Moving to Ireland

[Bid876]

Hi, I’m looking for advice on moving to Ireland please x

Sorry this is long 🤦‍♀️

My husband starts a new job in a few weeks in a Dublin. We are currently in the UK. He is going to commute initially for a number of reasons but the main ones are that:

1 I don’t want to pull my 2 primary age children (6 & 8) out of school after missing 6 months already this year, I don’t think it will benefit them emotionally. We’ve also just got our 3yr old settled in a good preschool.
2 The job is in a Dublin but I know Dublin is expensive so we need time to find the right place to settle, 1 for cost & 2 schools. We have lived overseas before moving back to the UK with a 1 & 3yo, we moved 4 times in 18 months before we found the right location, I don’t want to repeat this, again it would not be fair on children and I don’t think I could do it again with 3 children in tow.
3 Two of the children are under the hospital for medical care. I’ve finally got an appointment with an allergy specialist at the end of the year for my 3yo after being rushed to hospital after having a severe allergic reaction. It’s taken me a yeR of fighting, so I’m not going anywhere until we get answers.
4 We have been told this week that the school is putting our 6yo forward for dyslexia testing, so I also want to see that through and not move schools while this is happening.

The advice I am looking for please is on:

1 good towns to live with a young family and plenty of activities, under normal circumstances the children do lots of activities, swimming, drama, gymnastics, football, brownies etc... Preferably No more than 1-1.5hrs from Dublin.
2 information on the school system please. I’ve heard mixed reviews on it, some say it’s better than the UK others say it’s far more formal and regimented (throwback to the 70s when children all sat facing a blackboard and chanted their times tables...) I know it’s very Catholic, that’s fine as we are Catholic (Even if we very rarely go 😬) and mainly single gender schools, but that’s all I know about it. I’d also like to hear from anyone who may have an insight into how dyslexia is handled in schools. I had a very bad experience with schools and my dyslexia when I was young, I don’t want my daughter going through that. I know UK schools have come in leaps and bounds from my day, I’d like to know if Irish schools have too please.
3 How the medical/healthcare system works. I also have medical issues and will be needing to find a Rheumatologist as soon as we move. In the UK we have to register with a GP in out catchment area, even proving we live there. Is this the same in Ireland or can you register with any GP surgery? I’d also be keen to understand how the payment system for medical care works, costs involved for GP, hospital visits etc...

Sorry for the long thread.

Thanks xxx

Thanks everyone. DH heads over in 2 weeks he is going to stay past his quarantine period so he can start looking at areas to live. I’ve given him a long list to keep him busy 😂

Hi Bid876

I'm actually from Rush so I can tell you a bit about the town and surrounding areas, although I've lived in the UK for the past 10 years.
I'm moving back in the next few months hopefully with my partner and two boys. I'm just trying to get things in order really. When I moved to the UK it was just me so definitely a lot easier. I'd be grateful to chat if you've found any info that's helpful or visa versa.

Hope your husband is getting on okay OP. He won't be able to explore too much with the 5km rule in place at present.

If your budget permits I would pick Skerries. It has lots of good cafes and restaurants and a great community spirit. The 3 national schools there are excellent and there are lots of things for kids to do.

Regarding dyslexia- The Dyslexia association of Ireland is very helpful. Depending on the severity of your child's dyslexia they may be eligible to attend the SLD in another school for 2 years. The Dyslexia association also run weekly workshops.

@NK1cf53daaX127805d4fd5 thanks.

Skerries is an are we are looking at.

Personally, I would avoid Kildare. Small towns in the midlands... generally not the cosmopolitan vibe I suspect you'd prefer op.

It's hard to recommend a location without knowing where the office is and what your budget is like. If you're interested in fee paying schools (most Irish primary schools are not fee paying but are still, in my experience, excellent) have a look at Sutton Park school. It has a large expat community who are very welcoming and very supportive of each other.