Counties Galway and Cork are Ireland’s top destinations for people who have relocated due to remote working.

The latest National Remote Working Survey finds that nearly one in 10 workers have relocated withing Ireland since the pandemic opened up the possibility to work from home.

Nearly two-third of those who have relocated have left Dublin, according to the analysis by the Western Development Commission and NUIG Galway.

Roches Point, Cork, Ireland. Image: David Creedon / Alamy Stock Photo

Meanwhile, nearly three-quarters of those who did so in the past year are under 40 years of age and half have a higher level of formal education.

Coastal counties remain the most popular destinations for people escaping city life – with the more populous counties of Galway and Cork taking in the most new residents.

The Top Ten counties are:

• Galway
• Cork
• Kildare
• Dublin
• Mayo
• Kerry
• Donegal
• Clare
• Limerick
• Wicklow

“The National Remote Work Survey has identified a broad trend over the last 3 years that just under 10% of respondents have already moved with further significant numbers actively considering it,” said Western Development Commission CEO Tomás Ó Síocháin.

“This supports anecdotal evidence and stories that are familiar to many of friends and colleagues that have moved to more regional and rural locations.

“This trend highlights the importance of remote work in supporting balanced regional development and initiatives like the ConnectedHubs network and legislative support for remote work can sustain these trends into the future.”

Selena beach in County Galway. Image: Marco Warm / Alamy Stock Photo

Despite the popularity of the west coast, every county in Ireland welcomed new residents due to COVID-19 and remote working.

The Greater Dublin Area and Wexford are also popular relocation destinations with Wicklow at 5.9%, Wexford at 5.7%, Kildare at 4.6% and at Meath at 3.4%.

This is likely due to the need to commute to Dublin while working in a remote hybrid system.

The survey also found that more women than men have relocated – and more than half of those that did owned their own home.

Here’s the full breakdown of the counties remote workers relocated to:

• Galway 11.2%
• Cork 8.9%
• Kildare 7.7%
• Dublin 6.4%
• Mayo 5.4%
• Kerry 4.8%
• Donegal 4.4%
• Clare 4.4%
• Limerick 4.1%
• Wicklow 3.9%
• Wexford 3.8%
• Sligo 3.8%
• Tipperary 3.3%
• Meath 3.2%
• Roscommon 2.8%
• Louth 2.8%
• Kilkenny 2.8%
• Westmeath 2.3%
• Waterford 2.3%
• Leitrim 2.2%
• Cavan 1.9%
• Carlow 1.9%
• Offaly 1.7%
• Longford 1.5%
• Laois 1.3%
• Monaghan 0.4%
• Derry 0.4%
• Tyrone 0.2%
• Fermanagh 0.1%
• Down 0.1%
• Antrim 0%
• Armagh 0%