Moving to Ireland, wondering about Waterford..

Sagesilver4

Hello! My husband and I are planning on moving to (emigrating to) Ireland in the next 2 years or so, and Waterford caught my eye. I was wondering if anyone could give me some idea about living there - pros, cons, if it's a good place for folks like us to start out? We're both 23, he's an innkeeper and I run a shop overnight (the inn and shop aren't ours ). I'm a bit shy, but I love meeting new people, seeing new sights and exploring, and LOVE the outdoors. My husband is much more extroverted than I am, and also loves seeing new sights, meeting new people, etc., and loves a good time with his friends. Do you think Waterford would suit us? If not, have you got any idea where we should look?

Thanks so much! I can't wait to hear from you.

~ Sarah

byhookorbycrook

City or county?

tobey

waterford city is a pure dump with a huge crime rate and a drug problem which gets biggger month on month, go to west cork or evan cork city, all way better then waterford

MrJoeSoap

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

City or county?

Quite an important question there, Waterford county has some really beautiful spots but finding jobs mightn't be the easiest of tasks. Waterford city might have jobs, but not really the most beautiful place (although I do love it myself).

You could certainly do worse than Waterford county.

wellboy76

MrJoeSoap wrote: »

You could certainly do worse than Waterford county.

Yeah, cork!

abouttobebanned

tobey wrote: »

waterford city is a pure dump with a huge crime rate and a drug problem which gets biggger month on month, go to west cork or evan cork city, all way better then waterford

What a load of crap.

Don't listen to a word this clown says Sarah. It's no worse than any other city in ireland for crime. The vast majority of people living in Waterford will probably go their whole loves completely untouched by drugs and crime.

It's a coastal county that has so much to offer, if you're willing to explore!

S28382

Waterford is a beautiful place some lovely beaches and a nice mountain range (love hiking) ....as for the city its a dead place nothing happening there no more im a born and bred waterford blaa 28yrs there and i moved to kilkenny last year as waterford doesnt offer nothing anymore but hey never mind all that it is a nice place just a shame things have gone so quiet down there.

Sagesilver4

I was looking at the city, mainly because I'm not the richest person ever and it was the most inexpensive place I found. I definitely can't afford Cork or Dublin. About 750 € monthly is the absolute most we could probably afford for rent. I'm mostly just trying to figure out where is affordable for us. We're unfortunately going a bit blindly at this at the moment. Again, thanks for such quick and helpful responses! You're the best!

SillyMcCarthy

This country is f**ked!
Why on earth are you thinking of moving back here?
See sense my dear.
Put the bottle of wine down & step away from the fridge!

Sagesilver4

SillyMcCarthy wrote: »

This country is f**ked!
Why on earth are you thinking of moving back here?
See sense my dear.
Put the bottle of wine down & step away from the fridge!

Anything's better than this. I cannot leave here fast enough. My family traces back to Ireland, so I wanted to come there. I'd rather not go into all the things going on here that are motivating me to move, though, if that's alright. I'm trying to keep looking forward.

dlofnep

I'll offer you an objective view of Waterford.

Firstly - Despite what the above poster said, Waterford city is actually a really nice town. It's well kept, clean and the roadworks are generally good (once you avoid the quay). There's just enough to do here to keep you interested, and the county is big enough with lots of great sights to see.

We're on the coast, so there's lots of beaches.. Although, being Ireland - don't expect a tropical climate.. Although summer is generally mild enough. The county itself has lots to see - from old viking towers in the likes of Ardmore and Lismore, to the Comeragh mountains (if hiking and that is your thing). We have a great public library, and there's always groups of people that get together for an array of hobbies. I run an Irish language group for example - some of the guys in the group take part in mountain hiking, or tag rugby for fitness.. It all varies! There's a decent night life here too, enough pubs, clubs and late bars to give you a decent night out.

We're also only an hour or so drive from Cork or Dublin (with the new motorway), so if you ever need a day out in a bigger city - it won't take you long to get there.

Like any city - we have our crime, but to be honest - it's on par with any world town our size. I would say the bigger problem with Waterford at the moment is the lack of employment opportunities. Whatever about your economic problems in the US, Ireland's unemployment rate is much higher.

That's not to say you won't be able to find work, it's around there - the more qualified you are the better chance you have. Although, as you are not planning to move for 2 years or more - we'll be able to gauge the economy alot better then, so keep an eye on it and see if it rebounds.

Ireland is a beautiful country, I love it. I've travelled across Europe, and I've lived in the US - So I'm qualified to comment on it.

SillyMcCarthy

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

Anything's better than this. I cannot leave here fast enough. My family traces back to Ireland, so I wanted to come there. I'd rather not go into all the things going on here that are motivating me to move, though, if that's alright. I'm trying to keep looking forward.

'Faraway hill are greener' as they say, but if you are serious I'ld live here
for a couple of months before deciding anything!
America is a big place & I'm sure there is plenty of room out there.
But good luck to you, what ever decision you come to.

eeloe

tobey wrote: »

waterford city is a pure dump with a huge crime rate and a drug problem which gets biggger month on month, go to west cork or evan cork city, all way better then waterford

Wow, the town and country is really going to strive with this type of a mentality isn't it?

Waterford is a great place to live, lots to do(if you have the right frame of mind) and lots to see, but it would all depend on if ya wanted to live in the City or County.

dark_shadow

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

Anything's better than this. I cannot leave here fast enough. My family traces back to Ireland, so I wanted to come there. I'd rather not go into all the things going on here that are motivating me to move, though, if that's alright. I'm trying to keep looking forward.

Sarah where are you coming from??

spankadamonkee

dark_shadow wrote: »

Sarah where are you coming from??

This is a long shot but if you look under her name it says Texas.:D

dark_shadow

spankadamonkee wrote: »

This is a long shot but if you look under her name it says Texas.:D

I never even noticed that ooops!!:p If I was blonde I'd have an excuse lol:D

fricatus

dark_shadow wrote: »

Sarah where are you coming from??

Says Texas in her location info...

OP, don't listen to any of that nonsense about Waterford being a dump and everywhere else being much better. After living in the UK, France, Spain and Dublin, I'm back living in Waterford, where I grew up, and I love it.

It has no more problems than any other small city, and in my view scores very highly for the things that matter to me: a good selection of nice restaurants and pubs, close to the sea and mountains, good access to Dublin (at long last) and a reasonable enough road to Cork (a very nice alternative if you want a day out in a bigger city).

On the whole it's a friendly place and most areas are safe enough. In some spots you might see a few "characters" hanging around, but there's little real danger there, and anyway, no city in Ireland is going to be any different.

The one real negative as has been pointed out is that employment opportunities are a real problem, but then that feeds through to a lower cost of housing, which, if you can find a job, is good news for you!

Best of luck in whatever you do!

ILoveShoez

abouttobebanned wrote: »

What a load of crap.

Don't listen to a word this clown says Sarah. It's no worse than any other city in ireland for crime. The sat majority of people living in Waterford will probably go their whole loves completely untouched by drugs and crime.

It's a coastal county that has so much to offer, if you're willing to explore!

I totally agree, I'm from Cork myself and I love Waterford City and don't think I'll ever move back to Cork.

paul the great

OP how far back did you trace your famiy? You'll have a very difficult time getting a visa for Ireland in the present climate. If your Irish ancestry goes back to your granparents you can claim Irish citizenship and get an Irish passport (Or any other EEA country or Switzerland).

Spadzy

Hi
Dont come near waterford, it is the most depressing city in Ireland IMO! There has been no progression in building or updating this city for years,not to mention the amount of scumbags in the city!
Cork would be a much better bet, a much better city, and if you did feel the need to come to waterford you would only be a Hour and fifteen min's drive away. Believe me 1 day in waterford will do for you.

Tim the Enchanter

Hi Op, i would try to ignore the negative comments here about Waterford, its just the same as any other town or city in the country.

I know you said you were looking at the city but for a budget of €750 you have some excellent options in county Waterford like the Dunmore East, Woodstown areas which are only a 20min drive from the city

E.g

Dunmore East
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1138525
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1144096
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=1048702

Woodstown
http://www.daft.ie/searchrental.daft?id=938860

MrJoeSoap

+1 for Dunmore East, one of the most beautiful towns in the whole country.

Sagesilver4

paul the great wrote: »

OP how far back did you trace your famiy? You'll have a very difficult time getting a visa for Ireland in the present climate. If your Irish ancestry goes back to your granparents you can claim Irish citizenship and get an Irish passport (Or any other EEA country or Switzerland).

I'm not planning on getting my citizenship that way, and it turns out you don't even need a visa coming from the US. I'm going to apply for a green card and go from there. I'll be finding work before I find a place to live, and go from there. I'm planning on having a bit of a commute, but that's nothing new to me, so it's not a big deal. How does transportation work there anyway? I was reading that public transportation & cabs are most common, and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

Max Powers

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I was reading that public transportation & cabs are most common, and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

Most people do have cars but public transport is there if needed. Its not great but adequate for getting around most places. Even villages further out like Dunmore east etc would have a regular enough bus service for getting into town in morning and home again after. Taxis are always available (except pub/club closing time at 2-3am at weekend). It would be expensive to taxi out there though regularly.

I have lived in the US and other places in Ireland, I always wanted to come back to Waterford, its small compared to Dublin, Dallas etc but it has everything you want, a small but good arts scene, plenty of beaches, mountains and is a good base when in Ireland (motorway to Dublin means you can be up there in about 1.5 hours, Ireland is tiny so nowhere is that far away especially compared to a state like Texas)

Funfair

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

Have you being talking to a leprechaun Nearly Everyone in Ireland has a car a good % of familys have 2..

jimbojazz

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I'm not planning on getting my citizenship that way, and it turns out you don't even need a visa coming from the US. I'm going to apply for a green card and go from there. I'll be finding work before I find a place to live, and go from there. I'm planning on having a bit of a commute, but that's nothing new to me, so it's not a big deal. How does transportation work there anyway? I was reading that public transportation & cabs are most common, and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

True, we were in bits when the donkey died and had nothing to pull the cart but my brother being a fine size of a man volunteered to take over the duties - to be honest we'd have been lost without him especially with the well for the water drying up and us having to trek for miles to the next one in snow and ice................if only we had cups to drink from

nkay1985

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I'm not planning on getting my citizenship that way, and it turns out you don't even need a visa coming from the US. I'm going to apply for a green card and go from there. I'll be finding work before I find a place to live, and go from there. I'm planning on having a bit of a commute, but that's nothing new to me, so it's not a big deal. How does transportation work there anyway? I was reading that public transportation & cabs are most common, and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

That will pretty much only apply to Dublin but, even at that, more people will have cars than not. Everywhere else in the country, almost everybody has cars. Most families have two cars. Public transport is fairly limited.

I personally can't imagine not having a car anyway so I wouldn't see that as a major downside.

Heathen

Im from Dublin, lived there my whole life and was happy enough..

A job i was working for moved to Waterford City and me and a few other decided to move here with it..

That was 12 years ago and i am happy out living here.. everything i need is here, i have made some of the best mates anyone could find on the planet!
Mountains are beautiful, Countryside is minutes from your door, Beaches are a short drive, Nightlife was great, and will be again in a few years once the employment issue gets dealt with..

The only people that badmouth Waterford for things to do are the people with lack of imagination, cos im finding new things all the time and have been for 12 years so far.. I am very proud of Waterford and im saying that as a Dub!

H

Heathen

Heathen wrote: »

Im from Dublin, lived there my whole life and was happy enough..

A job i was working for moved to Waterford City and me and a few other decided to move here with it..

That was 12 years ago and i am happy out living here.. everything i need is here, i have made some of the best mates anyone could find on the planet!
Mountains are beautiful, Countryside is minutes from your door, Beaches are a short drive, Nightlife was great, and will be again in a few years once the employment issue gets dealt with..

The only people that badmouth Waterford for things to do are the people with lack of imagination, cos im finding new things all the time and have been for 12 years so far.. I am very proud of Waterford and im saying that as a Dub!

H

That being said... stay clear of "seanybiker" one of Waterford City's more undesirable residents

H

Sagesilver4

Max Powers wrote: »

Most people do have cars but public transport is there if needed. Its not great but adequate for getting around most places. Even villages further out like Dunmore east etc would have a regular enough bus service for getting into town in morning and home again after. Taxis are always available (except pub/club closing time at 2-3am at weekend). It would be expensive to taxi out there though regularly.

I have lived in the US and other places in Ireland, I always wanted to come back to Waterford, its small compared to Dublin, Dallas etc but it has everything you want, a small but good arts scene, plenty of beaches, mountains and is a good base when in Ireland (motorway to Dublin means you can be up there in about 1.5 hours, Ireland is tiny so nowhere is that far away especially compared to a state like Texas)

Haha, thank goodness I asked! That was what the tourist pages told me.. should've known not to trust those. :P

abouttobebanned

Can you post a link to this tourist page?

seanybiker

Heathen wrote: »

That being said... stay clear of "seanybiker" one of Waterford City's more undesirable residents

H

Haha ya geebag. Not poking you on Facebook anymore

Jamerican

Hi Sage,

I recently moved here from the states and live outside of waterford city. Depending on how much space you are looking for I would suggest looking at outside the main city. It's still easy to drive in to during rush hour (compared to Dallas traffic) if you are working in the city. It's really beautiful here, lots of scenic areas. And you get a lot more for your money when you rent out of the city. paying less than your budget for a fine house and an acre of land.

Good luck on whatever you decide, but as long as you are able to get used to small town living you will be fine. I find it really is like living in a really small town convenience-wise here. Even Dublin is like that.

I haven't found anything specifically wrong with living in Waterford that you wouldn't find in any large town or city. Like someone else said, it's clean and I haven't been shanked going from a store to my car. Feel free to PM me if you like. I am very familiar with the huge jump.

shockwave

Waterford would be a small town compared to American cities so dont expect too much, shopping isnt great as there isnt a great variety of stores and you might find the cost of living much higher here. Petrol, food etc can be expensive here.

fricatus

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I'm planning on having a bit of a commute, but that's nothing new to me, so it's not a big deal.

Employment opportunities are a little scattered, so you might be lucky and find a job you can walk or cycle to, or you could have a bit of a commute.

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

How does transportation work there anyway?

Pretty much the same as it works in the USA! The main differences would be that we that we drive on the left, our cars are mostly manual (what you call "stick") and multi-lane highways are the exception rather than the rule. Some journeys are a pain because you pretty much go at the speed of the slowest driver if oncoming traffic or twisty roads prevent you from overtaking!

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I was reading that public transportation & cabs are most common, and it's unusual to have your own car. Is that true?

I don't know where you read that nonsense!

Everyone has a car here, pretty much. What you describe might be the case in central Dublin, where cabs, buses and trams are plentiful, and parking is scarce and expensive. In Waterford it's overwhelmingly cars, although there are decent enough bus services on the main routes in the city.

angelfalling

As an American expat living in Waterford, I'd say think carefully before emigrating to Ireland. It's a serious grass-is-greener situation to leave the states and come here expecting something incredible. Ireland is in a terrible state. Seeing stone ruins, etc, is amazing but the rose-tinted glasses do come off in time. Don't come here unless you DEFINITELY 100% have jobs lined up. Otherwise you will not find them. Also, do not underestimate how difficult the adjustment to the weather here will be. It doesn't matter how much you may like "rain"... I'm from Florida, I had all these ideas in my head, too.

If you plan on driving, definitely look outside the city. The city is mostly dingy unless you move out the Dunmore road/ardkeen areas (plus side of recession, rent is super cheap)... even still, the surrounding towns are nicer. I will say this much: county Waterford is beautiful and underrated. I live in Portlaw and while it has its "quirks", ahem, its beautiful, close to the mountains and lovely walks, incredible history, etc. Outside of county Waterford, I'm quite fond of Cork City, West Cork, and possible Kilkenny.

But, really, #1 question is, do you have jobs lined up. If you don't, wait until you do to leave America. At least in American you can moved state to state. Coming here you are limited.

billythepig

waterford is a lovely place to live,
it has everything,,, best beaches in ireland,,, great mountains,,, a city center full of all the top shops, bars and resturants,,, brilliant schools and collages,,, waterford hurling team,,, waterford united fc,,, cheap booze in most pubs,,,,chris doran,,, val doonigan,,, gilbert o sullivan,,, oldest city in ireland,,, beautiful quays and river,,, crusty and soft blaas,,, flavans porridge,,, john tracey,,, kelly proper,,, WLRfm,,, matt keane,,, billy mccarthy,,,

best city in ireland by a million miles.
dublin,cork,limerick,galway are kips to live in.

dayshah

Sagesilver4 wrote: »

I'm not planning on getting my citizenship that way, and it turns out you don't even need a visa coming from the US.

In Waterford City you can easily get by without a car. I've been around, and Waterford is definitely above average for a city of 50,000; but it is only 50,000 which might be too small for you.

As for jobs, EU citizens get first preference. That pretty much rules out any retail or hotel/bar jobs. These sectors have been hardest hit. If they want to employ a non-EU citizen the employer has to advertise the job for over a month and prove they can't find an EU citizen to do the job. That basically means you have zero chance of getting a job in retail or in a hotel/bar.

Being self-employed might be an option. I'm not sure on the rules for non-EU citizens.

Daffodil.d

I have lived here all my life. I love this town and hate listening to negative talk regarding it. However the reality is there are no jobs. Before you make a decision have a look at our job websites such as jobs.ie or monsterjobs.ie. Other than that from what what you have said I think the coastal towns would suit you. Ignore anyone who is negative. This town is beautiful and it doesn't always rain(there is a lot of rain but not all the time).Best of luck.

seanybiker

billythepig wrote: »

waterford is a lovely place to live,
it has everything,,, best beaches in ireland,,, great mountains,,, a city center full of all the top shops, bars and resturants,,, brilliant schools and collages,,, waterford hurling team,,, waterford united fc,,, cheap booze in most pubs,,,,chris doran,,, val doonigan,,, gilbert o sullivan,,, oldest city in ireland,,, beautiful quays and river,,, crusty and soft blaas,,, flavans porridge,,, john tracey,,, kelly proper,,, WLRfm,,, matt keane,,, billy mccarthy,,,seanybiker

best city in ireland by a million miles.
dublin,cork,limerick,galway are kips to live in.

aswell thanks Billy

billythepig

seanybiker wrote: »

aswell thanks Billy

and seanybiker,,,
also tawdy morrissey,,,how dooo,,,3 dog

Ericaa

I swear I'm living in a completely different city going by the way some of ye talk about it..

hefferboi

I'd rather live in Limerick or Tipp. Waterford is rough enough from what I've experienced. Limerick has a bad rep but its actually fairly nice and I had no trouble there.

CiaranC

billythepig wrote: »

best city in ireland by a million miles.
dublin,cork,limerick,galway are kips to live in.

lol

Waterford is the most boring city in Ireland. I went out in Waterford on a Tuesday evening in the middle of "the boom" and it was like a scene from 28 days later. I can only imagine what its like now.

OP, move to Galway, Cork or Dublin. These are all vibrant, buzzing, brilliant cities.

Nypd

hefferboi wrote: »

I'd rather live in Limerick or Tipp. Waterford is rough enough from what I've experienced. Limerick has a bad rep but its actually fairly nice and I had no trouble there.

Waterford is rough lol and Limerick and Tipp are nice places LMAO !!
Limerick has a bad rep for a reason and Tipp town at the weekend is like a scene from Ross Kemp on gangs

jo06555

paul the great wrote: »

OP how far back did you trace your famiy? You'll have a very difficult time getting a visa for Ireland in the present climate. If your Irish ancestry goes back to your granparents you can claim Irish citizenship and get an Irish passport (Or any other EEA country or Switzerland).

So weird when you think any tom dick or harry can enter our shores from Africa or Europe with no checking , and decent people from the states would be refused????? Id hope not , anyway to op while Waterford is not thriving right now you will have a quiet time here if that's what you want , as was said earlier we are surrounded by beautiful beaches mountains etc and festivals every summer are a big thing here , Ireland is a lot smaller than America obviously so if you felt like a day trip some day u can go basically anywhere for the day or weekend , I'm sure if you do decide to come here this thread will have plenty of people willing to help you out on your new start , as the best thing is the people , small community's equals helpful ones good luck

nkay1985

Ericaa wrote: »

I swear I'm living in a completely different city going by the way some of ye talk about it..

Well your location says you live in Tramore so you'd obviously have a different experience to those of us in the city. But what do you find to be Waterford's negative points? I'm interested to hear what all the people who have a downer on Waterford regard as its flaws.

hefferboi wrote: »

I'd rather live in Limerick or Tipp. Waterford is rough enough from what I've experienced. Limerick has a bad rep but its actually fairly nice and I had no trouble there.

Seriously lad, that's ridiculous. I lived in Limerick for 4 years and, while it's improving now with the city centre regeneration, it's not a very nice place.

As for Tipp town, the less said about that the better really.

batm!ke

billythepig wrote: »

and seanybiker,,,
also tawdy morrissey,,,how dooo,,,3 dog

Wow Seany. you're in good company there :P

batm!ke

You will get out of Waterford what you put in. For most of my early twenties I thought the place was a kip and wanted to move away but as I got older and gained some perspective I realised what was on my doorstep.

I've lived here my whole life and never been mugged or in a real fight, drug-use has risen the last few years but no different to anywhere else. And to say Limerick is a less dangerous place to live is just ridiculous. I've been a regular traveller to the place due to my girlfriends family being from there and the place even smells dangerous. The shyte I've seen in a long weekend up there would do me for a year down here. I wouldn't see how Tipp town beats Waterford either, but I'll admit I'm not too qualified to comment on that. Galway has always seemed a nice City to me though.

Waterford's positives far outweigh the negatives in terms of things to do, quality of life, accessibility and scenery.

The negatives unfortunately contain a big one: employment
(We could do with a few more brand-name shops too but as earlier posts have said, it's not far to Cork, Kilkenny, Dublin)

billythepig

Nypd wrote: »

Limerick has a bad rep for a reason and Tipp town at the weekend is like a scene from Ross Kemp on gangs

how very true, i wouldn't let me dog live in limerick or tipp

comeraghs

Howdee! as they say in Texas (I think)

As somebody who has lived & worked in the US, Europe, Asia & Australia, I'd say JUMP!
Waterford is a great place to live as regards quality of life. If you can find a decent job you'll love it (& there are plenty of decent jobs out there for people with the right skills)

Waterford city is nice, especially the Dunmore Road area, but in my opinion, you might like some of the smaller towns (20 min commute) around the City more. Places like Dunhill, Dunmore East, Fenor, Kill & Bunmahon are great to live in ... good community spirit.

Dungarvan, which is a beautiful & lively town, is another good option. & It may be better jobs wise because it's commuting distance ... approx 1 hour to Cork, Clonmel 30mins & Waterford 30 mins