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!

@mathanxiety would you be surprised, everyone in Ireland knows everyone else.

Wow, a lot of comments now!

I do love Ireland and would love to live in Dublin so I am keen not to lose an opportunity. On the other hand, the cost of housing is giving me second and third thoughts! I knew it was going to be more expensive but it seems like the expense may well outweigh the benefits for us.

The plan is initially to have OH to work over there during the week and see what he can find whilst he’s there.

I drive, my OH doesn’t – he would consider up to 90 minute commute to be reasonable but the shorter the better.

We are not religious but have no problem with kids going to a Catholic school. I am a little worried about how we could help the kids catch up with learning Irish. Hoping that we may be able to find some tutoring once we get there.

Healthcare would be covered by his employer
We currently live in a suburb of a large city which has a lovely community feel with lots going on and I would like a similar vibe.

OH is the main breadwinner – he is on approx. 94,000 Euros . We are waiting on numbers from his office but they have said they are going to uplift it to reflect Dublin costs, but we are waiting to find out exact numbers. I currently work part time and we are working on the assumption that I would probably not be able to work initially.

We could probably stretch to a mortgage of approx. 700K euros which does seem pretty low for Dublin.

So far we are considering Dun Laoghaire, Clontarf, Portmarknock, Dunlaoire, Bayside, Baldoyle, Louth and Sandymount. But it sounds very much like it will all hinge on whatever we can afford. Think we will do more research into the all the above areas.

This thread has given me a lot of food for though and loads of really helpful advice so thank you everyone 😊

We live in a rural town in Meath
Lunch Today just a plain cheese and ham toastie and a black coffee-13 euro in a local hotel.
Steak in the bar there is now 40 euro for an 8 ounce .i mean seriously !!soo expensive!! I think your DH should commute and see does he like working in Dublin before ANY big decisions regarding moving ! 94k euros is a good wage for one person.it would need to be closer to 110k to have a nice life..heard loads of young lads about 22 yrs old so outta college heading to canada / new york. Sorry 1600 euro for a house in Mullingar per month as opposed to 800euro for a place in New york. Dont know is that true for NYC so a brain drain has started due to the cost of accommodation !!
I feel if you work you pay for EVERYTHING and if you dont work you pay for NOTHING in this country. Its v tough here ( maybe thats true for every one !)

94k euros is a good wage for one person.it would need to be closer to 110k to have a nice life

Complete and utter rot. As for euro for a gaff in new york...only if you're flying into 1995.

700k will get you a 5 bed detached in commuterville

€94K is <5K a month after tax.
Max mortgage approx €320K provided you aren’t paying childcare.
Monthly repayment dependent on mortgage term.

It isn’t enough to live on the coast with dependents and maintain a comfortable lifestyle. You will struggle.

However you will afford two houses in Louth!

There is plenty of seaside in Louth. Portlaoise? Any opinions? It would be an ok commute twice a week.

So far we are considering Dun Laoghaire, Clontarf, Portmarknock, Dunlaoire, Bayside, Baldoyle, Louth and Sandymount

You sound very mixed up OP!

These areas are very different. Bayside / Baldoyle - just no, no idea why you'd chose these areas. Portmarnock is lovely but will be a nightmare commute for DH. (Can only really go on the bus).

Louth is an utterly different county - you would be mad to live there intentionally & commute, even with some wfh. And how would he get there is he doesn't drive?

And in any case you'll need to rent before buying.

That said, while supply is low, I think you'll manage to find something in your budget, albeit expensive.

Re health insurance (not healthcare), it will be a benefit in kind, and you'll more than likely have to pay a partial contribution per month.

Also as standard, health insurance doesn't cover GP visits, dental visits, physio - however there are many packages that do, to a certain amount. You'd need to check this out.

Done the research last year I had the opportunity to be transfer to either our branch in NI or the one in the South of Ireland. Renting was really an issue, did not really like NI as met an awful woman there (thank Lisa M for your stupid advice) so she put me off NI, love the South of Ireland, you need a car as bus/train network is bad, finding a rental was very hard, did manage but unfortunately ex husband decided in fact that he did not want the kids to move there before agreeing at first. If you can do it but renting in Dublin is very difficult, it is cheaper to buy than rent I found

Dundalk and Drogheda are in Louth, they have trains. It's a nice county, from what I've seen. Carlingford is pretty, but far away!

Dun Laoghaire, Clontarf, Portmarknock, Dunlaoire, Bayside, Baldoyle, Louth and Sandymount.

Dun Laoghaire and Dunlaoire are the same town, different spellings. It's officially Dun Laoghaire. If you're interested in that area, most of the suburbs nearby are nice. Glasthule, Sandycove, Cabinteely, Johnstown, parts of Ballybrack, Killiney (much more affordable away from the coast), Stillorgan, Leopardstown, Booterstown, Deansgrange, Kill o' the Grange, Cornelscourt.

I wouldn't bother with Bayside. It's a little too close to Kilbarrack for my taste. Kilbarrack is pretty rough. Portmarnock is much nicer. Sandymount is nice, convenient to the city.

Check out Rathmichael/Shankill if you like the coast and value transport options.
lisney.com/neighbourhood/rathmichael/

Louth is way the hey out there. A very long commute.

I would go south if you were up for that amount of time commuting. There are lovely towns in Wicklow - Bray, Greystones, Arklow, Wicklow Town, Kilkoole, Rathdrum, or even Newtownmountkennedy - with rail/bus links to Dublin, access to the Wicklow Mountains and nice beaches in both Wicklow, and Wexford further south. Carlow (large college town) has a rail link and this might work too. There's also Newbridge, Kildare (town) and Athy on the same line (Dublin to Waterford) closer to Dublin.

FGS, you are really clutching
@HandScreen
Nope, read the legislation. The intent is to reflect the fact that England and Wales (and NI, but different legislation) are regions whose beliefs and traditions are predominantly Christian. Scotland ploughs its own furrow.

You can tell Humanists UK, the National Secular Society, the National Governors Association, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Liberal Democrats, and the Committee on the Rights of the Child that their pressure to repeal section 70 of the legislation is based on a huge misunderstanding.

Op, I’m going to try to keep my opinion level and fair but think really really hard before you do this and keep all your options open to go home should it not work. I’m sure a lot of posters here really do believe there’s no anti English sentiment here any more but believe me, it’s alive and kicking and has not improved in the last 20 years at all imo. Particularly disheartening also to see upthread is the British Muslim family’s experience but really unsurprising I’m sorry to say.
Theres some good stuff about living here but I’m afraid the negative outweighs it for me.
I’m here a very long time and I’m really and truly stuck now. If you can take the drip drip of anti English shite, fire on. If not, think hard.

I am mortified for you. The schools are non-religious, they learn about all of the various religions.

There is a big difference between this approach (it is the same as the Educate Together schools) and a religious school, like a CoE school or a Catholic school, or > 95% of state schools in Ireland, which are explicitly Catholic - they actually teach children that God is real, etc. Mortifying.

Schools in the UK will try to instil British Values around fairness, respect of difference, etc. on their curricula (if that's what you mean by Christian values). They don't prioritise beliefs about a Christian God over a Hindu God, etc.

You are way off base here, if you struggle to not understand the difference between a religious school and a non-dom one.

And they certainly don't teach children that God is real. That would be ridiculous. They literally teach that in Irish schools and in the minority of religious schools in the UK.

On behalf of my adopted county, Louth is extremely well connected. Less than an hour on the fast train from Dundalk to Connolly, 30 mins from Drogheda. 1 hour on the stopping train. Drogheda is getting a Dart extension shortly too. On the M1 I can be in the centre of Dublin in 40mins normally and the airport in 20.
And we have a lovely coast.
Most of the coast north of Dublin is nice, with the exception of Balbriggan, but even Balbriggan has a nice castle, New shopping centre and endless new housing estates going up.

Yes. And people I work with (in Kildare!) live there & commute.

But you wouldn't choose to.

They are on train lines but not all that frequent, especially outside main times.

And while anti-English sentiment hopefully won't be something OP experiences, going to a border county increases the possibility.

Great advice.

I'm sorry that's been your experience. I agree there are elements of anti English sentiment in places - I've seen it myself in a part of the country I visit.

However, it's very unlikely in Dublin, where OP & family are likely to live & work.

I work in a university. Many English people. No anti-English sentiment.

@EarringsandLipstick It does come across that way, probably because I am! So many things to consider I think my head is spinning! Thank you for your comments, they are helping to narrow down the field for us.

@mathanxiety – thanks for the suggestions, will definitely look into these

@Ohfortheloveofgodwhatnow – thank you for your honesty. All food for thought.

@StaceysmomandIhavegotitgoinon – thanks for your suggestions and tips, all very helpful
@BreakorMake – Excellent advice here, thank you so much.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and advice, sorry if I missed any individuals.