Co-working on rise in Kilkenny, attracting people from Dublin

Kilkenny's €283,177 average house price is 8.5% lower than the national average and 25% lower than Dublin’s €377,543 

Plumbing contractor Gerard Ryan and his partner, Dominika Stoppa, an award-winning photographer, who share a co-working space at Castlecomer Enterprise Centre in Kilkenny.

Kilkenny has become a city of choice for people working remotely for Dublin-based companies, with employers keen to facilitate their workers’ remote work preferences.

This trend is very evident in Kilkenny’s six rural Connected Hubs and its five established Business Centres, which are welcoming a growing number of professionals, among them many self-employed and freelance operators, who are hot desking while remote working two to three days a week and enjoying a far greater work/life balance, new data shows.

One big attraction for Dublin people moving to Kilkenny is lower house prices. The Daft.ie House Price Report for Q2 2023 puts the average asking price for a house in Co Kilkenny at €283,177 – 8.5% lower than the national average and 25% lower than Dublin’s €377,543.

More than four out of ten homes sold in Kilkenny in recent months were bought by people with addresses outside of Kilkenny. One agent in the city said that 46% of buyers of large, detached family homes in a new Kilkenny estate had sold smaller semi-detached properties in the greater Dublin area to fund their investment.

Experienced plumbing contractor Gerard Ryan and his award-winning artist and photographer partner, Dominika Stoppa, share a co-working space at Castlecomer Enterprise Centre.

They have also moved from Athy to Ballinakill on the Kilkenny/Laois border. The move was so they could enjoy more family time with their three children in the countryside and achieve a greater work-life balance.

“This co-working space is absolutely perfect for us,” Gerard, who specialises in heat pumps and underfloor heating in retrofitted homes and buildings said. “It means we can separate work from home and that one of us can leave for home whenever we need and be there for the children after school.

“We did toy with the idea of adding a home office or a garden room when we were renovating the 1920s home we’ve moved into. But we knew if we did that, we would never get away from work, never have the discipline to walk away and take the necessary time out, particularly if we had a deadline.

“Dominika moved her computer here straight away. Like many self-employed people, we were inclined to go on the computer once the children were in bed and were constantly looking at emails, finishing bits of work. We now have our work and we have a life. And they are in balance.

“The supports here from the Local Enterprise Office are great. We’ve a brilliant centre manager, we have a fantastic workspace and a shared canteen. They’re introducing seating in the garden area which will serve as a further meeting/communal area when that is complete,” Gerard said.

“When I was in school in Portlaoise, there were 30 plus pupils in my class. I’ve always lived in an urban setting and dreamt of the benefits of rural living — cleaner air, walks in the woods, knowing your neighbours. Our two older children now enjoy all the benefits of a rural school, smaller classes and we’re now part of the fabric of a close-knit community. Our 13-month-old has it all ahead of her.

“The move has been really good for us. We’ve never looked back.” 

Kilkenny's remote working hubs are proving very attractive to people from outside the county. More than four out of ten homes sold in Kilkenny in recent months were bought by people with addresses outside of Kilkenny.

Kilkenny’s city and countywide Connected Hubs and Business Centres provide top-class facilities for the up to 150 plus remote working stations in all ten locations. They also help companies address staff welfare and due diligence in terms of workplace ergonomics, separating work and home environments.

Sean McKeown, director of services at Kilkenny County Council, said: “Kilkenny has a great variety and quality of remote working hubs offering fantastic opportunities for people to live and work and hotdesk, where necessary, or even during visits here. 

“This, in turn, supports our small local businesses and communities as local spend increases. It gives people more family time and fewer commutes also means lower greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a win/win for everyone.” 

The physical infrastructure provided and positive business environment created is all boosting demand from employees, freelancers and the self-employed for the up to 150 individual working bases/spaces with the added bonus of being signposted to supporting bodies such as the Local Enterprise Office (LEO).

Aileen McGrath, acting head of Enterprise with Kilkenny LEO, said: “We’ve seen that such a flexible, on-demand working environment is also a support for employees of companies that are still teasing out their remote working conditions for staff and for firms concerned with issues around staff retention and maintaining a high-level of professionalism in the working environment.” 

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