Living in Kilkenny

Shooting Stars

Hi there,

I recently started working in Waterford but am thinking I would prefer to live in Kilkenny! It would mean a commute which I don't have currently but I think it would be worth the trade off. I like the Waterford surrounding areas (beaches etc) but much prefer Kilkenny city as compared to Waterford city.

Waterford people themselves are first to admit that Waterford is cliquey enough. Am just wondering about Kilkenny? is it easy enough to make friends if you put in the effort - join clubs etc?

Any advice in this regard. I presume quite a few people commute to Waterford from Kilkenny?

Thanks for reading

Captain Havoc

If it's friends you're looking for, then I would say you're going to struggle anywhere. Personally, I'd prefer to live closer to my job (but I'd obviously prefer to work in Kilkenny).

Firetrap

Kilkenny is cliquey too. As to whether it's better or worse than Waterford, I've no idea. You sure you want to commute with the cost of petrol/diesel these days?

up for anything

There are two Kilkennys. The Kilkenny of the Born and Bred and the Kilkenny of the Blow-ins. You'll find it easy enough to make friends amongst the blow-ins but the B&Ber's are a closed unit.

It is much easier to make B&B friends in Waterford. I'm not criticising or casting asparagus but that is just the way I have found it over the years and all my blow-in friends the same.

Nervous Nellie

Hi OP, firstly can I say that I love living in Kilkenny and would pick it over Waterford any day...... "BUT".....(there's always a "but" )..........

I also mean no disrespect to anyone here but I have also found Kilkenny to be a tad cliquey and quite difficult to meet people. Lots of people I have met have lived here all their lives so have a firmly established base of friends and family etc, it’s only natural that they might be wary of us “blow-in’s”…

After two years of being here, I’m still struggling to find friends (and although a tad shy, I would be friendly and chatty enough). I’ve been throwing myself in to many craft, evening college and fitness classes and have managed to establish a few friends but it’s nowhere near the amount I had when living in Manchester and Dublin…. Having said that though, the friends I have made are wonderful people and will surely be friends for life.

I have to say though Kilkenny is a lovely place to live and having grown up in big industrial cities, I much prefer it here. Admitedly it doesn’t have the range of facilities/shopping etc that you might find in a bigger city but it has enough, and larger cities are only a stones throw away.

I suppose it all depends what you are looking for really. Kilkenny has a lovely buzz about the place and very pretty to look at, it’s a slower pace of life I found, and much more relaxing than a big city. Where as Waterford has lots going on in the city and surrounding areas, great facilities and closer to your work.

In all the places I have lived (and there are many..) I much much much prefer living in Kilkenny but I have to say that I do still miss the bright lights of the big city….

(I suppose that once you make your decision, if you don't like where you live you can always move back....good luck with whatever you decide)

Captain Havoc

Have to agree with up for anything but this is the same where ever you go. I'm a bit of a pikey and have lived in 8 different villages/ towns/ cities in four countries and generally blow ins will hang around with blow ins (not always). As far as who I hang around with in Killkenny, my mates would be those a cycle or play soccer or golf with. It's kinda hard to get my school mates together now due to emigration and a lot of them have families now. I hate going out on the weekend as I have to drive out the slip road (garda hotspot) and the place is a cattle mart anyway. Love going for a few during the week though, we do have some lovely pubs.

Shooting Stars

Thanks to people who have taken the time to reply. It's great to get people's views! Keep them coming!

Kilkenny is a lovely city though with a nice vibe to it.

ManInTheMiddle

I love Killkenny's rivers

catbear

I think Kilkenny is great but I have to get out of here for a few years. It's small and I need a change.

countryliving

hi, personally i prefer kilkenny over waterford. i am from d country lived away for years however moved back to kilkenny about 5 years ago.i'll never forget the shock! as oh my god living in dublin i made more friends knew my neighbours and i used go to a gym and knew a lot of people. i have to say that even now i find kilkenny a challenge getting to know people and i am from here! i have to continually make an effort to meet new people..... however the longer i stay the better it gets! i think every town is the same.

holyhead

Shooting Star,
Kilkenny City is a great spot. I must admit I write from a biased perspective. I was born and raised here. However I lived in the midlands for a time. It took me moving away to realise just how beautiful Kilkenny is. How good the quality of life here is. I took KK as being the norm. Boy did I learn. In terms of making friends. Join clubs, get involved in activities and KK will be on a par with anywhere in terms of making friends.
Kilkenny is compact. Has a fine array of shopping options, except Tesco. Has lovely eateries, fine pubs, theatre, cinema, wide array of clubs and societies. I went to college in Waterford I.T. and each evening I could'nt wait to leave Waterford. I commuted btw! I absolutely hated the place. I found it sheer depressing.
With the motorway KK city is only 35 minutes or so from Waterford. It maybe shorter is you exert more pressure on the accelarator pad
An alternative to KK is Thomastown which would be a nice medium point for the purposes of proximity. Both KK and Waterford would be circa 20-25 minutes away.

cocoshovel

I was born and have most of my family in Kilkenny, but I lived most of my childhood in Waterford. Now I live half way between both cities and mostly visit Kilkenny but do go to Waterford about once or twice a month.

There is something nicer about Kilkenny. I think its just the people are nicer and the atmosphere around town is a lot calmer compared to Waterford. However for making friends, I'm not too sure. There isn't much social activity or anything to do in Kilkenny. I find it can be pretty boring at times.

You could always go for a session down by the river?!

Rantan

I'm a native and yes it is cliquey, lived away for 10 years and felt like a stranger when i came back. for choice of citiies I think KK is one of the nicest in ireland, great buzz in the place and its a little paradise in summer, I tihnk waterford city is a bit drab to be honest(sorry)..on the other hand waterford county is very nice, Lismore and places like that are gorgeous, also has super beaches and good coast, good for sea kayaking and stuff, i always thought kk would be unbeatable if it had a coastline and a college..anyway the new motorway makes the commute easier. still going to be a big cost though, can you share lifts maybe? my heart says kk ..but do the maths first, can you afford the cost of commuting?

Aarnikotka

Hi Shooting Stars,

Maybe you should ask this question over on the Waterford City board as well

Of course if you ask the people of Kilkenny where you should live, they will of course for the most part say: "Kilkenny!" (and there's nothing wrong with that )

But I think you should get some opinions from the Waterford City folk, so they can point out all the good points/drawbacks that you might have missed.

Good luck with your decision in any case!

road_high

I just wouldn't tell the Waterford people at work as to why you'd like to move to KK and not live in Waterford! I don't think they will/would be very flattered!
I think Waterford county is lovely with it's beaches especially, places like Dunmore East are gems.

Waterford prob has more "big" city facilities than KK like still has 24hour shopping I'd imagine plus they have a decent cinema. But then KK prob trumps it on ambience and nightlife.
It's hard to say really without knowing your work arrangements i.e. do you work shift/do you have to be in Waterford every day rigidly etc?

Sky King

I rented a room in my house to a Laois guy for a while who commuted to the far side of waterford city every day. He said there was no way he would live there and loved kilkenny, though he was probably earning enough to justify the fuel costs, which I am sure are significant.

I am sure you´re looking at about 100km a day which is about 7 litres (depending on your car of course)... over a tenner a day on top of your rent... 300 quid a month... is it really worth it?

I disagree with the scenes being hard to break into... it´s not any more in Kilkenny than any other town, and Kilkenny has a lot to offer those of artistic or musical inclinations. Anyone I have shared my house with seemed to like the town and the socialising.

Firetrap

I'd never worked out the cost of a commute like that before :eek::eek: I think if I was in the OP, shoes I'd have another stab at trying to settle in down in Waterford. I don't know what his/her living arrangements are like but what I've found worked for me was moving into a house with nice people of my own age. I met and made friends with some of their pals. They were kind enough to include me in different things that they were doing such as nights out, table quizzes etc. It's not always easy to make friends when you move to a new place, especially if you arrive on your own and you're not in a workplace where they socialise.