Leitrim’s drive to attract new residents

Council unveils Definitely, Leitrim campaign as housing supply challenges remain

Leitrim County Council has launched the Definitely, Leitrim campaign to encourage more people to move to the county.

The Definitely, Leitrim initiative comes as housing supply remains limited, with council officials promoting the county as an attractive place to live while local property agents say planning and infrastructure remain major barriers to increasing the number of homes available despite opportunities in the market.

"There's no one single solution to it, but it's really important that we tell a very positive story about where the county is going," said David Minton, Director of Services with Leitrim County Council, who is leading the Definitely, Leitrim campaign.

He believes that demonstrating demand for homes in Leitrim will encourage developers to build in the county.

However, a lack of demand is not the fundamental problem stopping developments in Leitrim, or any other county, according to Carrick-on-Shannon real estate agent Joe Brady.

The risk of trying to get a project over the line when it could be stalled in the planning process, or struggling to get a water connection after a company has spent a year and thousands of euro on a development, is simply too high, he said.

"When you're looking at the fellas making projects that are in the millions, a nice story doesn't cut it anymore. It's going to come down to hard money. There are no fools, and there are no people with romantic notions who are around with 2 million quid."

He stressed that the planning process is a national issue which is outside the control of Leitrim County Council.

Despite house prices increasing in recent years, Leitrim remains an attractive place for people to buy a home, with median prices still among the lowest in the country at €210,000.

"I can tell you, when people come in from outside, and they see that they can buy a detached house on an acre for 250,000 or something. They're saying, 'Alright, I'll have that, I'll have two of them if you've got them,'" said Brady.

Migration to the county has increased in recent years, with the 2022 Census showing Leitrim's population grew by 10% to 35,199, an increase of 3,155 people between April 2016 and April 2022.

The increase in population comes with challenges, such as a limited housing market, but Minton said solutions are available for those who wish to move to the area.

“People are lapping them up when they are finished, but there are very few people who have the time and the skills to buy something that needs work”

One such solution is using vacant properties through the Croí Cónaithe grant, which provides people with up to €70,000 to refurbish derelict buildings. Leitrim recorded a vacant property rate of more than 7% in 2025, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Another is the Above the Shop grant, offering up to €135,000 to convert space above commercial premises into residential units in towns and villages.

There is a huge appetite for this type of retrofitted property among people who want to live in Leitrim, according to south Leitrim real estate agent James Spring.

But he said that, despite the grants being attractive, people are still hesitant to buy and commit to refurbishing properties.

"People are lapping them up when they are finished, but there are very few people who have the time and the skills to buy something that needs work."

Currently, construction companies cannot avail of the grant, but Spring believes that if this were changed, small local builders could also avail of the grants, enabling them to buy properties and more efficiently get finished homes ready for the market.

"If somebody would do up all these old properties and sell them, there is a market ready to go.

“There are people looking to buy them and live in them."