Kerry has become the destination of choice for savvy remote entrepreneurs and business professionals, who recognise the opportunity to live in this stunning corner of the world, while also developing and growing a successful career.
Many remote entrepreneurs, workers and businesses have taken up the opportunity to operate from one of the network of hubs — a mix of private, community and publicly owned — dotted throughout the county. This vibrant network of hubs offers the option for a one-time hot-desk, a go-to workspace or a start-up space, while providing research and innovation space. Each hub offers a unique value proposition. The Tom Crean Business Centre, Tralee, provides start-up enterprises with the right environment, the incubation centre facilitates innovators and entrepreneurs in taking their ideas from proof of concept, to build and scale an international business and to fully realise commercial success.
Technology Innovation (KTI) Killarney, a purpose-built enterprise incubation centre, is a great start-up hub for knowledge-intensive businesses. It is a well established vibrant community that supports innovation, collaboration, brilliance, excellence and entrepreneurship.
Other hubs located in the county include: Entára Group (an Irish Owned Workspace Provider and Consultancy Service), the Group includes the following; the Chapterhouse and the Phoenix located in the heart of Tralee, Market Lane in the center of Listowel and Forge Hub Castleisland.
Kerry offers people living and working in the county a great mix of outdoor activities in beautiful surroundings and a vibrant network of business hubs.
Photo by
Western Development
Other hubs located in the county include; the Carnegie in Castleisland, the Box in Killarney, the Sneem Hub, gteic hubs in Corca Dhuibhne, An Dromaid and Baile an Sceilg, the Kenmare Innovation Centre and Office Light in Cahirsiveen.
Whether you are a fully remote worker, in a hybrid working arrangement or on a working holiday, Kerry has the resources to help you succeed.
Offering an alternative option to the traditional office setting, Kerry enterprise hubs facilitate remote workers to experience the benefits of working in a professional environment and the opportunity of collaborative working, transfer learning and brainstorming with like-minded people, while still enjoying the benefits of working independently.
Hrvoje Smolic is one of the many busy professionals who has chosen to run his business from a hub. Smolic is based in the RDI hub in Killorglin , this custom-built award winning hub is a collaboration between Enterprise Ireland, Kerry County Council, Munster Technological University and a private partner, Fexco. This dynamic environment has fostered a vibrant community of start-ups and corporates focused on scale.
Smolic says that while his startup, Graphite Note, which was founded in 2020, is a small operation, he has found that working with others in a shared space to be a very positive experience.
“I’m not a big fan of the traditional office setting, but working from the RDI hub is not just a shared desk, it is packed with start-ups and entrepreneurial minds,” he said.
“We all have big problems to deal with every day, but when you can talk about them over coffee with your peers, chances are they’ve been in the same shoes once, or they know someone who was in the same position and can help. You are not alone, and this is a key benefit.
“It is impossible for anyone to know every angle and aspect of business which is needed in order for a start-up to succeed, so that kind of peer-to-peer network in the RDI Hub and access to mentorships is a huge benefit.”
Hrvoje Smolic: After taking time to find the best location, for both his family and business, settled on Kerry due the “good work-life balance” it offered
Smolic, an astrophysicist, who was born in Croatia, moved to Ireland in 2018 with his wife and son — a decision which he said was based on ‘extensive research of the school system, democracy and human rights. And, after taking time to find the best location, for both his family and business, settled on Kerry due the “good work-life balance” it offered.
“Before moving to Kerry, we lived in Zagreb, a city of almost one million people, so we really didn’t want to move to another big city,” he said. “We wanted something smaller, more suitable for human beings than rush hours and people yelling at each other — and immediately after we moved, my work-life balance changed for the better.
“Nature is what attracted me to the area as it was exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t want to have to tackle work problems in front of a screen, I wanted to do it on top of a mountain – and, as I have two big dogs and am a fan of hiking, I love going on walks with them. We have the highest mountains in Ireland here, plus Inch beach is very close to us and there are some incredible landscapes, which I call ‘Lord of the Rings’ landscapes.
“So, moving to Kerry has helped me to not just recharge, but to be better at my job and to stay innovative for my start-up. I can’t think innovatively if I’m enclosed in one room, so there are benefits all round.”
Kevin Clancy is in complete agreement. As managing director of the Wellbeing Outfit in Ireland, which specialises in consulting, training and development and coaching, he had been working for the company in Australia before making the decision to return to Ireland with his wife in 2022.
Initially living with his in-laws in Cahersiveen while finding their feet, the couple, who have two children, “quickly fell in love with the place” and decided to put down roots of their own. He has found that moving to Kerry has been “a great decision” both personally and professionally.
“I think Covid has shown us all that working and living remotely is possible — so why wouldn’t you move to a place where there are beaches on your doorstep and mountains up the road,” he said. “I’ve been a city boy all my life, having grown up in Cork and lived in Sydney, Edinburgh and Florida, but I’ve been amazed how easily I’ve taken to rural life. This was helped by the incredible scenery around us — and there are clubs for rowing, running, walking and sea swimming for people like myself, who like to get out and stay active.
“On a personal level, my life has changed a huge amount since moving to Kerry. Working from home affords me the flexibility to be more involved in my children’s lives and most days I will either drop or collect them from school, taking in some breathtaking views of the Skelligs as I do so.”
Indeed, Clancy, a sports psychologist, says that “work-life balance is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’, it’s an essential” for both personal and professional reasons.
“It helps with work performance, but also gives people the best chance to stay healthy and well,” he said.
“With AI taking such a hold on how things are done, the skills which are most valued in the workplace today are the human skills — empathy, creativity, persuasion and emotional intelligence — and to do these effectively you need to have a high level of wellbeing.”
Moving to Kerry has helped me to not just recharge but to be better at my job and to stay innovative for my start-up
While some people believe that the infrastructure and technology may be lacking in rural areas, Clancy does not agree and wholeheartedly endorses Kerry as a place to live and work, be that in an office, enterprise hub, or on conference call while sitting on the beach.
“Our wifi at home is better than what I’ve come across in many places in Cork or Dublin,” he said.
“And while I still need to travel most weeks for work, the train station in Killarney connects us to all the main cities across the country and there is also a very good airport at Farranfore that can have you in Dublin, the UK, or mainland Europe, in a matter of hours. As someone who’s spent a lot of time in airports all over the world, I can honestly say it’s the easiest one to navigate that I’ve ever come across.
“So, I would encourage people to give Kerry a try. If you work from home, anyway, then why not rent a place somewhere in the county for six months and see what you think. I can’t speak more highly of this part of the country.”
Hrvoje Smolic says “there are huge benefits available for anyone wanting to progress their career while also enjoying a more relaxed pace of life and a better place to bring up their children”.
“When I moved to Kerry, I realised that some people perceived the county to be all about hospitality, tourism and farming,” he said. “This surprised me as I didn’t see it that way at all. For me, it is a beautiful, natural world with so many other opportunities as well.
“I wanted to be the founder of a top-class AI data analytics start-up, and I’m doing that from Kerry. I think it is probably one of the top places in the world to be. That’s what I would say anyway.”
Choose Kerry for that unique combination of quality of life and opportunity, sustained by a strong, supportive economic and community eco-system.
