Secluded Irish Islands Offer €80,000 In Exchange For Your Relocation

To attract more people to live in Ireland's offshore settlements, the government is offering large financial handouts.

 

Ireland has started a program that would give individuals large financial bonuses if they relocate to one of its offshore areas. The Irish government is implementing this program as part of its "Our Living Islands" strategy, which aims to increase the islands’ demographic.

As stated by the authorities, the purpose of this policy is to guarantee that resilient, thriving communities may continue to exist - and develop on the outermost islands for the next years.

The offer may seem like the perfect way to get away, but there are a few things you should know.

The "Our Living Islands" program provides help to the inhabitants of 30 islands that are both geographically and tidally isolated from the mainland. New inhabitants of offshore communities will receive payments from the Irish government totalling over €80,000 as part of the programme.

However, it's not as simple as relocating to a remote island and having a large sum of money magically appear in your bank account the next day.

The large monetary subsidies are intended to save and repair the rising number of abandoned and rundown homes on the islands. Therefore, there are certain restrictions on how you may use the free cash. Residents-to-be are required to acquire real estate on one of the islands. The structure must have been built before to 1993 and have remained empty for at least two years. Once the money is given out, there are regulations that must be followed. The funds may be used for a variety of home improvement projects, including insulation, structural upgrades, and a fresh coat of paint.

People aiming to apply for the program can salvage a property from destruction and turn it into the home of their dreams for as much as €84,000.

Funding for "Our Living Islands" was established to complement the "Cro Cónaithe" program operating on the Irish mainland. However, the amounts provided to renovate a home on an island off the coast of Ireland are more to account for the additional expenses associated with a lack of infrastructure.

Applications for anyone interested in trying out living on a remote, uninhabited island will be accepted beginning July 1. The municipal governments on the islands have somewhat different qualifying requirements, so it's best to check out the "Our Living Islands" website to learn more.

Several other European cities have also implemented programs to attract new immigrants.

Towns and villages in Italy and Spain are offering financial incentives to attract people back to their shrinking rural areas.

British citizens will be offered a monetary incentive of £2,600 (€2,971) to move to the mountain village of Ponga in north-west Spain.

Presicce-Acquarica, a picturesque village in the southern Italian province of Puglia, is offering up to €30,000 in financial incentives to anybody who relocates there.

 

Source: euronews.com