On Saturday, 8 November 2025, Ireland’s Minister for Rural and Community Development, Dara Calleary, cut the ribbon on the Balla Community Enterprise Hub & Remote Working Space in County Mayo. The project—funded with €120,000 under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme—has transformed a disused 19th-century courthouse into a fibre-enabled co-working centre with eight fully serviced desks, meeting rooms and video-conferencing facilities.
The hub joins more than 320 locations on Ireland’s Connected Hubs network, giving remote employees, digital nomads and start-ups a low-cost base outside Dublin while retaining access to high-speed broadband and business supports. County officials expect the workspace to create at least 15 new jobs within two years and to encourage professionals who left Mayo during the housing boom to return with their families.
![Mayo launches new Remote Work Hub to revitalize rural enterprise]()
For multinational companies, the hub widens Ireland’s talent catchment area. Employers that operate hybrid or fully remote models can now hire staff who prefer rural living but need enterprise-grade connectivity. Relocation advisers say demand for “work-from-any-county” packages has doubled since the Government extended income-tax relief for remote workers in Budget 2025.
The scheme also has immigration implications. Non-EEA nationals on Critical Skills or Stamp 4 permits may base themselves at registered remote hubs provided their employer approves the arrangement and the employee notifies Immigration Service Delivery of the change in work address. Employment-permit holders looking to buy property likewise gain more choice in the West where average house prices are 32 % lower than in Dublin.
Local business groups welcomed the opening as a concrete step toward reversing rural depopulation. “Facilities like this mean graduates no longer have to move to the capital to build global careers,” said Mayo Chambers chair Fiona Moran. “That is a game-changer for regional competitiveness.”
The hub joins more than 320 locations on Ireland’s Connected Hubs network, giving remote employees, digital nomads and start-ups a low-cost base outside Dublin while retaining access to high-speed broadband and business supports. County officials expect the workspace to create at least 15 new jobs within two years and to encourage professionals who left Mayo during the housing boom to return with their families.
For multinational companies, the hub widens Ireland’s talent catchment area. Employers that operate hybrid or fully remote models can now hire staff who prefer rural living but need enterprise-grade connectivity. Relocation advisers say demand for “work-from-any-county” packages has doubled since the Government extended income-tax relief for remote workers in Budget 2025.
The scheme also has immigration implications. Non-EEA nationals on Critical Skills or Stamp 4 permits may base themselves at registered remote hubs provided their employer approves the arrangement and the employee notifies Immigration Service Delivery of the change in work address. Employment-permit holders looking to buy property likewise gain more choice in the West where average house prices are 32 % lower than in Dublin.
Local business groups welcomed the opening as a concrete step toward reversing rural depopulation. “Facilities like this mean graduates no longer have to move to the capital to build global careers,” said Mayo Chambers chair Fiona Moran. “That is a game-changer for regional competitiveness.”
