Have you moved to Ireland from the UK? What was your experience?

[EightMonthsScared]

Hey MN!

We've fallen madly in love with a house in Ireland but don't know anybody that has made the move.

Have you done it and how has it gone for you? Good and bad.

Couple of specific questions:

1. It says online we can live and work in Ireland with no problems but is this really the case? Would hate to buy the house and then find out that we can't live there all year around or that we can't work. Would love to know how things have gone for you.

2. My grandmother was Irish (like a lot of Brits I guess!) but I sound like the actual queen. Will I have issues? Are there any areas to avoid?

I'm very sensitive to everything Ireland has been through with the English so I don't mean to stir up arguments with this question. But obviously, I want to go somewhere where my family will be welcome/safe. And that might be everywhere, but I just don't know. Again, would welcome feedback from your first hand experiences.

Anything else I need to be aware of?

Thanks all!

Ireland is crawling with Brits, you’ll be fine.

Where abouts are you thinking of moving to?

No NHS, different school system if you have kids.

To a village just outside of Cork @floydfan81

@Coronationstation does everybody have private health care instead?

It says online we can live and work in Ireland with no problems but is this really the case?
Yes, it is.

As a op says, though, don’t forget the absence of the NHS.
Medical bills can be daunting.

*pp

Thanks @Hannahsbananas that sounds like something I need to do a bit of research around.

Is it West Cork? Lots of different nationalities living there. Very touristy. In what way do you feel your family might not be 'safe'?

A GP visit will cost about €60 unless you're a pensioner, a low earner or a small child. If you have private health insurance you may be able to claim some of that back, depending on your plan.

You can get by on the public health system but there are still some costs, e.g. €100 charge for A&E (though this is waived if you are referred by a GP). You would generally be waiting longer for consultant appointments than if you went private, but that's not always the case and it depends on your condition. I've had family members receive excellent cancer and cardiac care in the public system for example.

Many employers offer health insurance as part of their benefits package.

@Utterlypeanuterly
I had an Irish ex who told me that parts of Ireland really hate the English and they'll let you know it too. But he was a cock so don't how reliable his word is.

I live in Wales at the moment and people also love to tell you how much the Welsh hate the English etc. But I've never experienced that.

With an Irish grandma you can claim Irish citizenship if you want.

You will have no problem at all - Ireland is very diverse now (compared to 10 years ago) and welcoming and open minded

you will certainly be able to live in Ireland permanently (your grandmother was Irish so you are Irish )

Most Irish people have English family and/or family that emigrated to England, you don't need to worry about not being safe.

It would be wise to familiarise yourself with our shared history, which it sounds like you have, because saying certain things in some circles could be seen as antagonistic (referring to England as the mainland, using the term Southern Ireland, basically anything that suggests Ireland is a part of the UK). But even if you did put your foot in it you wouldn't be unsafe, just perhaps disliked 😆

Some of my English family that have moved here found the sense of humour the biggest hurdle - if you're being gently teased (for being English or otherwise) it means you're in, the Irish sense of humour is generally black, sarcastic and sometimes perceived by outsiders as mean. But our rule for our family was if they're slagging you you're grand, it's when they're being polite that you need to be careful! Don't take yourself too seriously and you'll be fine. And also anyone that wasn't born in an area tends to be considered a 'blow-in' - it's not because you're English or an immigrant. In some communities even people crossing town lines are still considered blow-ins - it's always all in jest and as irritating as the endless jokes can be they usually don't mean any harm.

Honestly OP, you have as much right to be here as anyone else, I wouldn't worry about it. Never mind the fact that there are loads of Irish living in the UK.

I'm Irish and have lived in the UK on and off over the years, things are different but the same 😀. You may find it much more expensive here for certain things (car insurance for example).

The healthcare also might be an issue, you may get health insurance cover from your job, but it will be a bit of a sting to have to pay up front to see the doctor etc. if you're not used to it (€60 a pop where I live 😱) although I can usually get a same day appointment, and depending on your financial situation you may be able to claim a medical card etc. Plus you can claim back medical expenses if you are a PRSI tax payer.

This link might give you a bit more general information -

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government-in-ireland/ireland-and-the-uk/residence-rules-UK-citizens/

My friend moved to a small village in the north of Ireland last year and has absolutely no regrets. It's definitely a slower pace of life which is what they wanted and they pop back to England every few months to see family and friends. She also had an Irish grandparent which has made things easy for them. Their DD was 11 so instead of moving into secondary school, moved to a primary(?) school for a further 2 years.

Honestly OP, you have as much right to be here as anyone else

I don't know why, but that made me really emotional, must be feeling hormonal. 😂

Genuinely lovely sentiment, thank you for saying it.

Nobody is going to hate you or throw stones at you. But you might faint when you have to pay for the GP, your prescriptions, school books, school "voluntary" contribution, and higher prices for a lot of random stuff.

I don't find it that way at all. My GP is €50, A&E is free is referred by the GP. Pretty much everything else is free except medication which is capped at €80 per family. I'm under cardiology, rheumatology, am having a free mri next week after waiting 1 month(none urgent mri), am receiving free physiotherapy. Dh has a long term health condition so has a medical card on health grounds so everything is free for him.

Brit living in Ireland, I don't think I have experienced a single anti British comment in all the years I have lived here. Most Irish people have lived in the UK or other countries at some point.

It was very easy to move here, (ok a long time ago now....) just went to the PPS office (or whatever it is called now) and they gave us a PPS number. There is freedom of movement between here and UK, that means you have the same rights as EU citizens here. (Actually more, you can vote in more elections) And technically you don't even need a passport to go back and forth to the UK, photo ID is enough. Except that &*(&%%& Ryanair ignore this, but if travelling by boat or Aer lingus/BA you won't need a passport.

You do have to pay for GP visits (although I have a VHI plan that covers most of it). On the plus side it is much easier to get a GP appointment, although there is a GP shortage here too, and you can wait a couple of days to see one.

Specialists can also be a long wait, even with private cover.

also, from Dublin there are a million flights a day to the UK. I just went there and back in one day this week, cheaper than British Rail.

Double and triple check the internet situation, especially if you need it for work. Some parts still have a very slow connection. There are also some places that don't have enough connections for the number of houses. They are rolling out rural broadband but my experience is that it's following main roads at the moment, if your dream house is down a tiny side road then broadband is still years away.

There is a free movement agreement between the UK and Ireland that predates the EU, so British and Irish people can live and work in the other country without restrictions.

I moved back to Ireland from the UK over a decade ago and it was easy enough, although everything is more expensive.

Pretty much everything else is free except medication which is capped at €80 per family

Really?!

I haven’t actually lived there for years, admittedly.
That’s not how I remember it!
Is the €80 cap per month?

There is a family thing that you sign up to, the pharmacist did it for me. The cap has been going down recently, I'm sure it used to be well over €100. Currently you pay €80 per month maximum, and that's for 12 payments of €80 in a year, every now and then I get a free month because prescriptions are in 28 day chunks so there are more than 12 prescriptions in a year.

Ah, thanks @BlackAmericanoNoSugar
Like I said, it’s been a while 😄