to none. Mayo would give them all up to win Sam Maguire.
The GeoDirectory report also highlights how different Donegal's housing stock is from elsewhere.
Almost half (48%) of all homes in Donegal are detached houses, reflecting the county's predominantly rural character. By comparison, detached properties account for just 18 per cent of homes in Dublin followed by Louth with 23%. Semi-detached home were most common in the Dublin commuter belt counties of Kildare (38%), Meath 30%) and Laois (29%).
Apartments make up only 3.4% of Donegal's housing stock, one of the lowest proportions in the country and a stark contrast to Ireland's towns cities, where apartment living has become an increasingly important part of housing supply.
The concentration of holiday homes reflects Donegal's long-established popularity with visitors from the North, particularly along our Atlantic coastline and in our scenic rural communities and the data in the GeoDirectory report paint a picture of a county where detached homes continue to dominate and where tourism continues to have a significant influence on the housing market.