(Not another) Considering moving to Ireland thread

FrodVegas

Ok... just after general advice on locations in the south or west of Ireland. We are a young(ish) family with 3 kids (13, 10 and 4). I am thankfully NOT looking for any work in Ireland. I have a job where i work overseas. I've got to an age now that night clubs, trendy sports bars and being near city centres no longer interest me in the slightest. Open countryside, mountain or coastal walks and clean air do! My father is Irish and always talking about moving back when he retires. Although he's advising places in Kerry like Caherdaniel and Killarney. That might be a little too remote for me. I need to be able to commute to an airport (1-2 hr drive max) so i can fly to the UK to get flight connections. So i was thinking West Cork (Kinsale, Clonakilty, Bantry).

Towns that have excellent schools, shops, cafes, sports facilities, swimming pools, cinema play areas and skate parks (for the older boys) would be great!!! I seriously doubt there is any towns (let alone cities) in Ireland that have all that - there aren't that many in the UK, but I live in hope...

One of the other main motivations is that my wife has to work full time here in the UK to help pay the mortgage. By selling up in the UK i could pay off our mortgage and have a large chunk of equity to buy a house mortgage free Ireland (with of course the exception of Dublin) with some land for the kids to get off the xbox and play outside.. I do understand some living costs would be higher (the euro is a killer) in Ireland compared with the UK. But with no mortgage i can accept paying twice the amount for a pint of milk etc.

Panda_Turtle

FrodVegas wrote: »

We are a young(ish) family with 3 kids (13, 10 and 4). I've got to an age now that night clubs, trendy sports bars and being near city centres no longer interest me in the slightest. Open countryside, mountain or coastal walks and clean air do!.

Well your kids will be getting to the age soon where they will be interested in night clubs and trendy sports bars!

FrodVegas

Panda_Turtle wrote: »

Well your kids will be getting to the age soon where they will be interested in night clubs and trendy sports bars!

Yes i had even consider that .. problem is if i make it too easy for them, the'll never move out either. I have friends in this situation. If my children aspire to that, they can move to any city they want when there 18. Escaping from a small town/village was enough motivation for me (work) and my wife (university) when we were both that age.

Mrs OBumble

If I was you, I'd focus on locating excellent schools, and then places to live based on that. Schools in some towns are excellent, other not so much. A&P may not be the best forum for that discussion - maybe one of the education ones.

Also, is your wife looking to give up her career totally, or would she be looking for part time or freelance work? That may have some bearing, too.

Victor

FrodVegas wrote: »

Towns that have excellent schools, shops, cafes, sports facilities, swimming pools, cinema play areas and skate parks (for the older boys) would be great!!!

Small towns (depends on definition of 'small') tend not to have such facilities in abundance. You will have a few primary schools, 1-2 secondary schools, one medium supermarket, a small variety of pubs and some cafés / restaurants, a GAA club, possibly no other sports, maybe a 1-3 screen cinema, a playground, no skate park likely.

The further west you go, generally the less variety and the poorer the connections to other services.

Kerry airport schedule (not very robust and may lose it's Dublin connection): http://kerryairport.ie/flights-from-kerry-airport/timetable/
Cork Airport: https://www.corkairport.com/gns/flight-information/destinations-airlines.aspx
Shannon Airport: http://www.shannonairport.ie/gns/Passengers/flights/where-when-which-airline/search-for-flights.aspx

Schools: http://education.ie/en/find-a-school

Cinemas: http://entertainment.ie/cinema/?utm_source=entertainment.ie&utm_medium=navmenu&utm_campaign=fullmenu

Supermarkets:
http://www.tesco.com/store-locator/ie/
http://www.dunnesstores.com/pws/StoreFinder.ice?country=&countryRegion=&findStore=findStore&page=stores
https://www.aldi.ie/en/about-aldi/information/store-locator/
https://www.aldi.ie/en/about-aldi/information/store-locator/
http://supervalu.ie/store-locator/

Swimming pools: http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/web/Cork%20County%20Council/Departments/Divisional%20Services/Coastal%20%26%20Recreation/Swimming%20Pools (There are several public pools in the city and some hotels will have pools / sports clubs that you can join.)

Soccer: http://www.soccer-ireland.com/cork-football-clubs/index.htm

Cricket: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cricket_clubs_in_Ireland#Munster_Cricket_Union

Rubgy: http://www.munsterrugby.ie/domestic/clubs/index.php

Skate parks:
http://www.wreckless.ie/Skateparks/
http://www.skateeire.ie/map-skateparks/munster/

ABajaninCork

What about if you moved somewhere like Ballincollig or Carragaline, OP? Both within striking distance of the city, and the airport. Both served with shops, pubs, cinemas and the like. The kids won't be too far away. Mallow and Fermoy could be quite good too. Fermoy's close to the M8 motorway direct to Dublin. Both about a 30 min drive to the city. About 45mins-1hr to the airport.

Kinsale's lovely but pricey! Clon, Bandon and Bantry might be better if you're looking to go far from the madding crowd.

Hope this helps!

griffzinho

I've lived in West Cork/Mid Cork and I'd seriously recommend Ballincollig/Ovens area. 10-15 minutes to the Airport and Cork City Centre + all the facilities you have mentioned above are available in Ballincollig. Two great schools in Ballincolling in Colaiste Choilm and The Community School.

Near to Ovens you have:

Regional Park in Ballincollig for walking + short hop to West Cork/Kinsale.
Skate Park in Ballincollig.
Cinema in Ballincollig/Mahon Point
Swimming Pool in Bishopstown (10 minutes drive)
Shopping Centre at Mahon Point - 15 minutes.
Shopping Centre in Ballincollig + Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Dunnes

Ovens/Kilumney is very countryside as well as being very close to the City and it's amenities. Very central for travelling to West Cork/Killarney as well.

pwurple

Children do feck all with an empty field in the middle of nowhere. You end up driving everywhere, unless you physically live on a beach. Now, I am biased, but I heartily suggest you live in Cork city with all the sports, shop and cinema facilities, and still easily access the nearby kinsale and clon.


There are loads of good places... For example, Blackrock village in Cork city has rowing clubs, a dock for kayaking or other watersports. A tennis club, gaa club, soccer club. Loads of walking and exploring around the marina parkland, blackrock castle area, and old railway amenity area. Bus routes so those kids can make their own way around. City center is only a walk away with hundreds of cafes, pubs and restaurants. Cork is small enough to walk around easily, it's not exactly a metropolis. Nice walks all around by the marina, the castle. And easy access to roads to get out and about and see the country.

Further into the city you won't get a garden unless you are talking big money, but there are areas close to the university and fitzgeralds park which might suit you. The only cricket grounds are around there as well.

Watch the public transport in Ireland, it ends earlier than the pubs close. With children of those ages, your next worry is going to be how they get home at night. Living close enough to the town/city they go out in, that they can walk home if they get stuck, will give peace of mind.

The_Conductor

I'd have to concur with the guys on this one. Ireland is not the UK. We do not have skate parks etc- all over the place. If you move even to the likes of Clonakility- amenities for younger people are limited in nature. You will be driving quite a bit.

I'd suggest taking a time out- perhaps come over and rent for a month or two over the summer- get a feel for a few different places- and get feedback from your wife and family- on a compromise that will suit all of you.

Hillwalking etc- are lovely pasttimes- and indeed- I love them myself. My wife does not though- nor my children. I can see you being in a similar situation.

You need to come to a compromise that ticks most boxes for all your family- and that compromise could very well be Cork City- or indeed- somewhere like Galway..........

Further- Irish house prices are not what you imagine- in other than quite remote areas. You do not want to buy based on house prices- you will end up in the arse end of nowhere if you do.

Panda_Turtle

You could try Greystones, in Co.Wicklow. Its starting to get pricey though again.

You have a skate park (in Charlesland), all sorts of sports clubs, sailing, plus your beside a beach, bray head, near some woods, wicklow mountains at your doorstep, plus only 45 mins drive to Dublin Airport.

ABajaninCork

Panda_Turtle wrote: »

You could try Greystones, in Co.Wicklow. Its starting to get pricey though again.

You have a skate park (in Charlesland), all sorts of sports clubs, sailing, plus your beside a beach, bray head, near some woods, wicklow mountains at your doorstep, plus only 45 mins drive to Dublin Airport.

The OP mentioned Cork...

PLUG71

Ballina Co.Mayo would tick your boxes!!

Balmed Out

I moved from Cork to Clonakilty a few years ago. It has everything you're looking for except the skate park though there is one in Bandon (no idea how good as I dont skate). Pubs, restaurants, cafe's etc all plentiful and of a high quality. There are a lot of English, Germans, Dutch Swiss etc in the general area which together with the surfers and stream of tourists give it a bit more of a cosmopolitan feel then a typical Irish town. Kinsale even more so but then Kinsale is very much a tourist destination. Great community spirit in either but house prices far higher then other areas. Nicest rural area around Clonakilty would be ardfield / rathbarry with house's on the city side more expensive and less on market.

iguana

Have you thought about Limerick. It's a small compact city where you can have a brilliant life on a pretty modest income. I returned to Limerick city after many years living in London and Dublin and the lifestyle that has afforded me is astonishing. I was able to buy a biggish detached house on a third of an acre in a leafy suburb, a mile from the city centre, a mile from the university, a couple hundred yards from lovely riverside walks (which I'm up a steep hill from) so I have all the benefits of country and city living. I have two supermarkets, a shopping centre and a retail park, within a five minute walk. There is a kids activity centre a minute away. In walking distance there are three swimming pools, one with a toddler activity pool attached and one that is Olympic sized. There are also two more kids play centres, a rollerink, a cinema, rugby, soccer and GAA clubs, 4 gyms that I can think of, GoKarting, a couple of parks with playgrounds and plenty of other suburban shops, cafes and restaurants in walking distance though with the city centre so close, I am more likely to go out there. The skate park is a bus ride and walk away though. Lots of schools with good reputations about but like in all areas of Ireland, if you don't want to send your children to Catholic school you'll have to put in extra effort.

I have every urban convenience I want but due to everything being in walking distance I can take advantage of it in a way that I couldn't in a bigger city, beautiful nature on my doorstep and the real countryside within a short drive. Shannon airport is half an hour away. You won't get that mix of amenities anywhere else in the country without paying megabucks. But including the one big job the house needed and the minor cosmetic alterations I wanted, the price I paid for my house still squeezed in at a 5 figure sum. So I got more than I ever dreamed of in terms of lifestyle along with almost complete financial freedom.

iguana

Oh yeah, where ever you do move if broadband is important to you make sure to investigate it's availability in whatever area appeals to you. In more urban areas speeds of up to 200-240mb are fairly easily available. In less urban areas, it's not uncommon to have no option other than satellite, which may be unsuitable.

Panda_Turtle

ABajaninCork wrote: »

The OP mentioned Cork...

Yep was just a suggestion! OP Wicklow is the garden of ireland and is near Dublin.

Wicklow town could be a place that suits your budget and requirements.

corsav6

Co Mayo?
Ireland West Airport, regular flights to UK.
Westport has some nice swimming pools and cafe's.
Close to Galway, direct train to Dublin.
Plenty of lovely scenery and some great walks, the Greenaway is one.
It has a couple of cinema's but nothing to boast about.
Some decent schools too.
The people, for the most part, are friendly.
House prices are reasonable, and lots with some land included.

Just somewhere to consider OP, I hope you find a place that you and your family will be happy in.

the_syco

pwurple wrote: »

Children do feck all with an empty field in the middle of nowhere.

Actually, mischief and drinking, and more mischief, preferably of the illegal sort tends to happen in empty fields. Underage drinking happens where there's shag all else to do, and thinking otherwise will be a bit naive.
Thus the romantic notion of a wee cottage in the countryside will be a mistake.

As also said above, ensure you can get broadband NOW. As in, actually now, check the neighbours. Some EA's have said you can get BB, but it turns out to be some sh|te with satellite or a wireless box.

Also as said, rent for a bit. Finding a community that you fit into is always a plus.

Balmed Out

pwurple wrote: »

Children do feck all with an empty field in the middle of nowhere. You end up driving everywhere, unless you physically live on a beach. Now, I am biased, but I heartily suggest you live in Cork city with all the sports, shop and cinema facilities, and still easily access the nearby kinsale and clon.

Having lived in both Clon and Cork id disagree. I live in the countryside within walking distance from Clon. Its quicker, easier and less stressful to get to cinemas, pubs, restaurants, supermarkets, sports clubs, swimming pool etc. There isnt the same choice of any especially shops but i might go clothes shopping once a year so doesnt bother me. You also have a community spirit I thought was dead plenty of beaches far better places for walks runs etc. I put up with a 50 minute commute as its a better quality of life and where I want to raise our children.

the_syco wrote: »

Actually, mischief and drinking, and more mischief, preferably of the illegal sort tends to happen in empty fields. Underage drinking happens where there's shag all else to do, and thinking otherwise will be a bit naive.
Thus the romantic notion of a wee cottage in the countryside will be a mistake.

I still think a lot more and worse happens in urban areas.

the_syco wrote: »

As also said above, ensure you can get broadband NOW. As in, actually now, check the neighbours. Some EA's have said you can get BB, but it turns out to be some sh|te with satellite or a wireless box.

Very true. Make sure their close neighbors too, my connection is as good as anything I ever had in Cork but I know people 10 minutes away who have terrible options.

FrodVegas

Thank you for all the responses. I've just returned from a my shift in Scandanavia and thrilled to see all the responses... I'm going to centre in on my search in the South West. Will visit Cork in the next few months. But defo don't want to live in the city. I want away from the maddening crowd.

So best towns/schools within hours drive of Cork airport? Clon seems to be coming out on top.

kennypowers

Personally if I was in your envious position I would stump for Killarney .Has all your requested need plus a national park on your doorstep.Kerry airport is about 20 mins drive and another five mins to clear security :-].

FrodVegas

I don't think I will get flights regularly enough from Kerry, to either London Gatwick, Manchester or Amsterdam where I can transfer to fly onto Helsinki.

Will look into it further though.

ABajaninCork

Clon, Bandon, and Ballincollig seem to be the best bet OP. Ballincollig/Ovens are closest to the airport though.

griffzinho

Well Bandon isn't a great spot imho, but i don't really know it. Clonakilty is ok, but nothing much happening for 9 months of the year. Your kids would go mental there. Kinsale, by a mile, is the best bet for proximity to the coast/Cork/airport,etc. and I feel Ovens would be the best bet as it has some beautiful houses that are considered very rural (lovely green countryside), yet are close to Cork/Ballincollig and all the desirable amenities. West cork is only 25 mins from Ovens too so great for day trips.

FrodVegas

Take your point about Clon tbh.. I'm guessing Kinsale is a better place for the kids for schools and stuff to do outside of school, plus a lot nearer to Cork. I've been trying to avoid Kinsale due to asking prices of houses there is pretty high compared to further along the coast (almost double in most cases).

What would you say sellers will take these days off the asking price in Kinsale? i do note a lot of the houses that are advertised there have been on the market for 18 months or more. So not sure if that is the general state of the housing market in Ireland. Or people view Kinsale as massively over priced.

Thargor

Cant go wrong with Wicklow/Greystones/Bray, I think you might end up feeling a bit isolated if you go any further from Dublin coming from the UK, Dublin city and the Airport are just a quick drive up the M50. The move over and rent for a month is definitely a good piece of advice if you're thinking about places like Kerry and Mayo though, they can be very rural, not Peak District rural, proper nothing but mountain, forest and fields for miles and miles-style rural with barely usable internet.

FrodVegas

But those places are massively over priced to me. They are more expensive than Cheshire where i live now, which i feel is too busy and over populated as it is. It would also defeat the objective economically, to buy the same standard property that i live in now in Greystones or Bray would 100k's euros more than what i would sell my house for in the UK. I would be in an uncomfortable financial position with the irish economy the way it s now. It does not make any sense buying a house that (in my opinion) is massively over valued still and (again in my opinion) still has a long way too fall in value. That wouldn't matter if i didn't have a mortgage on it, but i would have one to live in those areas. My wife or I will never work (or need to work) in Dublin either so being within commuting distance has no value to me at all.

Agree on the rent somewhere first idea though I think we are pretty set on Kinsale, Clonakilty or Skibbereen - they also have fibre optic broadband available in those areas which is a big plus.

ABajaninCork

Not Skibbereen, OP. That really IS remote! Beautiful area, but it'll be a good 2 hour drive to Cork City. That's also where the main shopping is. Very isolated for your wife and kids also if they don't know the area.

I agree Kinsale is very expensive and some of the properties are overpriced IMO. You might be better off looking in the surrounding villages like Belgooly.

Thargor

Yeah prices have gone crazy again alright, no easy answer there. It wasn't really commuting I was thinking about when I said be close to Dublin though, it was for the sake of entertaining the kids, cinemas, concerts, shopping, various other activities etc, you need to be in Dublin for a lot of it, people bitch about London being the center of the universe where you're from, its nothing compared to Dublin for the rest of Ireland, towns "down the country" tend to be very quite with the bare minimum of facilities even compared to UK towns that would be considered very grim or middle of nowhere, crappy transport if you dont have a car aswell, definite careful research required. Your career sounds like you have a lot of freedom to make it work though, good luck. I live in Bray and I love it but without Dublin on the doorstep and the good transport links into the city Id feel very cut off.

griffzinho

What's your price range OP?? I am seeing some decent houses in/near Kinsale representing what seems to me good value.

bee06

ABajaninCork wrote: »

I agree Kinsale is very expensive and some of the properties are overpriced IMO. You might be better off looking in the surrounding villages like Belgooly.

I was going to suggest Belgooly as well. Primary school there and a good secondary school in Kinsale. Close enough to the airport etc.

OP, one of the great things about Cork (in my Corkonian opinion) is you can get the country living but still be really close to the city. I live 20 mins from the city centre but live in the proper countryside. Do your research and as someone else said, rent before you buy in an area.

5p9arw38djv2b4

FrodVegas wrote: »

Ok... just after general advice on locations in the south or west of Ireland. We are a young(ish) family with 3 kids (13, 10 and 4). I am thankfully NOT looking for any work in Ireland. I have a job where i work overseas. I've got to an age now that night clubs, trendy sports bars and being near city centres no longer interest me in the slightest. Open countryside, mountain or coastal walks and clean air do! My father is Irish and always talking about moving back when he retires. Although he's advising places in Kerry like Caherdaniel and Killarney. That might be a little too remote for me. I need to be able to commute to an airport (1-2 hr drive max) so i can fly to the UK to get flight connections. So i was thinking West Cork (Kinsale, Clonakilty, Bantry).

Towns that have excellent schools, shops, cafes, sports facilities, swimming pools, cinema play areas and skate parks (for the older boys) would be great!!! I seriously doubt there is any towns (let alone cities) in Ireland that have all that - there aren't that many in the UK, but I live in hope...

One of the other main motivations is that my wife has to work full time here in the UK to help pay the mortgage. By selling up in the UK i could pay off our mortgage and have a large chunk of equity to buy a house mortgage free Ireland (with of course the exception of Dublin) with some land for the kids to get off the xbox and play outside.. I do understand some living costs would be higher (the euro is a killer) in Ireland compared with the UK. But with no mortgage i can accept paying twice the amount for a pint of milk etc.

I moved back to Ireland this year. If you think Killarney is too rural then I would definetly rule out kinsale, Clon or Bantry. Honestly we have a brilliant standard of living here, better than we had in UK (and we had lived in London, and Oxford). Tried Dublin but it was expensive, miserable of commutes, parts wer unsafe, etc. through Kerry airport we still do a lot of commuting to UK (Luton and stanstead) and dublin by train if we fancy. It's relatively cheap to live here, property is not crazy and it has nearly everyone of the things on your list with the exception I think of a stake park. Real sense of community, lots of festivals and events, the national event centre has gigs all the time, etc. there are good schools, great outdoor lifestyle, etc. having lived in UK for years I'd be well placed to answer any questions if you want to PM me. I can't emphasise how much our quality of life changed moving here.

yankinlk

FrodVegas wrote: »

I would be in an uncomfortable financial position with the irish economy the way it s now. It does not make any sense buying a house that (in my opinion) is massively over valued still and (again in my opinion) still has a long way too fall in value.

maybe renting is the only way to go...

i have a friend that moved back from the UK around the time of the bust. He is not short of money. He has been house hunting for over 5 years now, no end in site. He keeps comparing house prices in Ireland to what he is used to in the UK. I dont think he will ever buy here.

JustAThought

Im Roaring laughing at all these little villages and 3 street towns being mentioned - someone has alluded
To finding a place that you will fit in and this is crucial Especially as " blow-ins"
Which even in a friendly way you will be! I'd highly Recommend Renting wherever you choose - apart From the fact your kids may not get a
Place To the " local" school or may be split between two different schools
With no rural Infrastructure or bus route . Idealism is everything but rent before
You buy.

No one has Mentioned Galway which is a Lively bustling little
Town wih lots of rural within reach and beaches, pools, Rec centres, aqua sports & resources to attract university level students - not to mention wifi & a few reliable coach services to Dublin ..?

John_Rambo

JustAThought wrote: »

No one has Mentioned Galway which is a Lively bustling little Town wih lots of rural within reach and beaches, pools, Rec centres, aqua sports & resources to attract university level students - not to mention wifi & a few reliable coach services to Dublin ..?

Bang on. I certainly wouldn't discount coastal villages around Dublin either. Eastern (better) weather, acres of green space and lots for the growing kids to do.

cnocbui

If you do come over to visit some of the places suggested - which I think is the best advice - add Killaloe / Ballina near Limerick to your list. I can vouch for the schools, the people and the locale. Limerick is easy and quick to get to via the motorway - same goes for Shannon airport. I would personally be a bit concerned at the future prospects of smaller airports like Cork and of them remaining viable: http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0111/671847-cork-airport-passengers/

Probably it will always be there, just a thought.

Your youngest child will not thank you for having to learn Irish. The Middle one will thank you profusely if you wait until they are 11 before moving so they don't have to

FrodVegas

griffzinho wrote: »

What's your price range OP?? I am seeing some decent houses in/near Kinsale representing what seems to me good value.

Looking to spend no more 450k.. Doesn't go very far in Kinsale it seems. Looking for 5 beds, detached, parking, decent garden etc

BrianBoru00

My tuppence worth:
I'm the other half of the country but you mention commuting distance..Skibbereen is about 1 hr 15 mins from Cork Airport - roughly the same distance as Killarney.
But I wouldn't just focus on the "touristy" towns - if you don't you'll more likely get much better value.

What about somewhere like Roscarbery just outside Skibbereen on thr Cork side- daft.ie is a good site to get an overview of the market in particular locations ... http://www.daft.ie/sales/triskele-rosscarbery-rosscarbery-cork/726510/

Re: schools .
Ireland is different to the UK with regard to catchment areas etc. Also schools with good reputations may not have a good reputation in 8 years time when your youngest is starting secondary - a change of principal can make a huge change (positive or negative). Unless its way out in the west coast, there would be a choce of at least 2 schools for boys & girls at second level within 15 minutes drive. and in that region, within 25 minutes drive you could easily up it to 10 schools.

If your set on that region - that'd be my advice.


Airports are your main priority in that you have to have a convenient one.

If you did consider other parts of the country - Shannon airport brings you within an hour of umpteen good size towns including Ennis /Shannon Nenagh.

Knock airport would offer daily flights to
manchester & Gatwick among others and would being you within 20 minutes of the cheapest housing in the country - remote areas of East Mayo, South Sligo, North Roscommon. Its also within 45 minutes of Sligo / Ballina / Castlebar / Westport which are larger towns with good amenities.

cnocbui

What they are asking and what they they are getting or will accept are two different things in the current property market, which is probably the best it will ever be for a buyer. On property.ie there is at least a 6 bedroom house within your range and probably others that would come down.

Kinsale attracts some people with fairly high world profiles and pockets to match so prices reflect that i would say.

Balmed Out

griffzinho wrote: »

Well Bandon isn't a great spot imho, but i don't really know it. Clonakilty is ok, but nothing much happening for 9 months of the year. Your kids would go mental there. Kinsale, by a mile, is the best bet for proximity to the coast/Cork/airport,etc. and I feel Ovens would be the best bet as it has some beautiful houses that are considered very rural (lovely green countryside), yet are close to Cork/Ballincollig and all the desirable amenities. West cork is only 25 mins from Ovens too so great for day trips.

That isnt true, there are things happening throughout the year in Clonakilty as well as Kinsale, they have very proactive communities that organize a variety of events throughout the year. Both have large amounts of non nationals living in the areas so they are also more cosmopolitan then you would expect and the "blow in" factor isnt the same as elsewhere. Kinsale is more touristy so its a matter of preference. I wouldnt rule out Killarney either and its not so far from Cork airport.
Given how much easier it is to attend any events ive found living in Clon I go to cultural events, festivals etc far more then I ever did in Cork as its just a two minute drive and no worries about parking etc. In a city you just have a bit of hassle involved in doing anything though there are advantages too especially proximity of employment.

http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/rathbarry-clonakilty-cork-west/2793092
http://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/kilkern-castlefreke-clonakilty-cork-west/1392489

Both houses are in Rathbarry area 5 minutes walk from pub, shop. If I didnt commute and so prefer to live on the city side its the area id love to live in. Lot of scenic walks and beaches on your doorstep, great community spirit, usual field sports, badminton, tennis and rowing clubs and about 10 minutes from Clon in a very sought after area. Unfortunately homes closer to the town and what you want dont come onto the market very often.
Im not a fan of the education provided by the private schools of Cork and think the ones in Clon by and large compare favorably to most of the city's.
OP I have no idea what living in Belgooly, ovens etc is like but I wouldn't rush in to it. Personally I wouldnt live anywhere in Co. Cork not very close to the city with the exceptions of Kinsale, Clonakilty and Middleton. From personal experience Clon is very diverse and inclusive but I wouldnt say the same about most rural towns.

Graces7

iguana wrote: »

Oh yeah, where ever you do move if broadband is important to you make sure to investigate it's availability in whatever area appeals to you. In more urban areas speeds of up to 200-240mb are fairly easily available. In less urban areas, it's not uncommon to have no option other than satellite, which may be unsuitable.

I have satellite and it is excellent. And the only option here.

Jakey Rolling

Graces7 wrote: »

I have satellite and it is excellent. And the only option here.

I'm guessing you don't download or stream much video. Most basic satellite broadband packages are limited to about 4GB monthly download. We use around 60GB, mostly from Netflix and RTE Player. This would be prohibitively expensive on satellite. Also not much use for online gaming e.g. Xbox due to the unavoidable latency.

The good news is that the Communications minister has announced that govt will subsidise fibre connection to every property by 2020, just don't hold your breath on that one!

In the meantime, wireless ISPs do a reasonable job at filling most of the gaps.

Mrs OBumble

I would be looking pretty hard at the quality of schools in some of the smaller places being named on this thread.

Now, I'm not living in those areas, so I have no specific knowledge about them. But in general smaller towns find it more difficult to attract and retain quality teachers. An excellent principal can overcome this. But it doesn't always happen.

And like others, I would absolutely suggest renting first.

BrianBoru00

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I would be looking pretty hard at the quality of schools in some of the smaller places being named on this thread.

Now, I'm not living in those areas, so I have no specific knowledge about them. But in general smaller towns find it more difficult to attract and retain quality teachers. An excellent principal can overcome this. But it doesn't always happen.

And like others, I would absolutely suggest renting first.

That is an absolutely ridiculous and utterly silly comment. If anything it would be the other way round. Teacher get paid the same whether they re working in Dublin 4 or Longford.

cnocbui

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I would be looking pretty hard at the quality of schools in some of the smaller places being named on this thread.

Now, I'm not living in those areas, so I have no specific knowledge about them. But in general smaller towns find it more difficult to attract and retain quality teachers. An excellent principal can overcome this. But it doesn't always happen.

And like others, I would absolutely suggest renting first.

I named a small place. I have direct experience of two children going through first the PS, one through the secondary who is now in college and the other being in second year of the secondary. Both schools are very good indeed and the teachers have almost without exception been fantastic. Pupils from the secondary have recently won awards for their high scores in the Leaving cert, have won in the Texaco Art Prizes, and have gone on to do medicine at college. One girl who did the leaving cert at the same time my son did got around 620.

Mrs OBumble

cnocbui wrote: »

I named a small place. I have direct experience of two children going through first the PS, one through the secondary who is now in college and the other being in second year of the secondary. Both schools are very good indeed and the teachers have almost without exception been fantastic. Pupils from the secondary have recently won awards for their high scores in the Leaving cert, have won in the Texaco Art Prizes, and have gone on to do medicine at college. One girl who did the leaving cert at the same time my son did got around 620.

I'm delighted to hear that, and totally agree that some schools in smaller places are excellent.

But I can name towns in Co Galway where my colleagues have told me that their children were having different experiences.

And I have a friend who was head-hunted into a principal's job in a remote area, because they needed an outsider to deal with a local who'd trained as a teacher and moved home, and was totally not up to the job. He did what was needed, but said that no outsiders will find it easy to work there and most move on fairly quickly. One not-so-good local can do a lot of damage.

The point for the OP is that they need to examine the schools' results, not just assume that they'll be fine.

_Kaiser_

FrodVegas wrote: »

But those places are massively over priced to me. They are more expensive than Cheshire where i live now, which i feel is too busy and over populated as it is. It would also defeat the objective economically, to buy the same standard property that i live in now in Greystones or Bray would 100k's euros more than what i would sell my house for in the UK. I would be in an uncomfortable financial position with the irish economy the way it s now. It does not make any sense buying a house that (in my opinion) is massively over valued still and (again in my opinion) still has a long way too fall in value. That wouldn't matter if i didn't have a mortgage on it, but i would have one to live in those areas. My wife or I will never work (or need to work) in Dublin either so being within commuting distance has no value to me at all.

Agree on the rent somewhere first idea though I think we are pretty set on Kinsale, Clonakilty or Skibbereen - they also have fibre optic broadband available in those areas which is a big plus.

The Irish property market is somewhat "unique" though insofar as people are obsessed with owning their own homes here. Renting is seen as "dead money" and the choice for those with no better option - as a result the private rental sector here is a mess with cowboy/accidental landlords AND tenants being the norm, not the exception (you only need look through this forum to see that).

As a result of this obsession with property from average Joe to the government, house prices will never really fall to a "real" value - the closest would have been 2011/2012 and they're on the up again since then. In short you'll probably have to accept that you won't get the same value as you have in the UK (as someone else posted here as well) if you want to buy.

Broadband and infrastructure is a real issue as well once you go out of the main cities - you may see that fibre broadband is available in an area but that can literally vary from street to street/house to house depending on what kind of mess the phone lines are in. Public transport is generally non-existent outside of Dublin or so infrequent/impossible that it may as well not exist, so running a car becomes essential (also note that you'll pay a lot more in Motor Tax here than you're used to).

Some will probably consider this overly pessimistic, but I'd really think hard about the idea of not being in/close to a larger town or city especially if you have kids who will soon be looking for things to do beyond staring at the greenery you find so relaxing.

Definitely come have a good look at the areas mentioned (and I really wouldn't dismiss Dublin/surrounding towns either) before you make a final decision.