It attracted global attention when it launched in the summer of 2023, with news outlets such as CNN and Euronews reporting that Ireland’s “gorgeous islands” were going to “pay” new residents $90,000/€80,000 to move there through the Our Living Islands scheme.
Australia’s news.com said expats were being offered $140,000 to “pack up and relax into remote island life”, while the Miami Herald told its readers they could “earn” $90,000 by moving to one of Ireland’s remote islands.
On the back of this, the Department of Rural and Community Development pointed to “significant international interest” in the new policy aimed at revitalising the numbers living on…