Software Engineer – Code Intelligence at Sourcegraph
County Wexford
One-On-One with Noah
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself, your job and how long you’ve lived in County Wexford?
I’m a software engineer for Sourcegraph on the Code Intelligence team of almost 2 years (as of 2022). I’ve lived in Wexford for 9 years throughout primary and secondary school, followed by 4 years in University College Cork for college. I then moved back in with my parents in Wexford after graduating in 2020, as hiring had slowed down across the industry due to COVID. I landed a fully remote job at Sourcegraph that summer and have been in Wexford ever since.
What attracted you to living and working in Wexford ?
You’d have to ask my parents that. Jokes aside, familiarity probably plays a big part in it, the proximity to home and the sea, I think I’d always have to live somewhere near the ocean. The town is also small enough that you can know where most things are and get around quickly on foot. While not as big or containing as big a variety of amenities as Cork or Dublin, it has its own charm and selection of things to do.
Can you walk us through a day in the life of living in Wexford?
As we live right opposite a primary school, the day starts by being awoken by the children arriving at school and the accompanying traffic. The morning routine includes a snack for the rabbits, Arabella and Cruella, an Americano from the coffee machine and an extended hot shower.
While I work from home full-time, herself has a few days in the office and so gets a lift from me in the car, just a quick 10 min drive away at least. Then it’s to the desk at home for me, as opposed to a coworking space. Not easy to drag around a pair of screens every day unfortunately, and I can keep an eye on the rabbits from home too.
Weekends we usually end up going for a coffee in town (Frank’s Place is a favourite but on the pricier side and a Wexford Coffee Roasters have recently opened), a visit home or hoovering up all the hay around the house from the rabbits.
How would you describe transport within Wexford ? Is it easy to get around ?
Bus coverage is a bit lacking compared to more populated counties like Dublin or Cork, so a car is still a must-have. Within Wexford Town, most areas are very walkable (or even cyclable, if you don’t mind some small hills here and there). Wexford to Dublin is really well connected, with the M11 most of the way up (or even a train), Wexford to Cork a bit longer at just over 2 hours (and no train…).
How fast/reliable is your home internet connection ?
I’m unfortunately in a deadzone for SIRO fibre (every estate around me has it, but I don’t), but I have generally reliable 10ms ping/25mbps down/6mbps up with a local provider my family have always been with (Carnsore Broadband), handles work stuff well and great for gaming to boot.
Can you tell us about some of your favourite locations or attractions within Wexford?
I’m generally very sea-drawn, so some of my favourite locations include Kilmore and Rosslare beaches, Saltee Island trips and Hook lighthouse. There’s castles and ruins a-plenty for exploring (Johnstown, Enniscorthy and Ferns castles amongst others) as well as the National Heritage Park and the JFK Arboretum which are always great even the second and third time around.
What advice do you have for individuals or families interested in relocating to Wexford ?
Wexford has improved a lot over the past decade, especially with the influx of people helping drive investment and the economy here. While there isn’t much of a software engineering culture here unlike Dublin or Cork, it can be a great place for “getting away from it” if you have a remote job.
Thank you very much Noah for taking the time to talk with us and thank you for representing Co. Wexford as a Rural Ireland Tech Advocate.
Rural Ireland Tech Advocates 