The Revenue Commissioners were involved in the biggest decentralisation programme in the early 1990s when more than 1,000 people moved to Dundalk, Wexford, Nenagh, Limerick and Ennis.
Many of the 134 people who moved to Ennis were originally from Co Clare and were happy to return to their roots. After eight years about 150 Revenue workers are now based there, where the accountant general's office is based and where VAT repayments are processed. Some couples were able to move from Dublin by one spouse taking a jobshare option in nearby Limerick, where the Revenue employs more than 500 people, for a few years before a transfer application was successful.
The smaller presence of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs and the Department of Agriculture in Ennis also allows for cross-promotional prospects.
One official, originally from Dublin, said the move gave him and his family the choice of moving to the country and "a better way of life". He cites the town's central strategic location between Limerick and Galway, its proximity to the coast and its attractiveness and relatively large size, which means it has a comfortable choice of services and facilities.
Financially, it made sense to sell homes in Dublin and buy in Ennis. In 1992, a three-bedroom semi-detatched house could be bought for as little as £38,000, says auctioneer Michael Leyden. Today, that house costs £90,000, still within range of most people's salaries while reflecting the boom in the local economy.
Months before the Revenue decentralised, Dunnes Stores opened a department store in the town, making it a more attractive shopping location. Since then, employment rose in nearby Shannon, Ennis was given the Information Age Town designation by Telecom Eireann, and the population has increased by more than a third to 20,000. It has proximity to third-level colleges in Limerick and Galway, and airport access at Shannon.
"We have the best of all worlds here in Ennis. We have a high disposable income, socio-economic group here. They have the benefits of cheap housing, the benefit of the coastline within 20 minutes, and the benefit of being in London in one hour and in New York in six," he says.