Working from home and having a life

opalepatrick

I am trying to work out where would be a good place to live. We are hoping to move to Ireland but cannot work out areas that have a balance for our needs. We are not dependent on the local economy.

We both work from home (no kids), but need an area that has something going on whilst at the same time not being in the middle of the party zone or anywhere 'edgy'.

It would be nice if there was plenty of recreational space (walk-able riverside/beach or the like) without being in the burbs. We would like to walk out and get plenty of local shops (greengrocers, butchers, bakery?) and be able to access some entertainment comedy/music/theatre/cinema.

We are well past student age but not ready for a zimmer yet.

If were out in the sticks I think we would be isolated, if we were in some parts of cities it might be too trafficky/manic.

Galway City is lovely but seems small, Cork and Dublin are difficult as I know nothing of the areas but would be interested to know more. Anywhere else? :-)

Any ideas suggestions that we can follow up would be appreciated from anyone but especially from people who understand working from home with all that entails.

K.Flyer

From reading your post the first area that I thought of that might fit the bill was Sandymount, Dublin 4.
Nice beach within walking distance and all of your requirements on your doorstep or very closeby with the city centre within easy reach using public transport, car, cycling or walking.

ABajaninCork

Cork is great too. The city's small but nowhere is far or difficult to get to. I can get to the beach in 30 mins or less, and I live in the city.

Or you could go for towns like Mallow, Macroom, Fermoy. Plenty enough going on, and in the case of Fermoy, the M8 motorway's nearby so you can easily get to Dublin if you needed to.

Mallow and Macroom are good for getting to West Cork and Kerry.

PM me if you need more info on Cork. I've moved here from London, and think it's great!

Bigcheeze

opalepatrick wrote: »

entertainment comedy/music/theatre/cinema.

If this is important then Dublin is the only place in Ireland with a critical mass of theatres and concert venues.

How do you define being far out ? Sandymount has already been suggested. Clontarf is similar, being an affluent coastal suburb within 3 miles of the city centre.

If you were happy to live within 10 miles of the city centre, then Blackrock, Dalkey, Malahide, Howth would meet your needs and each has attractive coastal villages with good restaurants. All are served by train (<30 mins) to the city.

ladysarah

douglas or carrigaline in cork would be lovely. very close to beaches.

opalepatrick

thank you all for your quick replies. Be delighted to hear from anyone else... Does seem like Dublin or Cork, so any input that would be useful before I narrow it down would be great.

murphaph

Do you need fast broadband for work (you said you work from home?). If so, make sure it's actually available wherever you're looking at! Broadband in Ireland is still lagging behind most of western Europe and way behind the US.

true

opalepatrick wrote: »

We both work from home (no kids), but need an area that has something going on whilst at the same time not being in the middle of the party zone or anywhere 'edgy'.

It would be nice if there was plenty of recreational space (walk-able riverside/beach or the like) without being in the burbs. We would like to walk out and get plenty of local shops (greengrocers, butchers, bakery?) and be able to access some entertainment comedy/music/theatre/cinema.

A place like Galway or Sligo would be ideal. You are able to get out in to the country / seaside easily and yet has music/theatre/cinema. Has a lower cost of living that Dublin if you pick the area right. I love heading to both counties at weekends, away from the traffic and pollution and big smoke of Dublin. Yet only a few hours from Dublin. Worth considering. lovely beaches and mountains if you get it right.....and pubs a bit cheaper.

by the seaside

We are about to move to Dublin from England for work. If we had a choice it would be Galway. Don't be put off by population size. A city of 75,000 in Ireland has a lot more going for it than a similarly sized town in a country like England, simply because it is a regional centre, and the largest population / commercial centre for some distance. It therefore has significantly more facilities, culture and buzz. Spend a couple of weeks travelling round. Cork certainly has its charms as well.

okiss

I would consider Galway rather that Dublin.
You could buy or rent a nice place in Galway cheaper than in Dublin.
One of my friend's lives in an area of Galway called Doughiska. It is a very nice area on the outskirts of the city. It is near the motorway to Dublin so you are not stuck in traffic if you are traveling out of Galway at the weekends.
Also this area has a good internet service.

Galway has a large student population with a very good university and IT.
During the summer it is a very popular tourist spot so there is always something going on. It is a well known city for the arts, music ect.

ballyharpat

I would seriously consider Killarney, the prices are great, you are walking distance to a National Park. Lots of hiking , mountain biking and roadbiking on your doorstep. lakes and beaches a few minutes away. Lovely restaurants-although they are pricey, but no more than Galway or Dublin. The INEC has concerts etc.

Dr Turk Turkelton

[quotmurphaph;84247770"]Do you need fast broadband for work (you said you work from home?). If so, make sure it's actually available wherever you're looking at! Broadband in Ireland is still lagging behind most of western Europe and way behind the US.[/quote]

Way behind the US?
Are you kidding?Im currently in NY and 3mb is all i can get.

Was getting 12mb in Meath.

shruikan2553

I would recommend Galway. Theres a motorway to Dublin, its cheaper than dublin and everything is within walking distance from the city center so for less than 4 euro you can get the bus into town and back for the day.

opalepatrick

Thanks a lot for all your comments. All the suggestions sound great and have their positives but we are edging towards Galway now. We know it a bit, but not for a long time. Would prefer to be somewhere between the sea and the city (not the outer suburbs) as we walk everywhere or use public transport (only hire a car as we need it..)... investigating more :-)

by the seaside

opalepatrick wrote: »

Thanks a lot for all your comments. All the suggestions sound great and have their positives but we are edging towards Galway now. We know it a bit, but not for a long time. Would prefer to be somewhere between the sea and the city (not the outer suburbs) as we walk everywhere or use public transport (only hire a car as we need it..)... investigating more :-)

Good plan. And you get the added bonus of 300 days per year of precipitation free sunshine.

the_syco

Dublin has late night buses going out to the suburbs; same can not be said for all the other cities in Ireland.

RESEARCH your broadband provider, but it seems Sky is not the one to get.

ABajaninCork

All of the BB providers here are fairly crap if truth be told. I have to laugh when Voda and Eircom proudly trumpet to me about their super fast BB speeds of 8MB :rolleyes:. I had that in London SEVEN years ago!! For me, Voda are the best of a bad bunch. But the added attraction for me is the free anytime calls home to the UK. That's something to bear in mind, OP.

Having said that, I do know Ballincollig in Cork does have the capability for 30mb BB.

riclad

Different towns , area,s ,citys have different broadband providers,
IN the last 3 years dublin, has had fibre broadband avaidable ,
avaidable in certain area,s .
and a choice of eircom,smart, upc fast broadband.
go for areas with at least 5meg per sec broadband , .
with a choice ,of eircom, smart, or upc .

Galway or cork is nice , but be aware the weather is much nicer, dryer near
dublin.
The further you go west the rainier it gets.
Obviously re music, concerts,,theatre ,art gallarys , dublin has more variety,places to go than cork, galway etc.
OR Look for a place that,s on the edge of dublin ,thats near beaches,
parks etc.

Mullingar is a large town,an hour from dublin ,with cheap house rental,
and fast broadband 15meg, plus, from eircom, or upc avaidable.

The_Conductor

murphaph wrote: »

Do you need fast broadband for work (you said you work from home?). If so, make sure it's actually available wherever you're looking at! Broadband in Ireland is still lagging behind most of western Europe and way behind the US.

I've a 150Mb connection here (Lucan Village, Co. Dublin)- for less than a 2Mb connection in Pennsylvania cost me....... Internet in the US is a joke- its a fraction of the speed available in Ireland- for a multiple of the price. Even satellite broadband (which I was using today in Sligo) is a multiple of times faster than many standard packages in the US. Broadband in Ireland- is now at over 30% fibre or cable (with speeds of up to 200Mb), and 70% DSL (with speeds of up to 24Mb depending on whether its in an area that Eircom have upgraded yet), with fibre connections going up 3-4% per annum, and DSL falling by a commensurate amount.

Ireland may not be at the cutting edge of broadband connections- but we're above the OECD average, as of this February, and slowly climbing up the ranks, as we replace DSL lines with fibre connections.

As for Dublin only having fibre in the past 3 years- while it may be true for some areas- fibre connections have been available in many areas (at a price) for over a decade. Even places that UPC only officially hooked to fibre in 2007-2008, were wired 3-4 years previous to this.

Vis-a-vis weather- the South East, is colloquially called the Sunny South East- and its quite true. The west gets most rain- the NW/N gets most storms. The midlands get chronic frost- which is abated in coastal areas with an ever present onshore breeze.

Personally- I'd strongly suggest giving Galway a try- its a university town- with lots of lovely streets with interesting shops, traditional bakers/butchers etc- and some of the most amazing restaurants you'll find in the country. It also has a vibrant theatre and cultural scene- along with many many festivals throughout the year, not least the race week at the end of July/beginning of August, at nearby Ballybrit.

Dublin is far and a away the only city in Ireland of any considerable size- however its a lot more impersonal and lacking in charm than most smaller cities- though it does have many facilities and amenities you won't find elsewhere.

Different people like different cities/towns or areas for different reasons. Rather than deciding on a particular place- how about coming over and travelling for a few weeks, to get a feel for the different areas, talking to people who live their already, get an idea of what best suits you at this stage in your life? Its all well and good hearing our musings here- but no matter how vehement we are about the merits of a particular place- there is nothing to say you'll love it or hate it.

Mickey Dazzler

Clontarf Dublin, failing that Galway.