One-On-One with Robert
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself, your job and how long you’ve lived in County Down?
I am the Director of WebsiteDen, a digital consultancy that focuses on simplifying your digital life. We are a full services digital consultancy that can help you transform your business for the digital age.
Formerly I worked as a PHP developer in several companies, and Technical Director of Mammoth in Belfast.
What attracted you to living and working in Down ?
I am originally from Down, I moved to Belfast in 2004 to get some real experience in website development, and stayed until 2019, when my wife and I decided to move to Warrenpoint. The main thing we were looking for was the outdoor space that rural Ireland provides, and with starting a family it was time for us to make the move, and we haven’t looked back since.
Can you walk us through a day in the life of living in Co. Down ?
Down in dominated by the Mourne Mountains, there are few places you go where they are not visible, and it is great to see. There is also a good variety of wildlife in the area, you can always hear a bird chirping in the background, where I live there is a variety of birds, and a peregrine falcon has settled near us, so we can see it soaring every day.
I live in Warrenpoint, so that would be the main shopping area for us. It may be limited in its range of shops, but I find the quality of meat and veg is definitely of a higher standard. The closest city is Newry, which has the Quays & Buttercrane shopping centre, and you can pretty much get anything you need from them. I haven’t had the need to go to Belfast for anything that I felt I was missing out on.
How would you describe transport within Down ? Is it easy to get around ?
Down is pretty well connected, there are the usual bus routes, and the enterprise train that goes to most of the hotspots in the area.
If you are driving, again it is really well connected, and personally I love the fact that there is just generally less traffic in the country, it’s a lot less stressful.
How fast/reliable is your home internet connection ?
For most of Down the internet it is very good, Newry has a major BT centre and you can get top speeds close to it. I unfortunately am very remote, there are more sheep and poultry here than there are people, so the maximum speed I can get is 35mb down / 10mb up, which is fair.
Can you tell us about some of your favourite locations or attractions within Down ?
Cloughmore stone in Rostrevor has fantastic views of Carlingford lough and the surrounding stones. You have to head up a very steep hill to get there, but the view is more than worth it.
Cranfield Holiday park is another of our favourite destinations, it has a lovely beach, and a play park for the children. If you are lucky there will be an ice-cream van nearby too.
What advice do you have for individuals or families interested in relocating to Down ?
If you can make it work for yourself and your family, it is more than worth the move. The stunning views, fresh air, and time spent outdoors has a value you can’t realise. Having a young family myself, I couldn’t go back to the city.
Thank you very much Robert for taking the time to talk with us and thank you for representing Co. Down as a Rural Ireland Tech Advocate.
Rural Ireland Tech Advocates 