Enniskillen or Derry?

[AngelaKim]

Hi , any advice on moving to NI greatly appreciated please. We particularly like Derry , but looking also at Enniskillen.

We are a family of 5 , 3 boys 18, 17 & 10 yrs. We have been thinking about moving from South West England to NI for a while now, my husband's work takes him to NI and ROI. We have family in Donegal , my Mum's family originally from ROI. Sadly my parents died young , Mum 59 , Dad 67 and my husband not close to his parents ( live overseas) so no parents to consider in the move.

We've had many trips across and have fallen for the lifestyle, friendliness way of life. It hit me when I visited ROI first time 7 years ago now how it reminded me of my childhood, particularly with my Mum's cooking and friendliness. It really hadn't occurred to me while growing up the Irish influence - until I came across to ROI and suddenly I was with my late Mum again . Those roots run deep!

We currently live rural with beaches nearby, we love outdoors especially with 2 energetic dogs. Derry ticks many boxes for us close to Donegal , good property , good schools and a good hospital ( youngest son has a rare medical condition)

Schools/College/ Uni
10 year old currently yr 5 in school transfer to secondary school in 2024, 17 year old currently studying A Levels and hoping to study Film at University but would prefer to stay home. I saw the college in Enniskillen and Letterkenney both offer good pathways to a degree in Film studies. 18 yr old struggling after Covid impacted on his studies, he may do an apprenticeship?!

Dilemma: We have recently been looking at Enniskillen online ( never been) Would really appreciate some feedback please on the area , property, transport, schools , hospitals etc,

Thank you so much for your help!

Hi I can't offer any idea about Derry but we regularly travel to Enniskillen (I live in Armagh)

Schools wise look at https://www.eani.org.uk/search-schools
This lets you put in a location and see the possible school options within a distance and admissions criteria etc.

Enniskillen has a large hospital as well.

There are lots of outdoor activities around Enniskillen given that its on lakes and you're also close to Sligo.

As you have dogs also look at the Brexit requirements of getting them a pet passport (I don't have a dog but my friend has a house in Donegal and mentioned having to sort something for her dog)

Thanks so much for your help, i'll have a look on the school link too. So far what i've heard and read Enniskillen sounds wonderful and especially friendly place.

The only thing that I am concerned is how easy it would be to make friends and become part of the community as well as other parts of NI nearer to Belfast with lots of English relocating Ballycastle etc, That said, I saw that Enniskillen is the most friendly place in NI. A lot to consider, giving myself a headache lol

There are lots of community groups in NI (if you have an interest there probably will be a local facebook group for that interest!)

Not sure if you attend church but that is always a good way to meet new people. Likewise if you children play sports.

Have you any plans to take a trip any time soon?

I've only been to Derry for 1 night and Fermanagh on day shopping trips, I'm over the boarder in ROI. I thought they were both nice towns.

Would it be possible to have a weeks stay in both areas? As for making friends I guess it's like anywhere look at joining local clubs etc. Unless you are really rural there should be plenty.

With the dog. My SIL got a dog in Wales and brought him over on the ferry. I don't know the ins/ outs of it. She did have to get him a passport but I don't think it was too hard. I don't know if you'd need one if you go into NI not ROI.

I thought Derry was nice. Visited Enniskillen and wasn't wowed. Thought it was a bit grubby.

I went to college in Limavady near Derry and had a wonderful experience. Got onto a highly prestigious arts course after as well. The film industry is booming in NI so it’s a good time to move if that’s your sons interest. I’m not from Enniskillen although I’ve friends there who are all very happy. The only downside I would say is it’s pretty far from the airports if any travel was required for work.

Thanks , that's very interesting to know, my son is hoping to work in the film industry so great news re NI. Congratulations on your course- sounds amazing! I'll look the college up now- thanks again!

Thank you everyone for your comments. We've decision to make
another visit soon and take a good look round for a couple of weeks. So many beautiful places to choose from marrying schools, hospitals, colleges etc is the tricky part! Much appreciated 😊⭐️

i would opt for Derry as the hospital facilities are better (I don’t know Enniskillen but I know there’s a campaign to save the hospital so that’s risky and Derry is the main one)

At third level / college level :Letterkenny would be superior to Enniskillen - 100 percent

I work in both Enniskillen and Derry, live in Tyrone so border both counties. Moving with a family I would choose Derry in a heartbeat. Derry feels much more cosmopolitan, better transport links, better hospital (emergency surgery has just been removed from swah and if rumour is to believes maternity services are also under threat), better restaurants/cafes, sports facilities. I would move to Enniskillen if i was nearing retirement, quiter pace of life and quieter town. Good luck!

Also all those beautiful Donegal beaches on your doorstep!

I would chose Derry. There's more going on, it has university campus, airport etc and close proximity to Donegal.

I would choose Derry. The transport links are better.

I'd choose Enniskillen, there's a newly built college with great facilities and you're still really close to Donegal. Great eating out and sporting facilities of all kinds.

Hi there! I'm really late to the party, but I'm working on Fermanagh time here (anything from 1hr - 3 months late lol)

I was born and raised in Enniskillen so I can give you a little perspective from what I know.

Area - Enniskillen is a lovely wee town which has sadly suffered from years of under investment at a regional level, being as far away from Belfast as you can get. But lately the local council is finally starting to invest in the town and make it more appealing for locals and tourists. That being said, it's not a city so Derry would be far more superior. We have great cafes, amazing restaurants, library, cinema, bowling alley, leisure facilities both on land and on water, 3 supermarkets (asda, tesco and lidl) and a shopping centre. There's also a new shopping outlet being built gradually that's rumoured to have another cinema and shops like The Range coming. The people are very friendly and love to have a chat. With kids of school ages you'll meet people no problem, plus the newspaper advertises any activities for adults weekly. Also, there's none of the issues that you see on the news of rioting, major sectarianism etc.

Schools - We have a good range of those both high and grammar schools. Unlike England, the grammar schools don't cost an arm and a leg, they just ask you to pass an entrance exam to get in and maybe a small fee (was like £25 10yrs ago). Schools are still segregated into religion but they're all pretty equal in terms of how well they score on exams (with the grammar schools scoring better than the high schools usually). There is an integrated school but for educational purposes I would avoid, plus they're going through a bit of a fully unknown scandal right now. Your 10yo is in a great position because everyone in the class will be new so he'll have no trouble.
The college does good film studies courses and it will allow for easy entry to university for your eldest. And we also have a skills centre attached to our college with a very wide range of apprenticeships for your 2nd oldest. I know many people who have done well from that as trades are great to go into around here at the moment.

Hospitals - depending on your wee one's condition this might be your pitfall. We have a beautiful hospital with state of the art facilities and wonderful staff but they're facing some difficulties right now. Our hospital is managed centrally from Derry who have taken the decision to remove emergency surgery, meaning if you needed it you'd have to be transported from here to Derry or Belfast. It's very controversial and leading to a lot of protesting right now. Check out Save Our Acute Services on FB. It's also more of a general hospital so you may have to travel to Derry or more likely Belfast for any appts for your son.

Property - compared to English prices, especially in your area, the property prices here are dirt cheap. It'll probably blow your mind! All properties in NI are usually placed on propertypal.com so check it out.

Transport - another big pitfall here unfortunately. Our only public transport are the buses and they are rubbish. Buses go along the main Belfast road through the towns there every 1hr and town buses are every 1hr but other buses can be much less frequent. We have a good school bus network for the kids but if you drive you'd be better with a car for everything else.

Hope this helps a bit!