From Waterford originally, James lived and worked in Dublin, Co Clare and England before making the West his home.
“After my wife (Orla) and I got married in 2017, we started thinking about leaving England and moving back to Ireland, but with the cost of living and long commutes in Dublin we were looking to relocate to a location outside of Dublin.”
When a role as Manufacturing Sciences Manager at Beckman Coulter came up, James said he jumped at the chance.
Clare is a great location, I lived here in 2013 for one year before moving to England, so I knew all about the location. There’s lots of beauty here, the people are very friendly and I love our regular trips to Lahinch Beach. It’s also the perfect location for my family with my hometown and Orla’s hometown (Kerry) only a few hours away.”
James who has recently bought a four-bedroom house in Quin, just outside Ennis, says his family is officially settled in Clare where he says there is more to life.
“We like the pace of life here and we have a lovely spacious garden for our son Rion (aged 1) and there are lots of kids living in the area. It’s a very affordable and lovely place to live. I can’t even imagine what we would pay for a house like this in Dublin.”
Since moving West, James is enjoying a better quality of life, as well as benefiting from a cheaper cost of living and career advancement opportunities. “Life in England was very busy, in Clare we have more time to spend with each other and on our hobbies.
There’s also lots of potential for promotions and further education here with Beckman Coulter and a very competitive salary which is better than the UK and on par with expectations for Dublin. This combined with a more affordable cost of living means more money in your back pocket.
While in Warrington in England, James worked as a Staff Scientist with Thermo Fisher Scientific and is now in a managerial role with Beckman Coulter.
“There’s a huge focus on career development here and Beckman Coulter is amazing in terms of career progression. I’ve only been here two years, but already I’ve had opportunities to advance my career and education. I recently completed a Diploma in Management from UL and I’ve just started an online course in Negotiation Mastery with Harvard.”
For James, the decision to move was an easy one. “There’s a great work level balance within Beckman Coulter with flexitime to allow breathing room for dropping off and collecting children. You can work hard and advance your career without it affecting your personal life.”
To top it all off, James now has more time to do the things he enjoys, like sea swimming in Lahinch, CrossFit, hiking in the Burren, running along the 12 O’Clock Hills in Knockanuarha and exploring local parks with his family.