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Living overseas

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Original poster

Moving to Ireland

63 replies

SapphireStrange · 27/04/2017 10:22

My DP and I are currently in London but looking at moving to the ROI – in part, I'll be honest, with Brexit in mind; we want to keep our rights as EU citizens.

We would want to live in a city or vibrant town, ideally by the sea, and are thinking of maybe Cork, Galway City, Castletownbere, Tralee...

Does anyone live in any of these places or similar, vibrant cities or towns? Are they nice to live in? We both like nice places to hang out and have good coffee and food; art galleries and interesting art/cultural things going on.

Would we be OK on an income of about 45K? We'd either sell our place in London (probably for about £600k) or rent it out (probably for about £2000 a month). We both work for ourselves at home/flexibly and anticipate much of our work continuing to come from London.

OP posts:
CryingShame · 27/04/2017 10:34

Are you Irish / other EU nationals already or UK citizens looking to being Irish nationals? Just that you mention wanting to be EU citizens and you'd still "leave the EU" as it were, if you were UK citizens, whether you lived in London or Cork.

Original poster
SapphireStrange · 27/04/2017 10:39

Sorry not to be clear. We're UK citizens. Would apply for Irish nationality and therefore to keep our EU citizenship.

OP posts:
LovingLola · 27/04/2017 10:41

Are you eligible to apply for Irish citizenship?

Original poster
SapphireStrange · 27/04/2017 10:41

No; I have Irish ancestry but too far back, unfortunately.

OP posts:
ruthsmumkath · 27/04/2017 10:46

Castletownbere is lovely but quite small, Cork is much more vibrant. We don't live there but my DH is from Cork and his family have a second home very near Castletownbere.

I could move to Cork very easily but would feel quite isolated full time in Castletownbere.

Original poster
SapphireStrange · 27/04/2017 10:54

Thank you; that's helpful. I did wonder if Castletownbere was somewhere that's better to go for a holiday than to live.

OP posts:
Jesterstolehisthornycrown1 · 27/04/2017 11:14

It sounds like Galway would be ideal for you. Beautiful city. Full of culture and always buzzing! I love Galway. Will you be looking to buy in Ireland? Have you looked into employment here?

Slugorama · 27/04/2017 11:19

Galway is a fabulous place.

Although its small compared to London its very vibrant, great food scene, music and people.

3hrs from Dublin on a bus, lovely countryside etc. I would recommend a week or so visit in the places you are thinking of, ideally in an AirBnB style set up so you get a good feel of the place.

Original poster
SapphireStrange · 27/04/2017 11:20

Probably renting, at least at first, although it's tempting to think about selling and freeing up a lump sum...

We're both self-employed. DP has two 'strings to his bow': one is quite dependent on good contacts/knowing people etc, where for the other he would probably want to get a salaried job or at least some contracts, which I think would be relatively doable although I admit I haven't looked into it yet.

Most of my work would continue to come from the UK, I envisage.
I don't want to out myself and the details could be quite identifying!

OP posts:
MaudGonneMad · 27/04/2017 11:24

You need to be resident in Ireland for at least 5 years to take citizenship by naturalisation. You also cannot have received any state support (i.e. benefits/welfare) in the three years preceding your application.

Rayraybt2006 · 27/04/2017 11:28

I went to university in Galway for 3 years and my childhood home is only about 50 mins away. It is truly my favourite place in the whole world and can't recommend it highly enough. It's amazing for couples and families alike.

Original poster
SapphireStrange · 27/04/2017 11:42

Galway seems to be winning!

Maud, yes, I know.

OP posts:
MariafromMalmo · 27/04/2017 11:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
SapphireStrange · 27/04/2017 11:55

Yes, I don't really have a feel for the cost of living, so that's interesting.

Rain: well, I used to live in the west of Scotland so I'm not that fussed Grin. But good tip nonetheless.

OP posts:
Chavelita · 27/04/2017 12:02

Op, do you know Ireland well, and have you spent time in any of these places?

Castletownbere is lovely, but pretty remote, given the condition of a lot of the roads between there and Cork. I would live there in a flash, but if you need a hospital, or to be nipping up and down to Cork a lot, it's not the best choice. I wouldn't call it a 'vibrant town', either. Clonakilty might suit you better?

I lived in Galway for years. It's a nice little city and the various arts festivals, Cúirt, the film Fleadh etc are great but it can feel crammed with students (small city, two large universities, cue a lot of teenagers falling drunk out of pubs) and tourists depending on the time of year. I found the rental properties in the city centre to be really poor and expensive (and I more than once rented someone in a building that turned out to be student party central), while the suburbs can be a bit depressing and featureless (and the traffic is awful.)

I love Cork, but it's also a semi-depressed city centre with a lot of the shops departing to Mahon Point, and has higher levels of deprivation than the national average. You would really need to experiment by spending some time there before committing.

If you've not spent much time in Ireland, you should before committing to a move -- it's in many ways a far more different society to the UK than many people recognise, and the difference is camouflaged by a shared language and proximity. Also, it's a cliché, but can you cope with a lot of wet weather? Galway and west Cork can be spectacularly wet in ways that some incomers can find difficult to deal with.

Also, if you're working remotely, be sure you check out high-speed broadband in areas you are considering.

lorelairoryemily · 27/04/2017 12:04

Galway, you'll love it, everybody loves Galway!!

Chavelita · 27/04/2017 12:06

Sorry, I realise I sound like I have a major downer on your plans. All the three places you mention would be wonderful places to live for someone and I would personally be very happy in Castletown but others will be put off by dreary suburbs, urban deprivation and dampness.

Jesterstolehisthornycrown1 · 27/04/2017 12:20

Check out daft.ie and my home.ie for rentals. Also post in local Facebook pages of areas you like.

Original poster
SapphireStrange · 27/04/2017 12:29

Chavelita, no problem; I posted for realistic advice and I appreciate it!

No, we don't know Ireland at all and I should stress that these are not plans as such, but more like 'possible possibilities'... Grin

You make very good points. I do think going to stay somewhere for a bit via Airbnb would be a good idea and have thought about this.

OP posts:
BurningViolin · 29/04/2017 11:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

myoriginal3 · 29/04/2017 11:19

Galway would be best for you I think.

myoriginal3 · 29/04/2017 11:21

Be warned however. It rains almost permanently in Galway. If you suffer from SAD or get depressed by miserable weather, Ireland isn't a good place.

myoriginal3 · 29/04/2017 11:25

Consider somewhere on the Dart line in Dublin. Malahide, Portmarnock to the north of the city. Or Dalkey or Dun Laoighre to the south.

Original poster
SapphireStrange · 29/04/2017 12:29

I'd thought about Dublin or Dun Laoghaire, but thought it might be too expensive?

I hadn't heard of Kinsale but it looks interesting too.

Some great advice here; thanks everyone!

OP posts:
BWatchWatcher · 29/04/2017 12:32

Also, you will need to pay for medical care I would think.
Galway is fabulous! The rain is constant but varying :)