Returning to live in Dublin with 9 year old - any advice gratefully received

Bodminski

Hello folks
So, my issues are:
1) I am returning to Dublin after 26 years abroad. Currently my daughter lives in a very pretty quiet town in England and attends a non-denominational school. It is a close community.

2)Areas I am thinking of living in are either North Strand, Phibsborough, Drumcondra (budget 200,000).

3) The Educate Together schools I have contacted so far are fully subscribed. My child is not baptised which is proving to be a problem with the other schools as they only have 'church' places left as I did not apply earlier.

4) I am anxious about her Englishness as I remember some poor unfortunates who were bullied for their accents in my primary school....hoping times might have changed...

Questions:
1) In your opinion - will the areas I am thinking of be OK to live in?
2) If not, are there any more international areas within my budget where my little girl might fit in better?
3) any ideas on suitable schools and how to get past the baptism issue?
4) she will have to learn Irish but I cannot see how she will catch up. Has anyone experience of this?

Many thanks

Dizzyblonde

Hi, welcome to Boards. I've moved your thread to the Dublin City forum which covers the areas you're looking at moving to. Other than that I can't help you, except to say that I'm pretty sure your child doesn't have to be baptized or a Catholic to attend a Catholic school. We're a multicultural society now and her accent shouldn't cause her a problem either.
Best of luck.

Moved from Dublin County North.

Bodminski

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Hi, welcome to Boards. I've moved your thread to the Dublin City forum which covers the areas you're looking at moving to. Other than that I can't help you, except to say that I'm pretty sure your child doesn't have to be baptized or a Catholic to attend a Catholic school. We're a multicultural society now and her accent shouldn't cause her a problem either.
Best of luck.

Moved from Dublin County North.

Thanks a lot Dizzyblonde,
The problem is that when I rang some Catholic and Protestant schools last week they all told me that the non-church places had already been offered in January. They could offer me a church place as they have a duty of care to their parishioners.....but need a baptism cert :-O

Thomas D

I'm going to give my personal opinion on this situation.

It would have to be a massive, massive reason to move back from your current situation to Dublin. Look at the hassle you are already dealing with in terms of schooling. In those areas you mention I would guess your daughter will get an awful lot of stick from certain types of people. She will likely be assaulted.

Your budget won't get you far in Dublin and for that money you'll have to live with a lot of social problems. Throw in the english element and it could be a living nightmare.

Some might be offended by this advice but that is how I would feel if it were my situation and knowing what I know.

power pants

Thomas D wrote: »

I'm going to give my personal opinion on this situation.

It would have to be a massive, massive reason to move back from your current situation to Dublin. Look at the hassle you are already dealing with in terms of schooling. In those areas you mention I would guess your daughter will get an awful lot of stick from certain types of people. She will likely be assaulted.

Your budget won't get you far in Dublin and for that money you'll have to live with a lot of social problems. Throw in the english element and it could be a living nightmare.

Some might be offended by this advice but that is how I would feel if it were my situation and knowing what I know.

nonsense.

my child has not been baptised, goes to a "catholic" school and has had no issues whatsoever. Speaks with an english accent. Most schools in the inner and surrounding city centre are so diverse the traditional white irish child is almost in the minority, so I dont think being slightly "different" has any effect


We live in one of the areas mentioned above as well

alastair

The school placement issue is a real problem (and is a problem for kids born into the area as well tbh). The accent thing isn't.

hfallada

Drumcondra is the most child friendly of the areas you have listed. There is very few children in Phisboro and there isnt really a decent park compared to Glasnevin and Drumcondra. Have you tried Educate together Glasnevin? I know there is basically two on the same one and one of them is to double in size. 200k wont get you much. But 250k will get you a massive house on the NCR, that needs a bit of work. But you could always live on one floor and rent the other two.

Irish people dont really care where you come from. I know most young people even if they are from a tiny village in the west(generally stereotyped as intolerant and lacking exposure to people who are "different") are often extremely tolerant. There will be people who will hate anyone including Irish people for something stupid like a "proper" Dublin accent

Bodminski

hfallada wrote: »

Drumcondra is the most child friendly of the areas you have listed. There is very few children in Phisboro and there isnt really a decent park compared to Glasnevin and Drumcondra. Have you tried Educate together Glasnevin? I know there is basically two on the same one and one of them is to double in size. 200k wont get you much. But 250k will get you a massive house on the NCR, that needs a bit of work. But you could always live on one floor and rent the other two.

Irish people dont really care where you come from. I know most young people even if they are from a tiny village in the west(generally stereotyped as intolerant and lacking exposure to people who are "different") are often extremely tolerant. There will be people who will hate anyone including Irish people for something stupid like a "proper" Dublin accent

Thanks for that :-) I am Irish myself and I know that people in the main are tolerant. Just I am trying to do the best for my kid as I know it is going to be a culture shock. Educate Glasnevin is full.

I have seen a few houses which need a bit doing to them for about 180/200 and had thought of renting out a room, but your suggestion of a floor is even better.

Thank you for all the suggestions.

Bodminski

power pants wrote: »

nonsense.

my child has not been baptised, goes to a "catholic" school and has had no issues whatsoever. Speaks with an english accent. Most schools in the inner and surrounding city centre are so diverse the traditional white irish child is almost in the minority, so I dont think being slightly "different" has any effect


We live in one of the areas mentioned above as well

Phew! Thank you for that. The prob seems to be that all the non-church places for nect year are already allocated...

schemingbohemia

Thomas D wrote: »

I'm going to give my personal opinion on this situation.

It would have to be a massive, massive reason to move back from your current situation to Dublin. Look at the hassle you are already dealing with in terms of schooling. In those areas you mention I would guess your daughter will get an awful lot of stick from certain types of people. She will likely be assaulted.

Your budget won't get you far in Dublin and for that money you'll have to live with a lot of social problems. Throw in the english element and it could be a living nightmare.

Some might be offended by this advice but that is how I would feel if it were my situation and knowing what I know.

And this statement is based on what exactly?

chopper6

We've had immigrants in large numbers for over 20 years now...there's very few irish kids in some schools so it's unlikely your child will be assualted and bullied just because she's English.

And if you do think it's going to be a problem,make sure she knows how to stick up for herself,kids will only bully people who dont fight back.