REMOTE WORKING HAS ALLOWED ME TO REMAIN IN MY HOME TOWN

WHEN the pandemic forced Caitlin McConn to close the pub she had been leasing in Roscommon for the past 10 years, she thought she might have to leave her native town once again.

She said: ‘I really didn’t want to. I’m involved in loads of organisations in the town – I love the voluntary work I do. I definitely wanted to stay so I started looking for a job remotely.’

With a background in finance, Caitlin had worked in Galway, South America and Dublin.

Now she has a job as operations lead in Grow Remote, the Government-funded initiative to foster remote working around the country.

She told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘It’s great. I oversee finance and HR processes and work five days a week but it’s always flexible – so if I have a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce during the day I can take that time and catch it up another time.’

Newly married since last August, her husband also works remotely from their home just outside the town.

‘That’s a big plus because we have tea and lunch breaks together. I think if I was just in the house on my own, I’d look for a hub in town, at least for a few days a

week as I imagine it would get lonely.’ Connectivity was another issue at the beginning.

She said: ‘With the two of us working from home, our Eir internet connection just couldn’t hack it. Then fibre came to where we live in 2021 and now it’s fantastic, it’s not an issue at all.’

And she advises others thinking of working remotely to go for it.

Caitlin added: ‘It’s growing all the time. There are so many people just in this area who used to work in Dublin or London and are now here.’