One-On-One with Mary
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself, your job and how long you’ve lived in County Leitrim?
I’m a Software Engineer/Agile Scrum Master for Citi. I’m currently working on a new e-commerce offering for Citi which went live in June 2020, just in time for the pandemic spike of online shopping so have been very busy ever since. I’ve officially lived in Leitrim 3 years having bitten the bullet and moved across from Dublin after I got married.
What attracted you to living and working in Leitrim ?
My husband attracted me to living in Leitrim, he’s a Leitrim man. I’m originally from rural Tipperary so it wasn’t a difficult transition for me… although it was never exactly an ambition to live in Lovely Leitrim.
Pre pandemic I worked from home two days a week and stayed in Dublin Tuesday and Wednesday nights. I’m looking forward to getting back into the office and catching up on Netflix and reading on the train.
Can you walk us through a day in the life of living in Co. Leitrim ?
One of the best things about moving to the country was getting my office buddy Coco Browne (dog) so currently I get up around 6.30am and walk Coco (and myself!). I get home around 7.30am and shower before waking our 10 month old daughter for her morning bottle. My husband then gets up and takes over child care duties and I log in for work around 8.45am.
I break for lunch at 12.30pm and then finish for dinner around 5.30pm. My hours are fairly flexible in that as long as the work is done it doesn’t really matter when I do it, so my 10 month olds routine dictates the day.
In the evenings my husband usually heads out for some exercise while I do bed time duties.
There are some lovely walks locally in Leitrim as well as a lot of water sports (kayaking, paddleboarding etc) and pre pandemic I used do yoga and a local exercise class.
In the last year I am loving all the new coffee and food trucks that have popped up so on the weekend we try and visit Barista on the Blueway or Lough key for some walks and treats, I especially love that we can bring Coco.
How would you describe transport within Leitrim ? Is it easy to get around ?
You need to be able to drive to live in Leitrim, but the county is well serviced by train with the Sligo – Dublin line running through. When I used to commute to work I used the train and it was great with regular trains, good wifi and a relaxing means of travel. The train also goes into the IFSC which is where our office is based so it was really convenient.
How fast/reliable is your home internet connection ?
Not very fast or reliable, we have about 15mb download speed and it seems to drop often, I usually end up hotspotting from my phone. There is fibre broadband in our local town but they haven’t brought it down our road nor is there any eta on when they will !!
My internet is sufficient for me to work but just about, saying that in Tipperary we only have 4 mb download speed.
I am considering getting a 4g router, even just as a backup.
Can you tell us about some of your favourite locations or attractions within Leitrim ?
I always liked walking and there are many walks in Leitrim (although only a couple of hills!)
My current favorites are the Shannon Blueway (Kilclare to Leitrim village) and Lough Key Forest park, mainly because they are buggy and doggy friendly and have coffee trucks. The barista on the Blueway (outside Kilclare) reminds me of the Camino the Santiago, stopping for coffee (or wine!).
In Leitrim we are only an hour from Sligo and the fantastic beaches, so we often head to Dunmoran beach for a walk.
Sliabh Bawn in Roscommon is also fairly close and they have done a fantastic job on their recreation routes.
What advice do you have for individuals or families interested in relocating to Leitrim ?
There is a lot of value to be had in Leitrim, having lived in Dublin for years and owning property in Dublin you will get a mansion with acres for the price of a one bedroom apartment!
There is great space and freedom and the people are very friendly, you have options to be as involved or reclusive in the local community as you like. It’s great for dogs and children, although we are struggling with crèche waiting lists.
You need to drive, however the Sligo train route is a great asset.
They don’t call it ‘Lovely Leitrim’ for nothing.
Thank you very much Mary for taking the time to talk with us and thank you for representing Co. Leitrim as a Rural Ireland Tech Advocate.
Rural Ireland Tech Advocates 