‘IT CAN TAKE HOURS TO GET HOME’

SEÁN Draper and his wife Julie used to rent in Dublin but took the decision to move to Limerick when his wife got a new job in Athlone.

The couple then moved to Moate in Co. Westmeath when he landed a job working as a strength and conditioning coach, in Donnybrook and Ballsbridge in Dublin 4. His wife Julie is on maternity leave after the birth of their second child.

Having rented in Dublin the couple knew buying in the capital – with rising house prices – was not an option

They initially rented a house in Moate and then made the decision to buy earlier this year.

It’s not ideal and he said if they had the money, and it suited his wife, Seán said they’d move back to the city in a heartbeat. He said of his gruelling commute: ‘If I leave at 5am it takes me an hour and a half to get to my job but in the evenings it can take more than two-and-ahalf hours to get home.’