Brother and sister Dwayne and Rachel Hanlon, originally from Sandymount, had been living with their father in Tallaght when he sold the house, bought an apartment in Alicante and retired to Spain.
They decided to buy a house together, which they now share, on the Branswood estate at the edge of Athy town.
Both drive separately to work in Dublin and leave home at 6am. They say it takes "about an hour to get in" but if they left "after 7am it could take two hours" as morning traffic builds.
Dwayne (29) is a metal fabricator who works at construction sites all over Dublin but begins each day at the company depot in the Greenhills industrial estate, Walkinstown.
Rachel (31), a delivery driver with a transport company based in Tallaght, whose job takes her all over the country, admits "it's a challenge every day to get up at 6am but thousands have to do it".
She said they decided to buy in Athy because "Dublin was too dear - not just for houses, but for everything" and found the house by looking on the internet.
They bought the three-bedroom semi-detached, 102sq m (1,100sq ft) house off-plan last February for €229,000. Today she believes it would cost about €295,000.
They moved in last September and Rachel says "the town is lovely" and can see herself living there long-term.
Both say that they miss friends (although they visit regularly) but nothing else about Dublin, and are impressed by the low cost of living, finding that the "the weekly shop is much, much cheaper".
Neither had been to Athy before deciding to buy the house. Dwayne says he fell in love with it on his first visit and now enjoys the peace and quiet after a day's work in the capital and also likes the pubs, which have "great atmosphere".
Both say they would like if the town had a big cinema and some more shops but otherwise are very content.
They say that local people are very friendly and helpful. At a Texaco garage where they often stop to get coffee on the way to work, people greet strangers with, "How's it goin' bud?" or "How's it goin', pet?" and, as Rachel observes, "you wouldn't get that in Dublin".
