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!

I moved to Ireland in 1995 so it was less common at that time to hear an English accent but I didn't experience any problems. I kept my mouth shut when visiting Kilmainham jail though.

Do go for the Irish passport you're entitled to, makes life in Europe far easier.

There are loads of English people around Cork. I have never experienced racism, despite having a posh English accent.

Lots of families who were originally English or non Irish like my DH’s whose families settled there centuries ago, so quite mixed in terms of religion, schools etc.

I do work from home so Internet is important. Anybody on here live in an area with poor broadband and still manage to get decent provision?

I imagine satellite Internet might be option, albeit an expensive one? 🤔

I know a few very rural people that use Starlink and obviously, it is very good but expensive. Where we are smaller local companies offer fixed wireless broadband but that is dependent on line of sight to a radio.

We moved to Ireland from the UK about 15 years ago, we have experienced xenophobia as have our Polish friends. It's never been bad enough for us to consider leaving but it definitely does exist.
GP visits and prescription charges are expensive, I recently paid 66 euros for a course of antibiotics and that was on top of 60 euros for the GP.
Competiton for housing is high.

Starlink is great and has come down in price quite a bit. When we first got it in two years ago it was €99/month but then came down twice and we’re now paying €65/month.

You can get a quote here for healthcare

www1.vhi.ie/

We do not hate people here, I mean there will be some people who do but most of us realise that we cannot change history. Up North in certain parts the Irish hate the English but down the other end (I hate saying the south but you know what i mean) we have gotten over it for the most part. As a PP said the hardest thing about living here is the cost of it.

OP, in the nicest possible way, your questions suggest you’ve spent almost no time in Ireland, if indeed you’ve spent any at all — when you say you fell in love with a house, do you mean you saw it on the internet? I would not move to another country I had not already spent considerable time in. Proximity and a shared language suggest more cultural similarities than there in fact are. There will be implications for your job, presumably, if it’s UK-based, and you want to move to an overseas tax regime, apart from anything else.

If you know the eircode of the house, put it into eir.ie to see what speed is available at the house. I live very rurally and have amazing Internet speed. Just pot luck.

To add, go for it, anywhere outside Dublin is good. (Don't shoot me😅)
School less full, more choice. Although I know there is a issue with joining GP practices dues to shortages. Lots of online GP options if you have trouble finding one.

@Tibba I have spent time there, but as a tourist. You don't get a feel for the reality of a place as a visitor, so perhaps that accounts for the naivety of my questions.

@Bingpt that's a great suggestion, thank you!

I've lived in the north for 30 years and never had a problem being English and I've been in some very republican areas in my time socialising. I would never move back to England

Do you want to share the town? If so it would help you if we could tell you if the place is a shit tip.

Eg I live in Mallow, I would tell you run away nd don't look back.

Cobh, Blarney, I'd say go for it.

Tbf most secondarys have a book rental scheme and free books this year on for primary schools.

Well, I would rent somewhere for a few months at least before committing to a house purchase. I have a lot of English friends who’ve moved here over the last five years and it’s not always been at all plain sailing, despite them having spent longer periods here before moving.

If you feel comfortable giving an approximate location, I’m in Cork.

Ireland is very different to the UK in a lot of ways, culture, societal structure, systems. It would be a big cultural
upheaval for your family. Is it worth that for a particular house? You should spend time in the area and see if you like it.
You can work in Ireland.
Like everywhere there are different kinds of people, most friendly and easy going, but you will find some who will comment on a British accent…

I moved to Ireland 25 years ago. I'm English, DH is Irish. It undoubtedly helped that I have Irish inlaws who helped me to integrate, but I can honestly say that being here has been overwhelmingly positive. I've never experienced any negativity at all. I'm so happy that my DC have grown up here. We are in a village in the west of Ireland and I can't imagine ever moving back to the UK.

I've never met an Irish person who does not have a cousin or aunt / uncle with a British accent. Cork is most removed geographically obviously from the north so you will find people are quite ignorant about northern policies and particularly indifferent about Irish/ British history. That's just my experience.

Go on tell us the town... I'm guessing Kinsale??

I'm Irish, living in Ireland - I live in Dublin and work in a teaching role in a university. So many of my colleagues are English. It isn't even a matter of comment.

I live in a cul-de-sac of 8 houses - of these 4 have at least one person in the family from England.

It's just so common.

I'd love to say there isn't any anti-English rhetoric in Ireland - sadly, there is in small, uninformed pockets. But generally, most people have a positive experience & actually my English colleagues and friends don't have much issue with needing to have health insurance / pay for GP etc

I think more important is to contrast your life now with the planned life in Ireland - job, location, size, schools & if there are any really big changes, just think how much you feel you can accept those.

Best of luck!

*politics not policies

so you will find people are quite ignorant about northern policies and particularly indifferent about Irish/ British history. That's just my experience.

I appreciate that's your experience but I couldn't disagree more strongly. Most people are very familiar with NI, historically and politically.

However, people are also cautious about bringing it up, and especially putting an English person in an awkward position.

I also think Irish / British history is very well/known by Irish people.

I’d rent before you buy - or it’ll be an expensive experiment if it’s not for you.

That’s an interesting view. I think it depends on the age group possibly. I think most people over 40 would be very aware of Irish / British history, including in Cork.

Don’t forget that you get 20% back from Revenue on whatever isn’t covered by your health insurance.