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A view of Inis Meáin, Source: Colaiste Naomh Eoin

Live one year rent-free on an Irish island

Live one year rent-free on an Irish island

The local community of Inis Meáin, off the coast of Galway, has decided to finance one family’s stay for the school year for a unique adventure into the Irish culture and language

If you have ever wanted to take a nosedive into Irish culture, consider moving to Inis Meáin, One family with kids can have the opportunity to live on that island off the coast of Galway rent-free for one year.

The initiative was created by the Comhlacht Forbartha Inis Meáin (Community Group of Inis Meáin), a non-governmental association of neighbours who live on the island. According to a statement by the community from last July, this is an opportunity to learn about Irish culture and the Irish language.

As the Irish Times reports, the Manager of the organisation, Dara Ó Madaoin, explained that they had some money left over from the previous year and decided to use it to start the initiative. The idea they came up with was to help a family by taking some of the pressure of rent for a year while offering a very unique adventure.

Families and opportunities

The Community Group of Inis Meáin is offering one family with school-aged children a modern house for the academic year. Despite its modest size, the island hosts a pre-school, primary school and an award-winning Secondary school called Colaiste Naomh Eoin.

According to Mairéad Ní Fhátharta, as reported by the RTÉ, the rent-free scheme was partially motivated by the desire to introduce new children into local schools, as well as help spread the Irish language. Interestingly Inis Meáin is one of those few regions in Ireland where the Irish language is the primary mode of communication.

Consequently, as Mairéad Ní Fhátharta pointed out when selecting a family, the Community will be looking for people who at least have some knowledge of Irish, as without it both kids and parents would have a difficult time.

Additionally, the local community will also offer parents a remote working digital hub, so digital nomads will feel quite at home. As Ms Ní Fhátharta explained, there are also plenty of work opportunities on the island, so if someone wants to stay after the academic year, they will have the opportunity to do so.

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