Navigating government bureaucracy can be daunting, especially for Irish expats looking to return home or renovate ancestral properties. A Sligo native living abroad has created a free, accessible solution to bridge this information gap for the global Irish community.
Daniel O'Hara, who has been living abroad for ten years, came up with the idea during a recent visit to his hometown in County Sligo. While helping his father around the house and on the bog, they turned the conversation to the challenges of finding accurate information about Ireland's Vacant and Derelict Property Grant. His father was trying to renovate his own father's house but faced a wall of confusing paperwork and scattered resources.
The issue hit closer to home when O'Hara realized that several neighbors in the village were also missing out on financial aid. Some residents had recently installed new doors and windows, completely unaware that a specific government grant could have covered a portion of their expenses.
Determined to help, O'Hara spent his evenings and weekends in Dubai building Irish Grants and Supports, a free online tool designed to bring all available Irish aid programs into a single centralized location. The website allows users to bypass complicated jargon and search for assistance using everyday language.
"It's a free website that helps people in Ireland find the grants, payments and supports they might qualify for," O'Hara said.
"You describe your situation in plain words, something like 'I'm a carer' or 'I'm doing up an old house,' and it shows you what's out there with a link straight to the official page."
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The motivation behind the passion project stems from a desire to look out for those who might otherwise be left behind by the digital divide or complex government websites.
"I kept thinking, if my dad is struggling with this and he has me to help, what about the person who has nobody," O'Hara explained.
"The supports are there. People just can't always find them."
Though it launched just weeks ago, the platform has already resonated deeply with users. More than 900 people from 15 different countries utilized the tool in its first fortnight, with many clicking directly through to official government pages to begin their claims. The site has quickly grown beyond housing to encompass 16 distinct categories, such as childcare, farming, small-business startups, and the arts.
For the global Irish diaspora, the website has become an invaluable asset for planning a move back to the Emerald Isle. Many expats are entirely unaware of the financial reliefs available to returning citizens.
"The returning-home reliefs surprise people most, things like bringing your car back without paying VRT, or your foreign income not being taxed in the year you move home," O'Hara noted.
Living thousands of miles away in the United Arab Emirates gave O'Hara the unique perspective needed to recognize the barriers facing those who want to move back. Roughly half of the website's traffic comes from overseas users in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates who find the practical side of relocating confusing.
For O'Hara, the venture remains deeply tied to his roots and his family home in Sligo.
"Building this in the evenings and at weekends, from Dubai, has been a way of staying connected to home and doing something useful for people there," O'Hara said.
"It started with my own family, so every time someone tells me it helped them, it really means something."
To find out more, visit IrishGrantsAndSupports.ie, or follow Daniel O'Hara on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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