Moving to newry

[Poilin]

we are thinking of moving from London to newry ,any advice areas towns and public transport ,we are originally from the south of Ireland and have have lived in the uk for 35 year and plan on retiring so we don’t need to commute, reason for going to newry is the south make it very difficult for expats returning 😡

I live close to newry and intentionally didn't move there when we returned home. Lots of dodgy areas and trouble any night - fights. There's a massive problem with burglaries at the minute. It's not a bad town but you would need to know where to live.

But living in NI is much cheaper than in ROI. Housing, food, tax, everything.

I would do my research well. Figure out what you need close by and what you could live without. London will be a big culture shock.

But I wouldn't move home without intending to drive. Public transport is awful. Hourly at best and hard to navigate. Lots of towns don't have train stations.

Yes, more expensive in the Republic but our average wages are much higher.

If you’re selling a house in London , I’d move to Hillsborough. Easy access to the dual carriageway and it’s a straight run to Newry and beyond .
Lots of lovely restaurants, a fabulous park and lake, easy to get around and a reasonably good bus service to Belfast and Dublin .
North down is lovely too but not as convenient for driving south . Lots of lovely houses and areas in the countryside around Hillsborough, dromore , Banbridge . I’d avoid the larger towns tbh .

You only need driving lesson s if you have no license. UK license is fine to convert. No way will you pay 120 to convert a Sterling pension. I know loads of people getting Sterling pensions and the charges are minimal. Prescriptions are capped at 20 a month if on medical card which is automatic if over 70 and high threshold if retired and capped under other scenes depending on circumstances. Free tv license, travel on public transport with an accompanying adult, heating and electricity allowances, and there is more. Pensioners are well treated in Ireland as they get out and vote and politicians look after them. Maybe worth having another look.

Tax is minimal up to 36k and you get increasing allowances as you get older. I travel between UK and Ireland and not much difference on shopping. Trains are now cheaper in Ireland, bus about same, entertainment cheaper than London, broadband and sky a bit more. Insurance significantly more. I was in the North last month and didn't find it cheaper at all. Petrol same price, meal out same etc

You say you’re retiring? What sort of vibe are you looking for? Small town? Still a bit towny/cosmopolitan? What are your hobbies? Are you outdoorsy / wanting to have escape to the country on your doorstep, or to be close to the coast etc?

NI is great in the variety it can offer in short a short distance. If you still want a city feel, but a reasonable and very quick drive south Belfast is lovely. And if you branch out east of Belfast to holywood, Bangor / North Down they are lovely seaside feel towns (and good train line right into Belfast).

Hilsborough is very pretty and upmarket - would be very peaceful and is right off main road South and 20mins to Belfast, but you would need a car to get around.

If you want mountains on your doorstep go to Newry / surrounding area. If you want rural town/countryside there’s no end of those!

Would definitely say, whilst it has its positives and draws, don’t restrict yourself to Newry just because it’s on the border.

Think about what lifestyle you want first.

I think people are being a bit negative about Newry from my experience.
It’s a decent size of a town and has much better shopping than any in the surrounding area.
It has a wide range of cafes and restaurants and also some nice pubs (I’m assuming as you’re retiring clubs aren’t your thing- not mine either).
There’s beautiful places to go for a morning / day with fabulous scenery- Slieve Gullion/ Camlough lake/ Rostrevor and Warrenpoint/ Carlingford/ Mourne mountains.
It will of course be massively different from London but In NI terms there is a great cultural scene in the area both drama and music- really only Belfast and Derry have better in NI.
Public transport is iffy around the area but is excellent to both Dublin and Belfast (bus or rail) both of which are only an hour away. I think having a car would make your experience of the area better.
Yes there are dodgy areas but that’s the case in any decent sized town.
Personally I would live in one of the surrounding villages such as Camlough/ Bessbrook/ Rostrevor rather than Newry itself but then I’ve become much more of a country person as I’ve got older.

Can’t thank you all enough for your input we are now looking at Lisburn and hillborough any info on either would be greatly appreciated .

If you go to Ireland, you can probably draw the state pension from there. On top of your private/British pension.

www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/introduction_to_the_irish_system/moving_to_ireland_and_your_social_security_entitlements.html

Not an expert on either as have only had day trips to each.
Both close to Belfast and on the road south. Hills borough much prettier (and expensive) has lovely restaurants but getting groceries etc would require a drive rather than walk. Village feel.
Lisburn much bigger. Has some rougher areas so should be careful where you buy/ rent. Much better for shopping etc. Officially a city but really a big town, will probably be an outer suburb of Belfast before long.
Both have same distances roughly from Belfast/ roads south/ day trips etc so it probably depends which vibe you like better.

Btw my vote would definitely be for hillsborough

Hillsborough over Lisburn any day.

Lisburn, whilst officially a city (always good for Pointless!) doesn't have a lot to offer. Supermarkets aplenty, but the high street and malls have the same emptiness that you'll find all over the UK. A couple of decent restaurants and a train station. Affordable housing, good library and park, cinema and swimming pool, hospital, some arts/ entertainment at the Island centre.

Moira is worth investigating - small and pretty village plenty of naice coffee shops and an award winning butcher, near a train station, close to Sprucefield or The Boulevard for shopping outings.

Hi luckystar1 I know this is an old thread but I'm really interested to hear your suggestions on nice areas in Newry. It would really help as I'm considering relocating there. I do know the area but it's always great to get an insider's knowledge. Hopefully its not too late to get a reply on this thread.

I agree with Poilin, after planning a move to the South - we love Ireland and have deep roots - we are now looking at the North. We dont mind paying extra taxes etc but selling a house (and some other stuff) in the UK and buying in the South is very complicated and we'd have no idea how much we owe Irish revenue until after the event. I have taken advice and accountants hand-wave but to be honest its a mine-field. I was also told forget moving pensions - impossible. Also working from home in the South for a UK company - again forget it. Ultimately, I wish someome could just tell us how much we would owe in advance so we could then budget accordingly. As an aside - one bizaare point is Revenue Tax Form 11 is also for non-residents to fill in. By my estiimate there are 7 billion non=-residents on the planet; but not clear if they are all expected to fill it in! All told, we are now considering the North too

I do love NI, I'm from ROI originally but life is easier up here (cheaper, slower) and so I've no desire to move back. I'm in North Down so can't really give advice on Newry and surrounds. My ILs are in that area and I have to say although parts are lovely to visit it wouldn't be for me to live, but I don't know it well enough to advise.

Interesting thread, I know newry extremely well. The city itself isn't madly attractive, but some of the surrounds are lovely. What about heading out the coast to Rostrevor or Warrenpoint? Close enough to newry for everything you need, but much more picturesque.

Having been through the experience of buying a house in ROI I agree it is that much of a PITA that a move like this makes sense.

.

Not an unreasonable idea. You're a train ride away from Dublin, there's nothing affordable in Dublin. You will get a nicer house, you'll still have the NHS. The contributions made to your UK state pensions will be easy to access from northern ireland. I used to live in the UK and made ALMOST but not quite ten years' worth of contributions to uk state pension.

I think Lurgan and Bangor are supposed to be nicer towns, not 100% sure, but the handiness of newry is inarguable!

You sound really confused. The woman in the social security office advised you not to move, someone you met on holiday advised Newry. Such a huge difference between Newry and York for starters and you then go on to say anywhere in the North. You need to do a lot more research, do a pro/cons list, what are your non negotiables, how near you need to be to your families, don't forget they have built their own lives so may not have as much free time for you as you think. Thousands and thousands of emigrants (Irish have never been expats) have returned to Ireland to live very successfully. When was the 12 driving lesson introduced? Somethings are dearer but there is very low property tax, depending on where you live lots of farmers markets, someone always willing to give a helping hand, limited monthly costs for medication and many other benefits.

Hi, just wondered how you got on? I made the move myself from London to Newry in 2023 and it's such a beautiful area. Town itself nothing to write home about. The Council have a lot of work to do. People are so lovely. Chilled, calm and chatty. I'm looking at commuting via train to Dublin for work as takes just over an hour. Biggest challenge is finding companies in Dublin who hire people living in NI. Some don't have a clue about the double tax treaty. Overall, from South London to here is a culture shock, but a good one. The nature here is breath taking.

We ended up moving to ballycastle beautiful little town with walking distance to the beach etc ,best neighbours in the world believe it or not health service fantastic .miss the convenience of public transport we had in London including airport choices but wouldn’t swap it for the world ,would you not be better looking for work in Belfast?