Moving to Dublin

[Honnomushi]

My husband has been offered a office transfer to the Dublin branch of his office and we are trying to decide whether to accept it. We know the cost of living and housing is going to be higher but maybe the quality of life may be better?

We have 2 children 9 and 6 so our biggest concern is finding school places and which areas surrounding Dublin will be best to narrow our search. OH will be working in central Dublin so needs to be commutable. Which areas are we likely to get school places? Are there areas to avoid? We currently live in a urban suburb which is quite cosmopolitan so looking for something similar. We are a little worried the children may be subject to anti English sentiment, is that something that we need to take into account?

Thanks for any advice!

@TheYearOfSmallThings oh it exists. But I can safely say nothing like the hierarchy I grew up with in the UK.

Which areas are you looking at OP?

We are keeping all options open at the moment. Probably will come down to what we can afford tbh!

If you move, are you planning to stay until your DC have finished school? We moved to Dublin when DS had only done two years of primary and it was an easy enough change, but I think it would be quite tricky to move back to the UK system from the Irish one, especially at secondary level. What religion are you? If you are likely to be an active member of a Church of Ireland parish then most of the parishes with primary schools will make room for the children.

My DH didn't drive when we moved back to Dublin but he found he had to learn even though we bought a house close to the Luas. I find that public transport in Dublin is fairly effective at going in and out, but not at all good at going sideways. So DH could get to his office but places that were a 10 minute drive for me were two busses (that each go once an hour) and a walk for him. There's a lot going on for kids here but it all involves a drive to get them there. Cycle lanes are improving all the time though, so your DH could possibly cope with an electric bike for local journeys.

Housing is shocking. Sorry, I can't be more helpful than that.

We are a little worried the children may be subject to anti English sentiment, is that something that we need to take into account?

Not at all. I'm sorry you need to even ask.

There's lots of English people in most parts of Ireland.

However, there's general dismay at how desperate the British government is at the moment, particularly regarding NI & the post-Brexit situation. It would generally be assumed most English people living here share this view.

Nonsense.

I live in Dublin, in a suburb. It's fine. There's lots of things I like, some I don't.

The housing situation is really challenging tho, especially to rent. Almost nothing available & really expensive.

He doesn't drive so wherever we go needs to have good public transport links

Do you drive?

Not driving in Dublin, with kids, in a suburb, is not easy.

Transport from the suburbs to city centre is fine - Luas (tram), Dart (train) are good. Buses less so.

However, you'll really find it hard getting to places eg at weekends, kids' activities if only 1 of you drive.

Ranelagh, Rathgar, Milltown are lovely areas. Close to city centre.

Renting nearly impossible. Buying a bit easier but still challenging for the reasons mentioned. Property is very expensive & you'll need a big deposit.

Still a backwater.

You really don't like Dublin do you? It's not a backwater!

I'd look at Dun Laoghaire. A self contained seaside town on the Dart line and a half hour into town. Has two lovely piers, a yacht club (if you're into that kind of thing) every kind of shop you'd need day to day. But yes, the housing crisis is real ...

I don't find Dublin to be a backwater.

OP, despite all the noted challenges, I do recommend Dublin. I'm living here over 20 years now & raise my kids here.

I'm not originally from Dublin & like many, thought I'd come for a couple of years & then move somewhere else.

I recently realised that I don't really want to leave, ever (my marriage ended & I think I'd always assumed when my kids were grown up, I'd relocate). I love being close to the city centre but also parks, mountains, the beach. I live in west Dublin close to the Meath & Kildare borders. I'm in a very ordinary suburb (that I don't love) but I can be in the countryside in 10 minutes, Phoenix Park in 10 minutes, the beach in 30, city centre in about the same.

For me, that variety & access is what I really like. Pre-Covid I loved the ease of going to the theatre, gigs, meals out ...tho truthfully finances meant I couldn't really manage it much.

I think if your DH work can help with rental that would make a massive difference.

I'm afraid I have to agree with the poster who said its an awful place to live.
It truely is horrific.
I lived there for 2 years moved home in 2016.
I'm a nurse, worked in a hospital there.
I honestly felt like I had moved back in time, the attitudes are just ridiculous and I'm from central Scotland haha.
My quality of life was dramatically reduced from what I was used to and alot of aspects of daily life there are just irritating.
From what I witnessed, at work mainly, you all absolutely will be subject to anti English sentiment. I worked with a few English colleages and they were tormented. All my work colleagues from the UK and myself used to just moan about how shit life was there and how we wish we never met Irish men lol.
I wouldnt recommened it.

What religion are you?

This is what totally turns me off ever wanting to live in Ireland, where I partially grew up. Even though I would love to.....

I don't do religion. I do spirituality. Of course "I'm away with the fairies"! 😅

For school you can go anywhere that has space and there isn't a catchment for the vast majority

This is untrue. There is a catchment for any decent school. The schools with places available have free places for a reason!

I wouldn't recommend Dublin with children. There are far nicer areas to live outside of Dublin. Dublin has big issues with crime, homelessness, lack of police on the streets. I feel very very uneasy walking around the city on my own after 6.30/7pm when the retail shops have closed.

I wouldn't worry about anti English sentiment. Everybody in Ireland has family member living in the UK.

Ireland is expensive, very expensive. Take into account that private healthcare is essential and expensive for a family of four. You won't pay council tax but you will pay dental expenses, school books. Transport can be expensive.

I would move to Ireland but I would not move to Dublin with a family if I had a choice.

I live in Meath and totally agree. Meath is not a good commute by oublic transport and in morning traffic can be a rotten commute in. If you were looking for a connection outside of Dublin you could look at Maynooth in Kildare. University town with a good train service to Dublin.

Housing is going to be a problem.

I would avoid looking for somewhere to live anywhere between the canals unless your H's company is able to put you up in a corporate apartment for a while.

Suburbs and close in residential areas would suit you far better with children imo.
Close in areas include Harold's Cross, Glasnevin, Clontarf, Sandymount, Clonskeagh as well as many already mentioned.

Further out areas are Dundrum, Marley, Rathfarnham, Templeogue, Sandyford, Carrickmines, Dun Laoghaire, Blackrock, Clondalkin, Lucan, Leixlip, Swords, Rush.
Look at Maynooth, Bray, Shankill, Greystones, and Skerries too. Bray is a self contained town with a good mix of ethnicities. Maynooth is a university town.

• Google maps of the Dart system and also the Luas to give you an idea of where you could start looking for housing.

• Google 'church of ireland national schools dublin' for a comprehensive list, if you're looking for a non RC option for school.

Your H will need to learn to drive. The Dublin area offers soooo much in terms of recreational opportunities, but you will be stuck at home unless you are willing to do all the driving because buses don't go into the mountains, apart from the bus to Glendalough...

School books are generally handed down to younger siblings and can be resold too. You pay upfront but you get good value or a lot of your initial money back.

@Youcansaythatagainandagain no catchments here for national schools. And you can apply from abroad unlike the UK.

The Educate Together secondaries in my town are the only ones who use a catchment system as of this year. It caused much outrage in the local paper. But with the admissions changes and the banning of "the list" maybe we'll see more of them.

I suppose it depends on how you define a backwater. A few piers and a yacht club don't really cut it for a major European city.

Dublin has big issues with crime, homelessness, lack of police on the streets.

No more than any other capital city & a lot less than many.

There are unsafe parts of Dublin. But the city centre broadly is fine. I've never felt unsafe there in 20+ years of living here.

School books are generally handed down to younger siblings and can be resold too.

Most schools (at least in my area of Dublin) do book rental schemes. The cost is tied in with your payment at the start of the year (which as a consequence can be pricey enough €150 or so but includes the books, photocopying, arts & crafts). This is in relation to primary schools

You will only need to buy the workbooks in that instance.

A few piers and a yacht club don't really cut it for a major European city.

Handscreen what's wrong with you? Giving opinions is fine, but do you have to be so snide?

If you were looking for a connection outside of Dublin you could look at Maynooth in Kildare. University town with a good train service to Dublin.

Accommodation is nearly impossible in Maynooth, unfortunately & possibly worse than Dublin.

no catchments here for national schools.

Turkeyboots not sure where you live, but any part of Dublin I know has catchment areas for primary schools

It doesn't mean that no-one outside the catchment area can go, but it's unlikely & only if spaces after all those eligible have applied.

In my area, the cut off is half way across a bridge, families living on one side are in the catchment, the others not. It causes a lot of stress.

However, the situation is different for Church of Ireland schools plus, kids moving into a school (ie not starting in Junior Infants) will be much more easily accommodated as there's only 1 of them per year, and easier to slot in.

@EarringsandLipstick I'm in deeply unfashionable Louth, any school you can get to who has the space will accept you. But even out here, schools are full to bursting. Never heard of Irish schools with catchment areas before, but it is solution for urban areas.

Out here is now prime commuting territory and housing and schools are feeling the increased population. 4 bed new builds all over 600k!

If it's the IFSC, then I would suggest somewhere like D7 (Phibsboro area) or Clontarf perhaps?

If you have millions, D4 or Blackrock or the already mentioned Mahahide/Portmarnock would be ok. Shankill and Bray are on the Dart line with Bray being in Co. Wicklow and Shankill is the stop before it. Dalkey is where the likes of Bono live lol.

The benefit of D7 is that you could walk it to the IFSC (I used to work there and live in Phibsboro).

The Dart line runs right along the coast from Sutton or Howth maybe in the south, to Portmarknock and Ballinteer maybe in the north? Someone can clarify.

There is the Luas (tram). I'm pretty sure that goes to Clontarf. It's a long time since I lived in Dublin though.

Schools won't be a problem getting into really. How old are the children?