Might be moving to waterford, what's it like?

hidinginthebush

Hello!

It looks like there's a chance I could be moving to Waterford due to a potential job, but I don't know anything about the place... so tell me, what's it like? I've lived in a relatively quiet and pleasant suburb of Dublin all my life, enjoy going to the pub but not night clubs. I've heard that Waterford city can be pretty rough, that fights and aggro are a pretty common event on nights out, is this true? That said, I've been told to expect the same of nearly everywhere I travel outside the big smoke, but I've never experienced that sort of carry on, plus people say the same of Dublin, but I've never had a single bit of hassle there during my whole 26 years.

So tell me people of Waterford, what's the craic like down there, is it a sprawling lifeless metropolis or a quaint little friendly town?

Basically any rudimentary info on Waterdord city and it's surrounding areas would be welcome, I want to know what I could be comitting to before jumping straight in.

Thanks a million!

Nolanger

It's very hilly.

Plastikman_eire

lol coming down from Dublin you should be in no way concerned at the level of aggro in Waterford.

longshanks

its the business, not rough unless you happen to go lookin for that type of thing. some good pubs, a pretty decent music scene, arts and theatre etc. while not on the scale of dublin its still holding its own and its also got some killer beaches and none of the big smokes ridiculous commute times.
you'll love it here.

hidinginthebush

Great, thanks for all the quick replies, being by the sea is a massive advantage, I've been by the coast all mylife and think I'd go mad if I didn't see the ocean every day! Actually, what's the surfing like down there? I did a bit when I was younger and would like to get back into it.

Also, how much does stuff cost down there, I assume it's generally cheaper than dublin for most things? (petrol, drink, groceries, rent etc.)

comeraghs

Where did you hear about all this aggro & all these fights? .. the only time that is true is in Tramore on Bank Holiday weekend when the trouble-makers generally aren´t local.

County Waterford is fantastic ... some of the nicest beaches/coastline in the country .... beautiful Comeragh Mountains ... fantastic towns like Dungarvn & Lismore ...

better access now via Cork, Waterford & thanks to the new motorway Dublin airports.

the only problem is that shower of black & yella bollixi who live across the bridge

comeraghs

www.tramoresurfschool.com

www.oceanics.ie

longshanks

the surfings not bad, tramore, bunmahon, annestown and a lot of other spots too. the only trouble is flat spells in the summer. but even saying that it beats dublin for waves every day of the week.
tramore

rayc

hidinginthebush wrote: »

Great, thanks for all the quick replies, being by the sea is a massive advantage, I've been by the coast all mylife and think I'd go mad if I didn't see the ocean every day! Actually, what's the surfing like down there? I did a bit when I was younger and would like to get back into it.

Also, how much does stuff cost down there, I assume it's generally cheaper than dublin for most things? (petrol, drink, groceries, rent etc.)

Well Rent I'd guess is hugely cheaper, I pay 260 per month for a double en-suite room in a nice area. The whole house is 900 and that's a good sized, well-kept, fully-detached house. You'd easily get a semi-d house for €750 though.

Petrol and groceries I'd imagine are pretty much the same.

Drink is highly dependent on where and when you go. If you generally like a quite drink in the suburbs then about €4 a pint. If it's the late bars/clubs in city center between 4.80 and 5.50 I guess.

hardybuck

Dublin and Waterford aren't hugely different, apart from the size obviously. The traditional workomg class areas in the two cities would be much the same, as would the middle class subarbs.

Nightlife is struggling a bit, everyone's opinion on pubs will vary, but I don't think we have a large stock of good pubs. I'm sure you'll find somewhere you'll like though.

Sports wise the city is quite well equipped. Soccer and hurling would be the big sports, the tennis club is among the best in the country, there is rugby and hockey and more besides all going on. Plenty of gyms etc also. If you like the outdoors you are blessed as you are close to good beaches, rivers and the mountains are close.

You'll probably be used to a good public transport netword, Waterford really falls down in this area and you won't get away without a car. However the roads are decent and the traffic isn't too bad.

Shopping wise-you won't get as much choice as Dublin obviously, but enough to cover the basics anyway.

cowhands

Im living in Waterford 8+ years now, orginally from the midlands. I went to college down here and basically never went home. I bought a house here last year so it looks like im here for the long term lol

My other half is from Dublin and loves it down here (hes down here 4+years)

The people....well..most of them are alright, Waterford people and their neighbours Kilkenny (only sperated by the river) dont seem to get on so well, lots of slagging, the odd fights. I worked with a guy based in Waterford City who was from Kilmacow in Kilkenny but would not buy a new car reg "WD" "W" even though it was a couple of grand cheaper than his choice of "KK" registared car
What I do like about the people are their party spirit, they are always up for the "session"!


The beaches are lovely, look further than Tramore for some really beautiful peaceful places. Although if surfing is what your after then Tramore is definately the spot!

Shopping is quite good down here, plenty of choice.

Petrol well I got a fill yesterday at 1.31 per L cant remember what else you asked?!?

Watch out for the area in which you choose to live in some places are rough out (as with any other town / city) so do your research!

Plenty of pubs to choose from depending on your choice o evening.
Some really really really lovely restaurants and good prices too. We got an all you can eat Chinese for €20 a head the other week and it was GORGEOUS!!

hidinginthebush

thanks for all this, yeah Dublin's epic Irish sea swell doesn't really compare to anything really.

On the aggro thing (and I feel safer saying it now since I know it's not true) but my gf's got realtions in Waterford, and she's always had the impression that's Waterford City's a pretty dodgy spot that you should keep well clear of once the sun goes down. Happy to know it's all purple-monkey-dishwasher-over-exaggeration!

hardybuck

rayc wrote: »

Well Rent I'd guess is hugely cheaper, I pay 260 per month for a double en-suite room in a nice area. The whole house is 900 and that's a good sized, well-kept, fully-detached house.

Petrol and groceries I'd imagine are pretty much the same.

Drink is highly dependent on where and when you go. If you generally like a quite drink in the suburbs then about €4 a pint. If it's the late bars/clubs in city center between 4.80 and 5.50 I guess.

Price of drink in Dublin is generally cheaper, and has been for a good while, which may be hard to believe.

rayc

hardybuck wrote: »

Price of drink in Dublin is generally cheaper, and has been for a good while, which may be hard to believe.

Yeah when I was up there for work a few months ago I went into Dicey Rileys for the craic (wednesday night), nearly fell over when I saw that all-pints were €2......

hardybuck

rayc wrote: »

Yeah when I was up there for work a few months ago I went into Dicey Rileys for the craic (wednesday night), nearly fell over when I saw that all-pints were €2......

Everything is €2! Loads of other places doing stuff for in and around €3 as well. Long may it continue.

sorrywhat

Waterford is grand. Some area's are nice then others the same as any county.

Rent is cheaper now as well. I have a house for 700 a month. Out on the Dunmore Road which is a nice area. Its about a 10 minute bus journey depending on traffic (we dont have bus lanes) into the city centre. Bus goes every 20 mins up to 6 pm and then its on the hour I think.

Some really good restaurents. And a nice choice. Very good early bird options as well.

There are different pubs for different folks. You have your nice quite, enjoy a pint pub (Jordons, Downes Ally McLoughlins), you have meet you friends pubs (geoffs, Kazbar, Woodman) then there are 2 super pubs (Revolution and Masons).

You wont find it hard to make your way around anyway.

If you have a car venture out to the country side. Dunmore East is nice on a summers day. Or go to some of the beaches along the coast like Bunmahon and Stradbally.

Hope you like it !

dayshah

With the new road it will be easy to travel to Dublin too.

The best part of Waterford in my view is the county. So if you are into outdoor activities you should like it.

Not The Real Scarecrow

hidinginthebush wrote: »

On the aggro thing (and I feel safer saying it now since I know it's not true) but my gf's got realtions in Waterford, and she's always had the impression that's Waterford City's a pretty dodgy spot that you should keep well clear of once the sun goes down. Happy to know it's all purple-monkey-dishwasher-over-exaggeration!

I can be very rough depending on where you go and at what time. Weekends are rough outside the main nightclubs at emptying out time and sometimes there is a very rough element around the city. Anyone that disagrees otherwise is either blind or have been lucky enough not to fall foul of the increasing amount of anti social behaviour in the city. I know too many people that have ended up in hospital, had their car robbed or witnessed some form of violence around the town over the years.

Still saying that, the one good thing Waterford has going for it is the people. The majority of whom are friendly and easy going. Just avoid the rough areas and do your home work and you'll be fine.

dayshah

Meatwad wrote: »

I can be very rough depending on where you go and at what time. Weekends are rough outside the main nightclubs at emptying out time and sometimes there is a very rough element around the city. Anyone that disagrees otherwise is either blind or have been lucky enough not to fall foul of the increasing amount of anti social behaviour in the city. I know too many people that have ended up in hospital, had their car robbed or witnessed some form of violence around the town over the years.

Still saying that, the one good thing Waterford has going for it is the people. The majority of whom are friendly and easy going. Just avoid the rough areas and do your home work and you'll be fine.

But is it rough relative to other places, like Limerick or Galway or Dublin. I'd say its far closer to Galway.

19.5V

hidinginthebush wrote: »

Hello!

It looks like there's a chance I could be moving to Waterford due to a potential job, but I don't know anything about the place... so tell me, what's it like? I've lived in a relatively quiet and pleasant suburb of Dublin all my life, enjoy going to the pub but not night clubs. I've heard that Waterford city can be pretty rough, that fights and aggro are a pretty common event on nights out, is this true? That said, I've been told to expect the same of nearly everywhere I travel outside the big smoke, but I've never experienced that sort of carry on, plus people say the same of Dublin, but I've never had a single bit of hassle there during my whole 26 years.

So tell me people of Waterford, what's the craic like down there, is it a sprawling lifeless metropolis or a quaint little friendly town?

Basically any rudimentary info on Waterdord city and it's surrounding areas would be welcome, I want to know what I could be comitting to before jumping straight in.

Thanks a million!

My advice would be Tramore or Dunmore if you want quality of life, easy commute in for the working-life & the night-life!

Clano

19.5V wrote: »

My advice would be Tramore or Dunmore if you want quality of life, easy commute in for the working-life & the night-life!

You'd want some bucks for them taxis

Professey Chin

19.5V wrote: »

My advice would be Tramore or Dunmore if you want quality of life, easy commute in for the working-life & the night-life!

Have you tried dunmore road traffic for work/school runs?Jesus its loopy...not dublin loopy(couldnt do that again anytime soon) but still loopy

tc2010

hidinginthebush wrote: »

Hello!

It looks like there's a chance I could be moving to Waterford due to a potential job, but I don't know anything about the place... so tell me, what's it like? I've lived in a relatively quiet and pleasant suburb of Dublin all my life, enjoy going to the pub but not night clubs. I've heard that Waterford city can be pretty rough, that fights and aggro are a pretty common event on nights out, is this true? That said, I've been told to expect the same of nearly everywhere I travel outside the big smoke, but I've never experienced that sort of carry on, plus people say the same of Dublin, but I've never had a single bit of hassle there during my whole 26 years.

So tell me people of Waterford, what's the craic like down there, is it a sprawling lifeless metropolis or a quaint little friendly town?

Basically any rudimentary info on Waterdord city and it's surrounding areas would be welcome, I want to know what I could be comitting to before jumping straight in.

Thanks a million!

lets call a spade a spade and say its one of the most depressing counties in the country (ive lived in 10 so i know what im on about). Dont worry about the agro. Hasnt a patch on Dublin in that sense.

it used to be good but f"ck me its degenerated into a sh"te hole

Im sure the people who never moved outside will jump in and defend it but when you move down youll see whos telling the truth

merlante

hardybuck wrote: »

You'll probably be used to a good public transport netword, Waterford really falls down in this area and you won't get away without a car. However the roads are decent and the traffic isn't too bad.

Completely disagree with that. Although I've been away from Dublin a few years, the buses were fairly unreliable, slow and there was no way of telling when it would show up. The Luas is obviously a great addition, though, and the rail is fine. In Waterford the bus network will get you pretty much anywhere you need to go in the city, and there are regular buses to Tramore. There are buses every couple of hours to places like Dunmore East. I used to get the John's park bus regularly and found that you could set your watch by it, but you will hear plenty of bad reports on buses as well, particularly the WIT and Dunmore rd. routes. All in all though, the buses do 20-30 min loops, and so it's easier to figure out when one will show up from the timetables. Also, the buses in Waterford all seem to be brand new, which is nice.

Most people find that they can get by on foot anyhow, and unless you live on the outskirts, there's no real need to get a bus. You'll never be more than a 50-60 min walk from the city centre at the very most, and most people live well within a 30 min walk of the centre, except those living a good bit out the Dunmore rd.

As has been said, Co. Waterford is very nice and is best explored with a car (obviously), but for the beaches, the buses should suffice.

Asmodean

I'd say its far closer to Galway

Yup that's true. I've been in Galway for a few years for college and Waterford/Galway are roughly the same size City wise.
You get a few blaggards after a bit too much drink but you get that absolutely everywhere! You could be in the smallest village in Ireland and run into a chancer looking for a fight. Waterford is no worse than anywhere else to be honest. At least we don't have this 'Gang' element of violence that some of the bigger cities would have, with the exception of certain groups that kick up a bit of trouble now and again. I won't digress further, people know who I mean.

hardybuck

merlante wrote: »

Completely disagree with that. Although I've been away from Dublin a few years, the buses were fairly unreliable, slow and there was no way of telling when it would show up. The Luas is obviously a great addition, though, and the rail is fine. In Waterford the bus network will get you pretty much anywhere you need to go in the city, and there are regular buses to Tramore. There are buses every couple of hours to places like Dunmore East. I used to get the John's park bus regularly and found that you could set your watch by it, but you will hear plenty of bad reports on buses as well, particularly the WIT and Dunmore rd. routes. All in all though, the buses do 20-30 min loops, and so it's easier to figure out when one will show up from the timetables. Also, the buses in Waterford all seem to be brand new, which is nice.

Most people find that they can get by on foot anyhow, and unless you live on the outskirts, there's no real need to get a bus. You'll never be more than a 50-60 min walk from the city centre at the very most, and most people live well within a 30 min walk of the centre, except those living a good bit out the Dunmore rd.

As has been said, Co. Waterford is very nice and is best explored with a car (obviously), but for the beaches, the buses should suffice.

Well I'm here at the moment, have been for a couple of years. Lived in two different places, and find them very reliable. You can expect to go to a bus stop and have something arrive within 5 mins.

In Waterford you can't get a bus from the Dunmore Rd to places like WIT or the Industrial Estates which is mind boggling. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it true you can't get a bus in Waterford on a Sunday?

tc2010

I think a few run on a sunday but thats it.

tc2010

Asmodean wrote: »

Yup that's true. I've been in Galway for a few years for college and Waterford/Galway are roughly the same size City wise.
You get a few blaggards after a bit too much drink but you get that absolutely everywhere! You could be in the smallest village in Ireland and run into a chancer looking for a fight. Waterford is no worse than anywhere else to be honest. At least we don't have this 'Gang' element of violence that some of the bigger cities would have, with the exception of certain groups that kick up a bit of trouble now and again. I won't digress further, people know who I mean.

Kick up is right :pac:

I dont think its against the rules to mention the War the Travellers are having. Its been well documented in the media

At least they keep it to themselves and it doesnt involve anyone else

dayshah

tc2010 wrote: »

lets call a spade a spade and say its one of the most depressing counties in the country (ive lived in 10 so i know what im on about). Dont worry about the agro. Hasnt a patch on Dublin in that sense.

it used to be good but f"ck me its degenerated into a sh"te hole

Im sure the people who never moved outside will jump in and defend it but when you move down youll see whos telling the truth

I've been around, lived in different countries, but still want to come back to Waterford.

It depends on what you are into. What are you into? I'm into cycling and mountains and chips by the seaside so its perfect for me. Also I'm getting a bit old for nightclubs, so the night life situation is grand for me.

tc2010

If your into that craic it would be good alright.

On a side not i cant believe the word rough has been mentioned so may times in a thread about Waterford. Id love to know where the OP got that info

nkay1985

Meatwad wrote: »

I can be very rough depending on where you go and at what time. Weekends are rough outside the main nightclubs at emptying out time and sometimes there is a very rough element around the city. Anyone that disagrees otherwise is either blind or have been lucky enough not to fall foul of the increasing amount of anti social behaviour in the city. I know too many people that have ended up in hospital, had their car robbed or witnessed some form of violence around the town over the years.

Basically you're jsut saying the same as would be said of any city and large town in Ireland; there are places you don't want to go and tehre are situations you don't want to get involved in. But Waterford is not somewhere I'd describe as rough to be honest. It's seemingly getting worse if you're the type to hang around the city centre after the nightclubs have let out on the weekends but I don't see why anyone in their right mind does that, so it doesn't affect me in the slightest.

Put it this way, I've lived here for most of my 25 years and in Limerick while I was in college (and a brief soujorn in Carrick:eek:). I've never felt threatened or gotten trouble in Waterford in all that time. There's a much seedier and threatening feel in Limerick city centre in my experience, for example.

tc2010 wrote: »

lets call a spade a spade and say its one of the most depressing counties in the country (ive lived in 10 so i know what im on about). Dont worry about the agro. Hasnt a patch on Dublin in that sense.

it used to be good but f"ck me its degenerated into a sh"te hole

Im sure the people who never moved outside will jump in and defend it but when you move down youll see whos telling the truth

I'm sorry but that's just a senstaionalist comment. I notice that you didn't mention one single thing that makes it "one of the most depressing counties in the country", or how it "used to be good but f"ck me its degenerated into a sh"te hole". Maybe a bit of detail would make your point of view seem a little less ridiculous.


@OP: Take a look at this thread. It's pretty good and is basically the same situation as yourself. It might be an idea to give the poster a PM and see what she thinks now that she's been here a little while?

I personally love Waterford. I made the decision that I wanted to come back and live here after college. It's not so small that there's fcuk all to do and it's not so large that you get high levels of traffic and other societal problems; a happy medium, if you will.

It's definitely a stunning county. The seaside location makes it truly beautiful. There's nothing but hidden beaches and nice walks and that kind of thing down here.

But whether you'll like it or not really depends on you. In your current life, what do you enjoy? How do you pass your time etc? If we know all that, we could make a better judgement on how you might like it or not.

pmccormack

Ive lived half my life in Waterford and half in Dublin while Dublin has more variety while wandering round town personally I feel Waterford is way better for doing stuff with hardly any traffic and the city is 10min away from the sea and 20min to the mountains and loads of other stuff to do.

Price wise it isnt that much cheaper then Dub you are still in Ireland. The main difference pints are generally the same price all night and the competition isnt there so Waterford wont have the drinks promos like Dub. But some nice pubs to have a quiet one in.

Rent is well cheaper, Haggle and U will get it down more.

As for the fights and stuff you get the odd one but same as been around Dub city center at 3 am.

Loads of outdoor sports available, clubs and societies too. Its a pretty well rounded place.

Hope this helps
Paddy

kitty_kilkenny

I'm a Dub - living in Waterford 5 years now.

Here's my honest opinion. I love living in Waterford. There is a lovely sense of community, the people are funny (same wit as the Dubs) and if you get involved in things then you'll really enjoy it.

It's actually very like Dublin, only smaller. Yes, there is a rough element, but there's a rough element in every city, so I don't see how that could influence your decision really.

There is also a lively cultural and arts scene in the city. There are two theatres, several art galleries, some great festivals, lots of great music. Also, the ticket prices into gigs are a lot cheaper than Dublin.

There quite a few Dubliners living here too, which helps if you get homesick!

Best of luck with the decision!

nkay1985

kitty_kilkenny wrote: »

There is a lovely sense of community, the people are funny (same wit as the Dubs) and if you get involved in things then you'll really enjoy it.

That's actualyl a very good point. I've always found I get on very well with Dubs and I think the humour thing is a big part of that.

merlante

kitty_kilkenny wrote: »

I'm a Dub - living in Waterford 5 years now.

Here's my honest opinion. I love living in Waterford. There is a lovely sense of community, the people are funny (same wit as the Dubs) and if you get involved in things then you'll really enjoy it.

It's actually very like Dublin, only smaller. Yes, there is a rough element, but there's a rough element in every city, so I don't see how that could influence your decision really.

There is also a lively cultural and arts scene in the city. There are two theatres, several art galleries, some great festivals, lots of great music. Also, the ticket prices into gigs are a lot cheaper than Dublin.

There quite a few Dubliners living here too, which helps if you get homesick!

Best of luck with the decision!

Having lived away from Waterford for 10 years and come back, and having listened to reports from foreigners and people from around the country on Waterford as a place to live, I think your account is fairly typical. Now if only Waterford people could see it.

Heathen

I moved here from Dublin for six months on a job... ten years later im still here!! its a great city to live in!! you will love it!! just jump right in, and get down in time for Spraoi best of luck!!