Moving to Ireland

[RoseJasmin]

Hi everyone,

We're planning a move from the UK to Kildare and would love some honest feedback from those living there or familiar with the area.

What’s the general vibe of the town and community?
Are there good Catholic schools (primary and secondary)?
How’s access to hospitals or GP clinics?
Any decent shopping centres or supermarkets nearby?
What’s public transport like for commuting (especially to Dublin)?
How are rental prices for a 4bedroom house?
And most importantly — is it safe and family-friendly?

Any advice, tips, or even things to look out for would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you! 😊

Kildare town or county Kildare?

Kildare county, basically saw a house at Newbridge road

You can't rely on public transport like you can in the UK - it's cartopia.

Do you know Ireland? (Your question about hospitals etc suggests you might not have researched how the health service works etc?)

Why not visit the area and research it before you move?

Is that near Naas?
If you need info about schools and GPs etc you’ll need to give the name of the nearest town…

• What’s the general vibe of the town and community? Are you looking to move to Kildare town or just Kildare the county? There are several towns in Kildare…Naas, Newbridge, Celbridge, Maynooth, Leixlip, Athy, Kildare Town, Kilcock etc
• Are there good Catholic schools (primary and secondary)? Most schools in Ireland will be predominantly catholic based schools. They don’t have Ofsted rating like they do so it’s largely based on reputation but if you google best Catholic schools in Kildare, it will tell you.
• How’s access to hospitals or GP clinics? The medical system in Ireland is too tiered so we have our public system like the NHS and then we have our private system. If you have private healthcare through your work, then you can still access the public system. You’ll just claim back whatever you need to claim back. GP visits and access is largely dependent on the area you’re in. Some places have no problems with appointments others you may have to wait a couple of days again. A GP visit card is largely based on your income versus your outgoings but a lot of people are actually entitled to them which means you don’t need to pay for a GP.
• Any decent shopping centres or supermarkets nearby? Lots of decent shopping centres again just google that Kildare Village and nearby shopping centres
• What’s public transport like for commuting (especially to Dublin)? Bus train I don’t know about the Luas and how far that goes but I think it goes to Kildare village (which is a shopping centre)
• How are rental prices for a 4bedroom house? Daft.ie will be your best bet here - a minimum of €2600. It’s hard to find housing, you’ll need to be living here already to be able to act fast.
• And most importantly — is it safe and family-friendly. I’m guessing you could Google this depending on the town you want I would just google it.

Would you be able to get dh’s job to find housing for you at first?

Or your own employer if you are moving for work! Traffic in Newbridge and Maynooth has always been chaotic when I have been in them. And the motorway slows down as soon as you hit Co Kildare!

Yeah, it’s Naas

Many thanks for your response! Much helpful

Get yourself onto daft.ie and you'll see the horror show that is renting in Ireland at the moment.

I don't think the Luas goes to Kildare village...it goes to to Saggart which is 15 minutes drive from Naas with no traffic.

I can't really help you since I live in Dublin but I know lots of people who commute from places like Naas.

Yeah the Luas definitely doesn't go to Kildare village. It's Dublin only. There would be buses but the frequency would depend on how far out you are. Naas should have everything you need (retail wise) there are quite a lot of businesses located in Citywest also if you are looking for work nearby.

Moved to rural Cork from north London (where I lived for 35 years) in 2021. It has been a pretty mixed bag, TBH. I previously lived and worked in Cork City for two years, and loved it, but the countryside is pretty cliquey - I've found it a lot harder to make friends this time round. And this is despite the fact that my 5-year-old goes to all the birthday parties, school activities, Summer camps etc.

I also sort of know County Kildare, due to the fact that my (Irish) husband's uncle lives there (and unfortunately has a certain MMA fighter for a neighbour). Another vote for Kildare Village, although it is expensive. There would be buses but I'm not sure about the Luas. It is safe but be a bit careful re: bullying in secondary schools - I am still haunted by the case of Ana Kriegel.

I agree with the poster who talked about the two-tier health system in Ireland - it is pretty shocking. I could write a whole essay on it, but just to say that I miss the NHS massively!

Oh, and the housing market is an absolute shambles in Ireland, if you are moving to anywhere desirable. I would not recommend any Brits or other foreigners moving here unless they can afford to build (and have family land to do this) or buy.