Featured Image Credit: Francesco Riccardo Iacomino/Getty Images
Not only is it now possible to relocate to a certain European island but the country will pay you more than a whopping $90,000 to do so.
If you’ve ever wanted to escape to a remote island far away, now could be your chance.
This is because Ireland has launched a program to encourage participants to move to some of its coastal islands in a bid to repopulate them.
Explaining the plans for the ‘Our Living Islands’ program, the Irish government said on its website: “Our coastal islands and their communities are an integral part of the fabric of rural Ireland. They are also an integral part of the State’s heritage and have a special significance in Irish culture.
Advert
“There are around 30 islands off the coast of Ireland that are cut off daily by the tide, are not connected to the mainland by a bridge or causeway, have permanent year-round populations and are not in private ownership.
“Good transport services and a developed infrastructure are important prerequisites for maintaining island populations. The department’s aim is to seek to meet these requirements through current and capital investment via the department itself and through other relevant departments and organisations.”
And the government is willing to part with cash as an incentive to encourage people to make the move as willing participants will receive €80,000 ($92,629).
However, there is a catch because this money must be spent on purchasing and renovating abandoned properties on the island through the government’s Property Refurbishment Grant Scheme Croí Cónaithe.
In order to qualify, the home must have been built before 1993 and must have been left abandoned for at least two years.
You’ll also need to be planning to use the property as your main residence, and cannot turn it into an Airbnb.
If you’re based in the US and interested in the program, then here’s what you need to know - it cannot be used as an immigration program, meaning you must obtain Irish residency before applying.
Back in 2023, former minister Heather Maud Humphreys said: “‘Our Living Islands’ contains 80 actions which are designed to support and empower our island communities and the people living there. It’s all about improving housing, better access to essential services in health and education, delivering high-speed broadband, and further developing our outdoor amenities, which will in turn increase tourism and support sustainable island communities.
“It’s about ensuring our islands have proper infrastructure in terms of water, roads, and piers. And it’s about supporting island communities to develop remote working facilities, ensuring people can live and work in their own community.
“And I’m particularly pleased to have worked with my colleague, the Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien, to provide additional funding under Croí Cónaithe to support islanders who wish to turn vacant and derelict properties into homes. ‘Our Living Islands’ is an ambitious ten-year policy–recognizing our commitment to supporting our island communities so that they have a bright and sustainable future.”
