Moving to Galway [any info at all?]

bensonx

Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone could give me some info on Galway city, I'm moving there in August whit my husband and baby,
so basically I'm going to be renting (an apartment preferably) so does anyone know any areas that are good but more importantly areas to avoid?
I prefer to not deal with estate agents as they are only middlemen and just up the price for everyone,

Also I'm going to need a new gym with a creche and just any info you have that you feel would be helpful
I'm moving there for work related reasons and don't know anything bout Galway so thanks in advance for any info at all, thanks

Victor

www.daft.ie

Spear

Moved from N&F.

Shield

Make sure you have a read of their forum charter - in particular, rule 10. Like most forums on boards.ie, it prohibits the use of text speak.

Raging_Ninja

Stay out of Castle Park.

?Cee?view

First thing you need to consider with Galway when deciding where to live is where you'll be working. Galway (for various reasons) has probably the worst traffic in the country. If you live on the opposite side of town to where you work you're condemning yourself to hours of misery.

So, give us a bit more detail and you'll get plenty of advice.

bensonx

ok thanks church view
well, im going to be working in the city centre, dont really want to live in the centre though due to the rent prices
i like public transport (i know right?) we have a car and i have my license but i prefer using buses (well if Galway has bus lanes, i assume it does)
so i dont mind looking in the suburbs, what about ballybrit? is knocknacarra far from the city? or bohermore?
like im literally just looking on daft for these areas, i dont know anything about them, im planning on making a few day trips to galway before i even contact anyone about viewing places, thanks again
oh and sorry about before, i didnt even realise i was using text talk :eek:

kieran26

Renmore would be good about a mile from the city centre good bus service
Knocknacarra is on the west side of the city a fair bit out,about 2-3miles public transport isn't gret out there though.Perhaps have a look at Newcastle area. Roscam and the headford road are god options as-well!

trish23

If you're looking for a full/part time creche then check these out first. Creche places used to be difficult to find & you may need to work accomodation around this?

hairyfairy00

If you're working in the city centre you could walk from Bohermore, it's literally up the road from Eyre Square. Salthill would also be a good place to look at and you could walk into town in about 15-20mins. Can't help with the gym because i'm a lazy git

bensonx

thanks keiran, thats the kind of info im lookin for,
hi trish, well im not actually looking for a creche, just a gym that has a creche, so me and my husband can both go and leave the baby for an hour or so, but day to day i wont need one at first, thanks
hairyfairy, i was looking at bohermore alrite, the houses were reasonably priced and nice like, surprised its that near, im usually a lazy git too but if i join ill force myself to go, especially if they have a creche to drop the babs for an hour ha, great stuff

biko

Previous threads on other people moving to Galway. Some will already have answers to your questions so have a look through.
www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=moving+to+galway+site%3Aboards.ie

Good areas
http://www.google.ie/search?hl=en&q=galway+good+areas+site%3Aboards.ie

Irish_Elect_Eng

OP, a little more information would be helpful if you are looking for detailed advice.

- Price Bracket. (Rolling in it or Average Joe :-) )
- Important Activities. (Party Animal or Strolling by the beach)

Best Equipped Gym in Galway is probably the new one at the University. (Don't know if it has a creche though)

There is a Kingfisher Gym in Renmore, nice quiet older area of town, easy enough walk to work in town center if you are the fit type.

gaeilgegrinds1

Where are ye working? Regarding creche, can work out cheaper just getting a sitter in from my experience, anywhere we ever went with a creche was v.expensive. What kind of bracket are ye looking at? Apartment or house?

trish23

bensonx wrote: »

thanks keiran, thats the kind of info im lookin for,
hi trish, well im not actually looking for a creche, just a gym that has a creche, so me and my husband can both go and leave the baby for an hour or so, but day to day i wont need one at first, thanks
hairyfairy, i was looking at bohermore alrite, the houses were reasonably priced and nice like, surprised its that near, im usually a lazy git too but if i join ill force myself to go, especially if they have a creche to drop the babs for an hour ha, great stuff

Bohermore's not a bad spot & very close to everything. There's a gym there (NRG) & I'm pretty sure it has a creche. Most things in Galway are within walking distance from Bohermore so it's not a bad start!

bensonx

OP, a little more information would be helpful if you are looking for detailed advice.

- Price Bracket. (Rolling in it or Average Joe :-) )
- Important Activities. (Party Animal or Strolling by the beach)

well ill tell you, im lookin for a two bed apartment for in arounfd €700 a month not necessarily in the city centre but has to have public transport and i have a young baby so id be lookin for more child friendly things to do you know?
as i said earlier, id rather stay away from estate agencies, nothing against them, i just feel they are unnecessary middlemen and just raise the cost, they need to paid too.
ya the beach will be nice, never lived by a beach before.
ill be working in a salon in the city centre but i wont need a babysitter for a while as hubby wont be working straight away,
thanks biko, i actually looked for the question before i posted, didnt find it tho, great help
ya trish, im definatly going to look into bohermore, sounds real good
thanks everyone again

Mrs OBumble

Young family with stay-at-home dad ... hmm, I'd avoid Bohermore. Waay too noisy (constant cars, students at night). And you're doing to want somewhere with open space for the kid to play or at least get fresh air.

I'd suggest looking for a more family oriented neighbourhood: bits of Renmore or Ballybrit not near GMIT maybe, or Doughiska/Roscam. (Doughiska has a fantastic playground, good for meeting other parents).

I'm pretty sure NRG-Bohermore doesn't have a creche, but the Knocknacarra one might.

Re public transport ... all you never wanted to know at www.GalwayTransport.info. (I used to rely on the .sig showing you this ... 'til I found out that some folks don't see it.) Route 9 is fantastic. The rest are kinda average-to-bad.

zero19

Bohermore can be noisy enough but it's a great location, cuirt seoige apartments are nice there but hard to find places privately rented.

Madame Razz

Little film on Bohermore which might be of interest to the OP....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNvWg1pBdZY

Mrs OBumble

Some more ladies of Bohermore, of a slightly different kind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz6wPICafAc

In fairness to the OP both sides of the story need to be told. Yes, it can be a great community, provided you fit in (I didn't see too many African or Polish ladies in the first vid). But it is on the edge of the city centre, with lots of student-aged people living there. And those people do like to ring doorbells (and worse) at night.

Wompa1

If I was you OP I'd go out to Knocknacarra. Tend to be nice places out there, cheaper than the city center, Joyces and Dunnes stoes (supermarkets) are close by. Sheridans pub and restaraunt too.

I lived in Renmore and didn't like it, same goes for Bohermore. It's a mix between old people and students. Too loud. Cuirt Seoige apartments are nice but you only get 1 parking space and I think the apartment size is too small for what you pay.

There's a gym in Leisureland in Salthill, it's not very nice though....

When I lived in Renmore a few years ago there was bins being set on fire, a-holes hanging around the estates etc. Plus there's some students there too.

Public transport in Galway is terrible. Just as a word of warning. It's particularly bad out Renmore side. Actually the only place that seems to have a good bus service is Parkmore..I've never lived there but it could be worth a look

pseudonym1

JustMary wrote: »

Some more ladies of Bohermore, of a slightly different kind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz6wPICafAc

In fairness to the OP both sides of the story need to be told. Yes, it can be a great community, provided you fit in (I didn't see too many African or Polish ladies in the first vid). But it is on the edge of the city centre, with lots of student-aged people living there. And those people do like to ring doorbells (and worse) at night.

Your sure that was bothermore? I think you are being very critical.

pseudonym1

Op there are some nice housing estates knocknacarra side that would fit your criterion. Best of luck with moving here.

whatlliwear

Hi there!

Knocknacarra might suit you as there's a bus service and a gym in the Clybaun Hotel.. Few shops and stuff too so you're not isolated in the suburbs with no shops..

Bohermore's not the nicest areas especially with children as it can be loud.

Salthill, Claddagh or College Road might be good options for you ..

I'd definitely avoid Property Management companies as they can be a little difficult to deal with to say the least!

Here are a few nice places that might suit:
Pm me if you want any more advice as I have rented in Galway for a long time

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1035224

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1040064

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1046795

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1046225

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1042391

http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1047086

Mrs OBumble

pseudonym1 wrote: »

Your sure that was bothermore? I think you are being very critical.

127% sure.

Go to YouTube and search yourself. Walk up the road and it and look at the houses. Knock on some doors, and ask some of the old people living there what it's like at night.

I've tried very hard to be balanced, not critical. Every story has at least two sides.

I would live there myself (though not on the main road). But I wouldn't recommend it to a family with a young child.

pseudonym1

My Grandaunt lives there... I know the area well and tbh I wasn't sure thats where it was ...so well done Just Mary.

Op newcastle knocknacarra renmore or bothermore will suit your needs and budget.

JohnCleary

Hi bensonx I sent you a PM hope it's useful to you

bhur

pseudonym1 wrote: »

Your sure that was bothermore? I think you are being very critical.

Thats out headford ya numpties

Bazzo

I'm surprised this many people are suggesting bohermore.

I'm not trying to pick a fight or offend anyone but I'm a student myself been in galway for the last few years and I've had a fair few friends who've stayed in bohermore and said it was a rough enough area, for 2 professionals with a kid I'd probably recommend avoiding it.

Maybe you could try somewhere like Lower Salthill or Newcastle? I live in Castlelawn Heights at the moment and it's fairly quiet, there are a decent amount of students around though.

And as other people have mentioned, the public transport in Galway is a bit crap.

focuslfc

bhur wrote: »

Thats out headford ya numpties

That is definitely bohermore and that video has been put up by the resident.
They have more videos here if you want check them out.

http://www.youtube.com/user/beatlejuice1000?blend=22&ob=5

gaeilgegrinds1

It was mentioned in the Advertiser after it was put up online, defiantely Bóthar Mór, I don't really think it'd be the best place ye could settle I'd say.

bensonx

thanks everyone for all the great info,
the conclusion is stay away from bohermore, ballybane and castlepark. got it!
contacted a place in renmore and im goin viewing that, looks nice in the pics and its a reasonable price
so thanks again to all xxx