Irish Financial Independence & Personal Finance Podcast

Friday 10th April 2026

Moving to West Clare - an early retirement fantasy

I wake to the sound of silence, perhaps the odd sound of nature, but no presence of any other human around. It is quiet, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. I lie awake for a few minutes, until I hear the sound of life from the room opposite us. Our older son is awake, about to jump in the shower. I check the time - the school bus will be collecting him in an hour.

My youngest comes in and jumps on the bed, asking where his uniform is before heading off to get changed. The primary school is two kilometres down the road. I wonder if we’ll take the bikes this morning, or just hop in the car. I can hear the wind - it nearly always blows in from the west - but there’s no sign of rain. We might take the bikes today. There’s no fear of traffic either way.

By 9am, I’m back from the school run and thinking about the day ahead. With an acre site, we have a small orchard and a few chickens roaming about the place. I head out to collect the daily eggs while my wife decides between waffles or French toast. I can hear her put the kettle on and sing to herself as she waits for me to come back in.

There always seems to be something to do in the garden. I have breakfast before heading back out to keep myself busy. My wife moves into her usual morning routine - tidying up, a quick run of the vacuum. I pick up the strimmer and start cutting back the edges when our neighbour, from a couple of kilometres down the road, slows the car and stops for a chat about the field next door - I’m half convinced we should buy to expand the orchard.

By 11.30am, I’m back inside. I help with a few chores, and then we settle into a slower pace - watching something on Netflix, chatting, reading, and just being in each other’s company.

We are officially retired - in our early 40s.

We rented out our four-bedroom house in Limerick and moved to West Clare, West Clare. With the house rented, we have six rental properties bringing in a gross rent of around €11,500 per month. Across seven mortgages, repayments come to roughly €6,000, leaving us with about €5,000 after maintenance, before tax. The income is split between my wife and I, keeping tax manageable. We want for very little - our biggest expense is usually the weekly grocery shop in Kilrush, 20 minutes away.

This story is, of course, fictional - or at least partly fictional.

We do own a property in West Clare, but we don’t live here full time. Not yet. This is just one version of what could be. One of the options we’ve created. And that, more than anything, is what financial independence has given us - choice.

Over Easter, we spent two weeks in our coastal home. No chickens or orchard just yet, but I found myself outside most days - cutting trees, digging flower beds, mowing the lawn, putting up a trampoline for the kids. Just being out in nature, in wellies and overalls.

Life here is simple.

The silence is golden. The wind whips in from the west, but when it drops and the sky turns blue, it feels like heaven on earth. I find myself staring at the ocean more than I probably should, reflecting on the simple things.

The road outside is a single lane. A neighbour might pass once or twice a day. Maybe a tractor. The nearest house is hundreds of metres away. I could hit a golf ball in any direction without fear of hitting anything.

Isn’t it strange how we crave calm and quiet when life gets busy, yet build lives that leave so little room for either?

Escaping to West Clare isn’t about running away. It’s a reminder to slow down. A chance to step back and reflect.

And maybe that’s what this is really about.

Not escaping life, but designing one that feels a little more like your own.

West Clare isn’t the goal. It’s just one version of what’s possible.

The real goal is having the freedom to choose - where you live, how you spend your time, and what your days look like.

For us, that might one day mean a quiet morning on the west coast, collecting eggs and listening to the wind.

Or it might mean something entirely different.

But the point is, we get to decide.

And that, in the end, is what financial independence is really about - having the freedom to choose.

A powerful place to be.

March 2026 Portfolio Update

Honestly, war…. what is it good for - absolutely nothing! Our equities took a dive, fuel prices up, fuel protests and shortages - life is all a bit nuts at the moment.

Our stocks took a hit, all part of the course.

We are days away from closing on our fifth investment property. We are in the early stages of getting the property ready to rent. In previous deals, this was a mad rush. Now we will take our time a little more, get it right, and get it rented when it is ready.

March is always an expensive month for us with our properties, property tax comes out on seven properties now. We have insurance due on one of our properties, and a few other annual expenses come out. Still a solid month overall for properties, and once we get our fifth investment property rented, our numbers will look better again.

Let’s break down the numbers:

Monthly Portfolio Growth Report

Portfolio Breakdown

The table below shows the breakdown of my portfolio into the various asset classes:

2026 Year to Date Returns

Here is a summary of my year to date returns for 2026.

2025 Year to Date Growth Report
Opening Balance	€846,030.49
New Contributions	€140.00
Equities Capital Gains + Dividends	€-3,763.89
Real Estate Rental Income	€10,371.03
Interest on Cash Savings	€7.72
Closing Balance	€852,785.35
Portfolio Return	€6,614.86
% Return	0.78%

< Previous FI Update    Next FI Update >