Where to retire to in Ireland?

Zelda247

Hi

Myself and my husband are hoping to retire to Ireland, we can't afford Dublin prices, where else would you recommend, we were thinking of Killorglin but prices there have gone up a lot as well?

Many thanks
Zelda

ScouseMouse

What do you want from your retirement?

Do you want a quaint little cottage style place next to a lake in the middle of nowhere, away from the rat-race?

Or do you want something in civilisation or driving distance from a town city? or do you want a town life?

My folks moved back to my fathers home place after years in the UK. They have a fine setup looking at mountains and a lake, 3 miles from the local town. Its in Donegal. Similar to Kerry, it would be rural.

Mum goes to bingo in town on a wednesday, knows everyone for miles and is quite happy.

Mrs OBumble

Where are you from originally? I wouldn't advise going anywhere that you don't have family connections to: you'll be blow-ins anyway, but having some connections, no matter how tenuous, will help.

Also, have you lived in Ireland before? If not, then I would advise moving to a rental property for 12 months to try out the weather, the culture and the health-service before you make any committments. Depending on your expectations, you may be in for a surprise.

Zelda247

Am originally from Dublin but have lived in UK for 20 years, just want to be someone quiet but not dead, my husband lived in rural Ireland for 20 years so we know what to expect re weather etc, don't want to rent as this would only eat out of our budget. We have family in Kerry and were looking at Killorglin but its getting very expensive, prices going up in a jump of 25k!.... I don't drive so want somewhere with a bit of life in it.

fricatus

TBH, everyone is going to come up with a different answer to this question unless you're very specific in stating what exactly you want.

Are you originally Irish, or do you have experience of Irish people? If so, you'll know that Irish people tend on the whole to be very proud of their local area and will big it up no end. And who can blame them? It is a beautiful country and almost everywhere has something to recommend it.

For my money, the coastal regions (pretty much the whole way around) are best, because you can find lovely sea views, cliffs, bays, harbours and estuaries everywhere you go. But then I'm biased, since I'm from a coastal area! Dunmore East is my perfect spot (and my recommendation) but even I have to admit that there are places that can almost compare elsewhere in the country.

Inland areas are generally seen as less desirable, but this also stems from the fact that most mountainous/hilly scenic areas are near the coasts, and the interior tends to be fairly flat. Even this isn't a hard-and-fast rule though, since some of the loveliest scenery is in places like the Glen of Aherlow, or along some of the river valleys (the Suir near Clonmel and the Barrow and Nore valleys in Kilkenny/Wexford spring to mind). Even in somewhere flat and likely to be dismissed such as Offaly, you can find yourself a beautiful corner next to a canal and a willow tree, and you're made!

You'll just have to hire a car and tour the whole country - twice!

fricatus

Zelda247 wrote: »

Am originally from Dublin...

OK, so you already know most of what I just posted...

_Brian

Wexford area is nice.
Coast access, bit better weather. Good links to the capital when it's needed.

Our neighbours retired to Wexford a few years ago and they just love it.

Henry Ford III

Clare. Coastal or county. Tiz great!

bullvine

I'd second Wexford! Its lovely down there in the summer.

Shedite27

Wexford is a double edged sword, it's the closest "real costal county" to Dublin, so while it's great for getting back to Dublin, being so close also means house prices are more expensive than the equivilent house in Cork/Kerry/Clare/Galway.

While you say Killorglin house prices are rising, they are probably more expensive than Killorglin 2013, but probably still cheaper than Rosslare 2014.

Maybe explain what you want out of your retirement (walk to pubs, sit in with a view, access to shopping centres etc) and people will be able to pin down better spots for you.

Zelda247

What part of Wexford did they retire to?

Am looking for a fairly nice house, small is fine, there is only the 2 of us, we have a budget of 150k, so within walking distance of a reasonable size town, supermarket, pub etc, sort of similiar to Killorglin.

Does anyone know what Cobh is like? a friend of a friend lives there and likes it.

Thanks to all who are replying.

Zelda

fricatus

Shedite27 wrote: »

Wexford is a double edged sword, it's the closest "real costal county" to Dublin...

Hmmm... isn't Wicklow closer? It's real, it's coastal, and it's a county! A beautiful one at that...

Zelda247 wrote: »

Does anyone know what Cobh is like? a friend of a friend lives there and likes it.

Spent a few days there earlier in the year and absolutely loved it. It's beautiful, there are nice places to eat and drink, some nice little shops, and a beautiful cathedral. There's a commuter train line to Cork city too, and you're near Fota, Ballycotton, etc.

The only negative you might need to consider is the hills. It's got probably the steepest streets in Ireland. Fabulous views, but you'd need to be able for it.

What about Dunmore east in Waterford its got all you would need, yet is near Waterford and there is a regular bus services to bring you to Waterford if you need to.

eyescreamcone

Cobh has a reputation for being rough. This may have changed somewhat recently, but if you're looking at Cork I'd look further west.
Kinsale, Clonakilty area

Zelda247

Gosh I am surprised that Cobh has a name for being rough, Kinsale and Conakility are more expensive though.

Robert2012

I would recommend North Roscommon/South Leitrim, near Carrick on Shannon. Beautiful countryside, lots of nice villages, lovely lakes and the River Shannon, and your budget would certainly get you a lovely property, as we have the lowest prices in the country here.

Victor

Zelda247 wrote: »

Does anyone know what Cobh is like?

The hills are rather steep. No bus service, but there are trains into Cork.

murphaph

I would have also thought that proximity to medical care would be of increasing importance as one gets older.

ABajaninCork

Victor wrote: »

The hills are rather steep. No bus service, but there are trains into Cork.

Bus 241 goes from Cobh to Cork.

Zelda247

That's good, from what I have seen Cobh does look rather nice, and the houses are realistically priced, is it a place that people retire to a lot, I know Cork seems to get a lot of English retirees?

Muahahaha

West Cork gets a lot of retirees, from both the UK and Germany to a certain extent. If I was looking down there Kinsale would be a good place to start as there are a good few retirees living in the town or near it. It's a beautiful place with a big foodie/eating out culture but I'm not sure how far €150k would go there as I'm not familiar with prices in the area. Another option might be parts of Wicklow, it can be rural but you're never that far from a town or beach as well as having the Wicklow mountains on your doorstep. In terms of scenery I'd rank Wicklow as top 3 in Ireland just below Donegal and Kerry. Wicklow has the advantage of being next door to Dublin over the other two counties that are a good bit away from main urban populations.

Another thing to consider - part of retirement should be spending more time with your family & friends. I presume a lot of those are from the UK and would intend visiting you in Ireland. IMO with these things if they have to fly and then take a bus/train for a considerable amount of time just to get to your new home then you might find that people don't visit so much which can make things lonely at a time when you have lots of time on your hands. So do consider your location in terms of flight connections back to the UK.

Zelda247

I have been to Kinsale and yes it is lovely but far too expensive for us, hence looking at Cobh. I did look at Wicklow but again because of where it is its expensive as well.

Balmed Out

Maybe not any more but Cobh would have had a rough reputation, possibly no longer though. Its West Cork that attracts English, French, Germans that are retiring or that work from home. Kinsale, Clonakilty, Schul, Baltimore etc.

ABajaninCork

Zelda247 wrote: »

I have been to Kinsale and yes it is lovely but far too expensive for us, hence looking at Cobh. I did look at Wicklow but again because of where it is its expensive as well.

Unfortunately €150k won't get you far in Cobh or the surrounding areas like Carrigtwohill or Middleton. My friends are looking in that area and properties are going for €160+. Prices are going nuts there...

You might do better looking in places like Union Hall, Baltimore, Skibbereen, Schull, etc.

eyescreamcone

Zelda247 wrote: »

I have been to Kinsale and yes it is lovely but far too expensive for us, hence looking at Cobh. I did look at Wicklow but again because of where it is its expensive as well.

Plenty of property in all areas for 160k-ish including Kinsale

Daft.ie is your friend

Victor

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Bus 241 goes from Cobh to Cork.

Before catching the bus, should they swim across the harbour or walk several km?