Helen Dunne, a "real Dublin girl", and John Hill, originally from the Co Laois village of Mountrath, married 10 years ago and bought a house in Artane.

They were happy there but when Helen was diagnosed with MS she decided that life would be more comfortable living in a bungalow which "are few and far between and extremely expensive in Dublin".

They decided to look in Portlaoise, which she had always liked and because of John's connections. At the end of 2005, they sold their house in Dublin and moved to an attractive bungalow with a large garden close to Portlaoise town centre and are now mortgage free.

For Helen, a former nurse, and now a full-time mother to their two children, Adam (nine) and Luke (five), "Moving has been a really positive experience and the children absolutely love their schools". She is delighted with both - St Paul's and Scoil Mhuire - which, she says, " allow children to be children".

Apart from shopping on Grafton Street she doesn't miss Dublin, and believes that the stress-free environment is benefiting her health and says family and friends in the city are only an hour away.

John, a landscape gardener, had lived away from Co Laois for 20 years - in Oxford and Dublin - and "found it harder to settle". But he's enjoying life in Portlaoise now and appreciates not being stuck in Dublin traffic. He says there are loads of things for the kids to do; and for adults: "You can join a golf club for a couple of hundred euro which in Dublin could be thousands; and everything is on the doorstep - cinema, theatre and restaurants". A favourite venue for both is The Lemon Tree on Main Street where, they say,"the food is fantastic" and not expensive.

Looking around the garden where they've planted apple, pear and plum trees and grow tomatoes, Helen says: "I never thought I would leave Dublin; now I would never go back."