Where to move to in Ireland, and would you move now?

[Costacoffeeplease]

A friend is looking to relocate to Ireland, has an Irish passport, so no issue there, no kids to consider and she’s retired.

Would like to be amongst nature but not too isolated - maybe west coast, Galway/Mayo? Or any better suggestions? And would it be a sensible move at the moment (thinking economy, house prices etc)?

A couple of more details would help, what is her budget, is she a confident driver? any access to particular services required?

Galway is expensive but amazing 😍. A more budget friendly place would be county Clare, if she wanted a big town and freedom to be car free I would recommend outskirts of Ennis.

Has she looked at price of houses? What’s her budget?

More detail needed. Castlebar, Westport and Ballina in Co Mayo are maybe good options - lovely towns with most amenities you’d want. Will be easier to make friends in a town. Some of Mayo is pretty remote and, as a retiree, I wouldn’t want to live on Achill Island. Does she need to consider healthcare - in Co Mayo and Co Sligo hospital appointments are often in Galway, which can be 2.5hr drive. Beaches are amazing around there though.

Dunno about sensible move. I’m sceptical of “escape to the country” retirements. Can be tough to move. You say she has an Irish passport, not that she’s Irish, so presumably she doesn’t know what it’s like to live there? DM says Irish pensions are better than UK and healthcare is getting better.

House prices are currently through the roof and virtually no rental market.

As others have said, need more details of her requirements.

We moved back to England last year after almost 2 years in Ireland. We loved the country but cost of living was just unrealistic for us. House prices through the roof, basics like food far higher than the UK, getting access to a gp, in almost 2 years we couldn't register with a gp, we were lucky and had cover through DHs work and online gps. As others have said she will need to think about her age and access to hospitals, medical care. Even otc medicens are far more expensive and less options to buy from the chemist e.g you will need a prescription for things like antibiotic eye drops you can buy otc here.

You don't need an Irish passport to live in Ireland, there is a free travel agreement between the 2 countries.

One option if she's not set on the republic is NI, cost of living is cheaper and she will still have access to the NHS.

I wouldn't move anywhere there is not good medical care and activities she could partake in. My suggestion is Kilkenny as its such a lovely city with lots of places to eat, nice walks and lots of activities and trains to Dublin. If she is selling a house in the UK she could find its equivalent in Kilkenny quite easily l would imagine. Only drawback..no sea but as you get older being isolated at the coast is not to be recommended.

Does she have any extended family in lreland as that might determine her decision.

We moved to West Cork about 10 years ago when housing and rental prices were cheaper than where we were living in the south of England. We rented a modern 3 bed for €500 a month back then whilst looking for somewhere to buy, but you’re looking at around €1200-€1500 a month now, and that’s if you can find any availability. A lot of decent housing stock in the coastal areas is used for second holiday homes/ holiday lets so there’s less availability for longer term letting. Young families are really struggling to find suitable housing outside of the cities.

Things have changed a lot in the last few years and with the falling Pound, the exchange rate is not great either. Brexit has really fucked over anyone wanting to live abroad.

If she has an Irish passport, does she have any family connections over here? My nearest neighbours are American and they managed to rent the nearby holiday cottage for a longer term period through their family connections, as the owner is also American but living elsewhere.

If she’s in receipt of a U.K. state pension, she’s entitled to a full medical card, so that might allay some of her concerns about healthcare. It’s a faff to get it but once you’ve sorted all the paperwork, it’s fantastic. Prescriptions cost me €1.50 each and I get free dental care and eye checks too. Access to GP’s in some areas is very poor but I rang mine a week before Christmas for a non urgent matter and got a same day face to face appointment. Two new large GP medical practices have been built in nearby towns within the last 2 years so that’s eased some of the pressures locally.

Again, it’s best if she can ask her relatives for advice on the local area.

During lockdown, I felt very grateful for living here in Ireland and not in our old house in the UK. at least once a week!

She’s not a pensioner yet, but financially comfortable. She’s already moved countries more than once (we both live in Portugal at the moment) so she’s already done her time in A Place in the Sun.

She has seen some places she could buy outright on rightmove.

She does have extended family in Ireland but they’re not close, and not in the areas she’s more interested in

Thank you for all the information so far, I’ll pass it on, and if anyone else has any contributions/opinions, they’ll be very welcome.

Some things I’d consider - does she need easy access to UK - ferry or air? Does she want to live in a village/town? What sort of lifestyle would she like?
I’m going to suggest Co. Waterford, eg Tramore or Dungarvan are seaside towns that have lots of life all year round, good transport, less wet (still Irish weather though!). Kilkenny as suggested by PP is bigger but lovely. Countryside around Waterford and Kilkenny also nice, in a quieter way than the west. Not aware of huge issues with getting a GP. I can get same day appointments in this area. I suppose it depends on what she enjoys/would like to enjoy doing.

She’s more likely to use the ferry to Spain than to the U.K. I would think

Where would she like to live? She must have visited and have an idea of where she would prefer to live. I think it's all so personal you really do need to get a feel for a place

As I said in the op, she’s looking around the west coast, Co Galway/Co Mayo but open to other suggestions further south

Galway is great, hop on a bus to shannon or dublin v handy. And it's a great city, small town feel and the coast and connemara on the doorstep. And the aran islands. It's great tbh, lived in Dublin for years and loved it but Galway is so much better imo. Expensive though (like everywhere else!)

I’d second the suggestion of Dungarvan, Tramore. The copper coast is beautiful if she wants to be close to the sea. Also close enough tor Rosslare for the ferry to Bilbao. Weather is milder too.

Oh and Myhome.ie or daft.ie are the best websites for looking at housing.

Personally, I love Galway, we have had great holidays there, but I don’t want to influence her decision. I’m passing everything on.

Great place to look ….

instagram.com/emerald_isle_homes_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Thank you

If I could afford it, I'd move to Greystones. There's the sea, the Wicklow mountains, an easy(ish) commute to Dublin, and a really nice community there.

I could be biased though as I grew up there.

I lived in Galway for a while and the constant rain really got to me so if your friend isn't used to wet weather the west is likely to be a bit of a shock!