moving to Galway

[theDudesmummy]

Hello! I am moving from England to the west of Ireland in a few months' time (retiring there) and we will be doing up an old farmhouse near Galway City. Now, this is not a thread to debate whether this is a good idea etc (the decision is already made, the house already being bought etc), but the truth I that although I have lived in a number of countries (but mostly England, and mostly London) I do not know Ireland! We have a lot of reasons for moving there and are looking forward to it greatly, and I thought I would come on here to introduce myself and see if anyone has any tips, ideas etc.

Just for reference: My family consists of me, DH and DS, who is ten, is autistic and at a special school (the school in Ireland is already organised, it is one of the reasons for us choosing Galway specifically). I also have older daughters but they are adults and live in other countries. I will be retiring from my "day job" but still running a business, travelling several times a month to England for a couple of days to see clients. DH is already retired (has been DS's main carer for the past ten years) and he is going to be the one who does up the house (he has built houses before, has all the skills etc). He also has a business, which is mainly to do with another country in Europe, that will be on hold for a bit while he gets the house done.

Thanks!

[honeyrider]

What part of Galway are you moving to? I grew up there but haven't lived there since the early 80's though visit a couple of times a year.

[Rockbird]

Yes, which part? I love Galway, spent a lot of my childhood there, both in the centre and out in Salthill.

[Lipperfromchipper]

Will you be paying taxes in Ireland?? I don’t know how it will work for you but you’ll be entitled to child allowance (at least) of 140 per month for your DS. Get the habitual residence form and child benefits form as soon as you can and get that ball rolling as it will take a while.

[turkeyboots]

Galway is very lovely and has everything you would need. But the traffic in the city is awful and the rain comes in sideways off the Atlantic for most of the year. I grew up there and now live on the dryer east coast.

Business wise you'll need a good accountant as once you are resident for tax purposes your global income will be taxed here. It will be messy to get everything set up in the short term.

Also where in the UK are you going to regularly? Knock and Shannon are your nearest airports but destinations are limited. Dublin airport is a long and boring drive away.

Your DS may get an Irish language exemption for school/exams/university but apply for it asap on disability grounds if you want to. He'd have to be over 11 to get one on "educated out the country" grounds.

[theDudesmummy]

Thank you so much for the replies.

Just to answer a few points:
Moving to Oughterard.
Flying into London and Manchester from Shannon/Knock.
I have heard about the rain! We will manage, and in the summer we will be away for long periods.
Yes, I had heard that the child benefits is non-means tested there.
I will be getting an accountant as soon as we move! Global income being taxed there will work out well for us.
DS will be at a special school, they do not have to do Irish language there.

Thanks for the help!

[Lipperfromchipper]

One thing you need to be aware of is that, as far as I am aware, any carers allowance (excluding child benefit) received for a special needs child in Ireland gets stopped at 16 and they get a payment made to the child (in their own account) in their own name instead. I’m pretty sure that’s what happens but you may be told otherwise.

[theDudesmummy]

Thanks for that, as carers allowance is means tested we would not be eligible for it in any case (we are not here in UK either).

[FickleTickle]

Specific advice: the morning traffic from Oughterard to Galway is awful. It crawls from Roscahill in and can take an hour (worst between 8 and 9). The Citylink bus that is supposed to arrive into Galway at 8:30 doesnt get in til well after 9am. On the other hand, Friday traffic is much better than you'd expect.

The Macnas Halloween parade in Galway is wonderful and a must see. Can't think of any other tips....Dunnes Stores is a better supermarket than Tesco. Pizza Express is called Milano's. McCambridges is a lovely shop.

Good luck with your move, I love Galway.

[mamamalt]

Ohhh this is interesting! We are also moving to Galway! Hopefully next summer! Building our own house. My DH is from there so a bit less random! But exciting still!
Would you mind keeping us a little bit updated when you move? I'm nervous

[Graceymac99]

I live not too far from Oughterard. It is a lovely village and always has a bit of a buzz to it as it is very popular with walkers as it is at the beginning of the Western Way walking trail. There are many other lovely walking routes in the area and the Galway Wind Park is only a short distance away. The surrounding area of Connemara is absolutely stunning with its mountains and beaches. There are some lovely pubs/restaurants in the village. In the summer it has a real holiday feel to it. I really like it. It’s just that little bit too far from the city for me as I commute in the mornings and as a pp said the traffic on the N59 is pretty bad in the mornings. The rain isn’t great but on a sunny day there truely is no nicer place to be than the West of Ireland.

[theDudesmummy]

Hi there, hope everyone is staying well. Well, we decided to move immediately, as soon as the schools shut in the UK, and we have been in Oughterard since then, self-isolating so we don't bring the virus from the UK, for the past two weeks. The weather has been glorious, even from the confines of the lockdown we can see it is a gorgeous place.

Everyone we have dealt with in Ireland has been really lovely. I can't imagine in the UK they would just let you start a mobile phone contract and a broadband contract with no proof of address and no local bank account...

When schools go back DS will get transport to school, I imagine he will have to leave about an hour before school starts? Which will be fine...

[SuperSleepyBaby]

You might be entitled to Domiciliary Care Allowance and Incapacitated Child Tax Credit. I get these for my son who has autism. Join the DCA Warriors facebook page for tips on making the application or for other information about special needs issues. If you get DCA, then you also automatically get the carer’s support grant - see links below.
ASIAM - an Irish autism organisation - do membership cards - so you can get carees discounts on days out.
Do you know about July Provision for children with autism? Although, this year with the pandemic it is unlikely to be running as normal
m.facebook.com/groups/dcawarriors/?ref=group_header&view=group

www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/disability_and_illness/domiciliary_care_allowance.html

www.revenue.ie/en/personal-tax-credits-reliefs-and-exemptions/children/incapacitated-child-credit/index.aspx

www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/carers/respite_care_grant.html

m.facebook.com/AsIAmIreland/

www.education.ie/en/parents/services/july-provision/

[theDudesmummy]

@SuperSleepyBaby sorry for the delay in saying thanks for your incredibly helpful info, things have been a bit hectic. I have made some of the benefits applications and looking into all the links you sent, thanks very much indeed!

[MegCleary]

Hows the move going, we live in the UK and with the madness here I'm keen to move home, I'm Irish DH English.

[theDudesmummy]

It's been excellent. Best place to be in lockdown, and we are away from Brexit/Tories/UK politics (the original reason for the move). I am so glad to be here and not there. I did not leave the village after getting here on 21 March until this week, but now we can drive within the county so we were able to go to the beach.

[MegCleary]

Enjoy, am fierce homesick. Family all in Connemara

[SuperSleepyBaby]

You should definitely qualify for DCA if your son is in a special school. They try to turn down applications to reduce the numbers getting it - but grant a lot more on appeal. So if you are refused it then appeal - and support your appeal with a few pages showing a daily diary (of the extra care needs your son needs day to day) and a family impact statement (showing the effect of the extra care on you all).

My GP was happy to sign the incapacitated tax credit form - but some GPs are more cautious as they have to tick a box to say the child won’t be able to maintain themselves after the age of 18 - so maybe try another GP if yours refuses.

[Graceymac99]

Congratulations on the move! I don’t blame you Meg for wanting to return home, I am so glad not to be in the UK anymore between Covid, Brexit and everything else that’s going on. It’s like a world away from here even though it’s only an hour on a plane. We are so lucky with where we live, I have come to appreciate what is on my doorstep it so much more during lock down. Strangely it’s been such a sociable time as I have met and chatted (at a distance!) with so many more people on walks due to the good weather than I normally would have. I am worried about what’s going to happen in September with the schools here as it is all so up in the air at the moment but hopefully this will become clearer over the next few weeks.

[theDudesmummy]

GP was happy to sign form (there is no way anyone would think DS will ever be independent), so we have applied for that and the DCA etc. Have been told there are long waits...