I'm never going back!
Herman Molenaar
Herman Molenaar moved to Killaloe in 2003, leaving the city behind, he went fishing! We asked him what was best - and worst - about the move.
“I worked for a couple of years for a ‘boss’, and that was enough, then I started my own business in Holland. After 20 years of work, I wanted something new, and Holland didn’t offer me what I wanted. I had been fishing for over 15 years and always loved fishing in Ireland. On a fishing holiday here I saw an opportunity and spoke to John at Harry Brann Auctioneers, who gave me great advice. There is no downside for me, it’s all good. Now, I take people fishing on Lough Derg and the East Clare Lakes. Fishing is a passion for me, so this way of life is very much a case of being lucky enough to do what I love doing. People say find your passion and make it your career - I’m lucky enough to have done that - I fish! I get to meet great people and on occasion I even catch a whopper! I run a lures and tackle shop, we offer B&B and my partner organises walking tours of the beautiful area, it all keeps us busy and we love it.
I felt at home in this area from the very beginning and I believe this is the best place to live in Ireland. Schools here are very good, and close by. We have plenty of great pubs, restaurants and entertainment. Every day I’m on holiday!”
Herman Molenaar : fisHerman : www.fisherman.nl
Living the dream
Cliona Geary
Fed up with day-to-day commuting, Clíona moved to the picturesque twin-towns of Ballina-Killaloe, Co Tipperary about five years ago. But far from putting her feet up and living ‘the good life’ she was very much focused on her work and moved her branding and design business, Rain Design, with her. It was a decision she’s never regretted...
“I love living here, there’s a great sense of community. We still keep an office in Dublin where many of our clients are, that’s very important. Of course it means a certain amount of travel, and that’s a compromise I’m very happy with. On balance I find that by being organised and grouping meetings together where possible things run very smoothly. Remarkably, I spend a great deal less time in the car than I did when I lived in Wicklow and had an office in central Dublin. An advantage of Killaloe has been that we’re quite centrally located and it has been much easier to serve Limerick, Galway and Cork clients from here than it was from Dublin. I’d heartily recommend it!
When I first moved to the area John found me a perfect rental property overlooking the lake, and having had a good relationship with John and Lynda we went back to Harry Brann Auctioneers when we began looking for a permanent home. I’m pleased to say they found us the perfect place.”