With a breathtaking coastline, scenic interior and the vibrant buzz of its city, Waterford has been attracting people looking to relocate since long before the Vikings made it their home.
Patrick Haughey knows firsthand what makes it so special, having grown up in the suburban village of Ferrybank, just across the river from Waterford city.
“We were very much at the edge of the village, so it was a semi-countryside upbringing with fields and woods to play in. My father was a vet so I’d go with him on farm calls and we also had loads of pets – cats, dogs and rabbits,” he recalls.
His wife Brenda grew up in west Waterford and the two met while students at Newtown, the county’s famous Quaker school, which he loved.
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Brenda went on to become a teacher while Patrick pursued a career in radio, becoming a producer on regional radio station Beat 102 103 before moving to Dublin in the mid-2000s and becoming senior producer of The Last Word with Matt Cooper on Today FM.
Today the couple have three daughters, Erica, age 10, Alissa, age nine, and Eve, age six. It was the experience of bringing them to Waterford to visit friends and family over the years that prompted the couple to consider moving back there.
“We thought a lot about moving to Waterford during our time in Dublin but when kids come along you think about your own childhood and want to give them the same experiences you had,” he says.
Over time the visits became more frequent and the return to Dublin more difficult.
“As time went on we found it harder and harder to leave Waterford. We’d spend so much time out of doors when we were there, being active as a family, whether on the beaches of the Copper Coast, up the Comeragh Mountains, or out cycling on the Greenway, there’s just so much to do,” he says.
Of course, Dublin had great places to visit too, he admits, “but you are competing with way more people for scenic spaces. So, even though we really did enjoy being in Dublin, we started to think hard about going back to Waterford.”
Ease of access to beautiful beaches, such as Stradbally Cove, pictured, hiking in the Comeragh Mountains and cycling the county’s greenways, all on the doorstep was a big draw
Favourable factors
It was a big decision, with a number of factors to consider. For a start, in 2018 Patrick had started his own business, Audiobrand, a podcasting, content and communications agency. “I take the studio to our clients, so I was working all around the country, and realised I didn’t have to stay in Dublin for work anymore,” he recalls.
Another factor was the cost of housing. “House prices in Waterford are another world compared with south Dublin, where we were living,” says Patrick. “That alone takes pressure off you and in itself leads to a better quality of life.”
Being closer to family was important too. “We have more of a network,” he says.
On the other hand, he was concerned that his business could be negatively impacted by such a move. “Pre Covid that attitude was a reality,” he points out. It’s only now, since the pandemic, that the idea of remote-working from anywhere in the country has been completely normalised.
The couple worried whether their children would settle in to a new school. They were conscious too that the sense of ease and space they felt when they visited Waterford might just a by-product of being on holiday.
“So you draw up your list of pros and cons and you could deliberate forever. But eventually you have to let your gut decide, and our gut said ‘move’,” he says.
Making the move
They made the move three years ago, swapping a suburban semi-D in south Dublin for an old farmhouse in the countryside near Kilmacthomas. “It was just a short cycle up the boreen from Brenda’s parents,” he says.
Though the logistics of any move are stressful, the couple felt a weight lift off their shoulders almost immediately. “Just the cost of owning your own home in Waterford puts you under far less pressure,” he says.
They enrolled their children in a local national school with ease and the kids started to make friends immediately. “It was like it was meant to be,” he says.
The family live near Kilmacthomas, famous for its railway viaduct, considered an entry point to the beautiful Waterford Greenway cycle path.
“Dungarvan, a lovely market town on the water, is just a 15-minute drive away and we’re five minutes by car from Stradbally, so there are great local bars and restaurants around for us. Plus the kids have space to play and were out having adventures almost immediately,” he explains.
Plenty to see, do and experience
Before moving, the couple had been concerned their children might miss out on all the after-school activities they had on their doorstep in Dublin. They needn’t have worried. “They are in The Stage Coach, a drama school in Stradbally. They go to sea swimming classes and it’s a really sporty area too, with Tried and Tested Triathalon and West Waterford Athletic Clubs,” says Patrick.
Both he and Brenda are now regular sea swimmers too.
The family cycles the Greenway regularly and hikes up the Comeragh’s. “It’s an outdoorsy life. Because it’s on your doorstep, it’s just so easy. You’re not having to drive an hour and a half to get somewhere nice, it’s just there. Because it’s easy, you do it more,” he says.
For cultural pursuits, fun days for the kids and nights out for the grownups, Waterford City is just 20 minutes away.
“It’s great for restaurants and bars, so a great place to go socially, and there are lovely historic parts too, like the Viking Triangle which is full of craft shops and boutique jewellers and shows off the city at its Viking best. Waterford has fabulous festivals too, including Harvest Festival, Spraoi, and Winterval, at Christmas,” he says.
A great base for business
It isn’t just the family that has flourished since moving to Waterford, the business has too. “I work for brands such as Sisk, EY and Ibec, and most of my client base is in Dublin or Cork so Waterford is perfect for both. You’ve easy access to Cork and door to door motorway to Dublin,” explains Patrick.
He also runs an office and studio from Dungarvan Enterprise Centre, with a great mix of resident businesses and high-speed broadband to meet all his technical needs.
It’s now three years since the family made the move. He and Brenda still go to Dublin from time to time for nights out with friends there. “We have a great time but we’re always really happy to be heading back to our farmhouse afterwards,” he says.
“The kids loved it straight away and my business has done really well. It all just flowed. We made the right move.”
Read more here if you think you might want to make the move to Co Waterford