Where to Live? Galway or Dublin?

Sunshine after the Rain

Hi everyone, I need some help to choose the city to settle down in Ireland. Galway or Dublin?

My husband is a Senior Software Engineer, wanting to move to Dublin for more job opportunities and better pay. We have been living in Athlone for a few years. I personally love Irish towns and villages, small, quiet place with friendly local people. I'm only earning the national minimum wage but I enjoy the nature, peace, and closeness of the small place. I don't like the noise and rush in Dublin, not as clean or friendly as Athlone, feeling frustrated every time when I'm in Dublin.

Under this circumstance, would Galway be a better option than Dublin for both of us? or Any other place for a senior software engineer?

We both are not Irish, but have been studying and working in Ireland over 10 years. I really need some genuine advice here, thx in advance, much appreciated!

retro:electro

Galway is a great city with all the amenities, but it has the vibes and feel of a village town and is very relaxed and has a lovely warm atmosphere- so going by what you've outlined in your op I think you'll love it there.

blinkwink

Not sure if AH would be the best place if you are looking for serious answers tbh

Why are you moving?

Barry Badrinath

G-G-G-Galway.

greencap

Why not try the likes of Drogheda or Dundalk or Wicklow.

Best* of both worlds.





*well if you can describe it as that.

Stonedpilot

Lived in both. Dublin for me. More to do and Galway can be drab if your not into drinking.
Galway is great for tourists, not so great to live. Full a drunks/stag dos at night in a small town, bit rough Galway Spermacs Eyre Square there is like WWE after 12 and its As expensive as Dublin with
Far far less things to do.

Great scenery in Lenanne though.

Sunshine after the Rain

anna080 wrote: »

Galway is a great city with all the amenities, but it has the vibes and feel of a village town and is very relaxed and has a lovely warm atmosphere- so going by what you've outlined in your op I think you'll love it there.

Thanks Anna, that's really helpful. We would like to live in a relaxed and welcoming place.

LizGalway

We moved to Ireland from another country and Dublin was out of the question for us. We definitely didn't want the big city feeling and decided against Dublin and for Galway. For me personally it is hard to find a job, the better job offers are definitely in Dublin but the better half found a job so it's not too bad right now. If you are more interested in having a good job and great pay etc. go for Dublin, if the small town feeling is more to your liking, definitely Galway. I totally LOVE Galway and don't want to move anywhere else

TheAnalyst_

Dublin.

The weather in Galway is terrible as is the traffic.

Sosurface

Both horrible overpriced kips. Maybe try the UK or Germany.

Sunshine after the Rain

Deleted User wrote: »

Why are you moving?

Good question, the truth is I don't want to move at all, I don't like Dublin to be honest; but my husband wants to go to Dublin for his career progression and higher salary. So I'm thinking about some place we both can compromise.

Cordell

Why not somewhere in between. Like, Limerick?

/typed this with a straight face I swear I did

JP Liz V1

I would pick Galway but has your husband already sourced work opportunities in both cities, I guess going where he can get the best job

I don't live in either just going on my visits to both

ScumLord

I couldn't do dublin traffic. There's no amount of money that would make me sufferre hours of sitting in traffic every week.

Galway is bad for traffic but if your living in the city you could get around that traffic with a bike.

PhoenixParker

Dublin, you just need to set yourself up in the right suburb. Job and pay wise he'll be in a much better position then Galway.

Reality is you're not going to be in the centre of Dublin with the hustle and bustle unless that's your thing. Plenty of locations around Dublin that offer the quiet life with friendly neighbours and nice parks/nature. Base yourself in one of the satellite suburbs, there's one for every m50 junction and a few inside. You just need to find the one that suits you. Given you're currently looking at Athlone or Galway I'd suggest somewhere on th N4. Lucan, chapelizod, islandbridge, celbridge, maynooth . . .

retro:electro

TheAnalyst_ wrote: »

Dublin.

The weather in Galway is terrible as is the traffic.

I agree the weather is piss, and the traffic can be bad depending on your commute- but it's a relatively small city. You can bike it/bus it and avoid most of the rush hour traffic. Dublin traffic would test someone with the patience of a saint.

retro:electro

Sunshine after the Rain wrote: »

Thanks Anna, that's really helpful. We would like to live in a relaxed and welcoming place.

It really is relaxed and welcoming. I live right in the city and I love it. I think it's quite a bohemian city and it's deep in culture, art and trad. The weather is mostly crappy but we do get some scorchers!

TheAnalyst_

Its not a nice place to cycle either.
http://connachttribune.ie/galway-worst-traffic-congestion-ireland-021/

GalwayGrrrrrl

I moved to Galway from London area 12 years ago and I would never move back to a bigger city. Galway is a fantastic place to live. The sea is on your doorstep, wonderful music and art festivals, good choice of restaurants. Brilliant for children if you have any. Much cheaper for houses than dublin. Less choice of jobs for your husband so I guess that's the deciding factor for your possible move. Traffic is bad at rush hour but if you live the same side of galway as you work it's no big deal. Very mild, rarely snows. It does rain a lot but one good raincoat and off you go!

Discodog

No contest. I moved here 20 years ago & I still think that Galway is one of the best cities in the World.

Dublin might be the capital but Galway is the heart.

Mrs OBumble

PhoenixParker wrote: »

pay wise he'll be in a much better position then Galway.

. . .

Not necessarily true for a software engineer. Companies in Galway know they have to be competitive to get the staff.

It rains more in Galway but at least our criminal families only rarely shoot people.

Ponguin

Salthill sounds like the perfect place for you

ScumLord

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Not necessarily true for a software engineer. Companies in Galway know they have to be competitive to get the staff.

Plus, once you take cost of living and commute times into consideration Galway starts to look a lot better. Companies don't include commute times into their wages. That extra money might not be worth spending an extra hour commuting each day. What good is money if you've no time to spend it?

Sunshine after the Rain

Sunshine after the Rain wrote: »

Good question, the truth is I don't want to move at all, I don't like Dublin to be honest; but my husband wants to go to Dublin for his career progression and higher salary. So I'm thinking about some place we both can compromise.

I moved from Athlone to Dublin in 2013. My increase in salary instantly got swallowed up by the rent for my small apartment which was double what I paid in Athlone for a house. Make sure your husband takes that into account.

Depending on where he ends up working, you could be best off staying in athlone and he getting the train to Dublin in the morning. Travel time from Athlone to Dublin is about an hour. If he gets a job in Smithfield, Kilmainham, or on the Quays, he'd be as well off commuting from Athlone than moving to some parts of Dublin and commuting from there. From where I live right now to the Quays or Smithfield is about an hour of travel in the morning(and I'm paying 1300 in rent, versus the 600 I was paying in Athlone).

Samuel T. Cogley

OP I'm not going to offer an opinion on which location but look up the populations. (IMHO) I find the term 'City' in Ireland used in an exclusively Irish context. Yes I'm sure the ISO standard city naming what not is there etc. etc. but just personally I'm surprised at how few people there are in some Irish cities.

retro:electro

Op you should try looking at houses in Oranmore. It's about a 20min drive from Galway city centre but it's a beautiful village. It might suit what you're looking for residence wise and your husband could commute to work everyday.
If he got Engineering work in Ballybrit business park the commute from Oranmore is very straight forward-12 mins, and mostly traffic free.

Blazer

Cordell wrote: »

Why not somewhere in between. Like, Limerick?

/typed this with a straight face I swear I did

Limerick is actually a great place for IT and I work in the field myself. Pay wise it's not much less than Dublin as someone mentioned above they have to be competitive to get people due to skills shortages. Traffic wise Limerick beats both Galway and Dublin hands down as it's nowhere near as bad and Limerick is a lot safer than Dublin although the national media would have you think otherwise.
Accommodation would also be cheaper in Limerick.

Cork is another alternative and I spent 2 years down there and loved it. So much to do down there as well.

Do not underestimate the amount it rains in galway!
It rains all the time.
Put me off moving there around 15years ago, I just couldn't stand the thought of the depressing rain.......
Maybe find a little town/village commuting distance to Dublin? Some nice little places in north county Dublin.
My favorite Dublin village is chapelizod, lovely spot, right on the liffey & beside the Phoenix park.

ScumLord

Blazer wrote: »

Cork is another alternative and I spent 2 years down there and loved it. So much to do down there as well.

The traffic in the whole county of Cork is horrendous, the cities layout is anti car. Other than that it's a lovely city.

bubblypop wrote: »

Put me off moving there around 15years ago, I just couldn't stand the thought of the depressing rain.......

Our rain is effervescent, it's down right rejuvenating.

Discodog

bubblypop wrote: »

Do not underestimate the amount it rains in galway!
It rains all the time.
Put me off moving there around 15years ago, I just couldn't stand the thought of the depressing rain.......
Maybe find a little town/village commuting distance to Dublin? Some nice little places in north county Dublin.
My favorite Dublin village is chapelizod, lovely spot, right on the liffey & beside the Phoenix park.

Simply not true. I work outdoors & Galway doesn't have anywhere near as much rain as people make out. I remember seeing a rainfall map. There is a narrow band from the sea to around a mile inland. It stretches from Rossaveel to Oranmore & has far less rainfall that the rest of the area.

BrianBoru00

Stonedpilot wrote: »

Lived in both. Dublin for me. More to do and Galway can be drab if your not into drinking.
Galway is great for tourists, not so great to live. Full a drunks/stag dos at night in a small town, bit rough Galway Spermacs Eyre Square there is like WWE after 12 and its As expensive as Dublin with
Far far less things to do.

Great scenery in Lenanne though.

Assuming you meant Supermacs Eyre Square. . . Yeah it is a bit like O'Connell Street is 24 hours a day .. .

You say there are far far less things to do in Galway . . Can you name ten things you can do in Dublin that you can't in Galway? Maybe start with five

TheAnalyst_

It gets twice the mm of rain as Dublin.
http://www.met.ie/climate-ireland/rainfall.asp
Having lived in both for years this makes sense. It's also the relentless overcast days and wind which can get you down after a while.

Capt'n Midnight

Galway has more Sunshine after the Rain because there's more rain.

Galwayguy35

Dublin, more job opportunities there and the house prices in Galway are nearly as expensive now anyway.

Traffic in Galway is terrible and there is no sign of that changing any time soon, it's alright to say you will cycle to work but when it's cold and pissing rain at 7am that idea suddenly doesn't seem as appealing.

Public transport in Dublin is a lot better as well.

Galway people seem to look at this place through rose tinted glasses sometimes.

wordofwarning

BrianBoru00 wrote: »

Can you name ten things you can do in Dublin that you can't in Galway? Maybe start with five

1) World Class museums and galleries in Dublin

2) Study at the number 1 & 2 Universities in Ireland

3) Go to nightclubs until close to 4am in Dublin

4) Get a pint in an Early house in Dublin at 7.30am

5) Massive selection of excellent restaurants. Supermacs is not a fine dining experience to Dubliners

6) A quick City break (Dublin has an international airport). While you are still driving from Galway to Dublin for a flight, a Dubliner is already slipping a cocktail in London

7) Shopping is better in Dublin eg New Look, Forever 21, a Brown Thomas that is actually large, etc etc

8) Amazing authentic Indian, Chinese, Korean, Filipino food etc

9) Dublin has better tourist sites eg Trinity, Guinness, etc

10) More luxurious housing. If you wealthy in Dublin, you have a pick of housing that exists nowhere else in Ireland

11) If you are wealthy in Dublin, the lifestyle of Dublin is not comparable to the rest of Ireland eg World class hospitals, hotels, restaurants, spas etc

retro:electro

wordofwarning wrote: »

1) World Class museums and galleries in Dublin

2) Study at the number 1 & 2 Universities in Ireland

3) Go to nightclubs until close to 4am in Dublin

4) Get a pint in an Early house in Dublin at 7.30am

5) Massive selection of excellent restaurants. Supermacs is not a fine dining experience to Dubliners

6) A quick City break (Dublin has an international airport). While you are still driving from Galway to Dublin for a flight, a Dubliner is already slipping a cocktail in London

7) Shopping is better in Dublin eg New Look, Forever 21, a Brown Thomas that is actually large, etc etc

8) Amazing authentic Indian, Chinese, Korean, Filipino food etc

9) Dublin has better tourist sites eg Trinity, Guinness, etc

10) More luxurious housing. If you wealthy in Dublin, you have a pick of housing that exists nowhere else in Ireland

11) If you are wealthy in Dublin, the lifestyle of Dublin is not comparable to the rest of Ireland eg World class hospitals, hotels, restaurants, spas etc

1) Galway has those too.
2) Nuig is also excellent
3) not sure the op cares about nightclubs
4) not sure anyone would be arsed about that
5) There are some incredible dining places in Galway
6) you can fly from knock to London
7) we have New Look &a a good BT's, smaller yes- but also less annoying people around. Perfect for someone like the op.
8) so does Galway
9) Plenty to see here too. Sitting at the Spanish Arch having a cold one on a sunny day. Day trips to the islands, etc
10) ?
11) if you are wealthy then life is better wherever you live, not just Dublin ffs. Also add in the fact that you are at significantly lower risk of being a victim of a crime in Galway.
12) it's clear you've never set foot in Galway- or at least not in a very, very long time.

ben.schlomo

TheAnalyst_ wrote: »

Its not a nice place to cycle either.
http://connachttribune.ie/galway-worst-traffic-congestion-ireland-021/

I cycle in and out to work every day, nowt wrong with the commute at all.

ben.schlomo

wordofwarning wrote: »

1) World Class museums and galleries in Dublin

2) Study at the number 1 & 2 Universities in Ireland

3) Go to nightclubs until close to 4am in Dublin

4) Get a pint in an Early house in Dublin at 7.30am

5) Massive selection of excellent restaurants. Supermacs is not a fine dining experience to Dubliners

6) A quick City break (Dublin has an international airport). While you are still driving from Galway to Dublin for a flight, a Dubliner is already slipping a cocktail in London

7) Shopping is better in Dublin eg New Look, Forever 21, a Brown Thomas that is actually large, etc etc

8) Amazing authentic Indian, Chinese, Korean, Filipino food etc

9) Dublin has better tourist sites eg Trinity, Guinness, etc

10) More luxurious housing. If you wealthy in Dublin, you have a pick of housing that exists nowhere else in Ireland

11) If you are wealthy in Dublin, the lifestyle of Dublin is not comparable to the rest of Ireland eg World class hospitals, hotels, restaurants, spas etc

I must have missed the memo about New Look being the mark of a great city to live in.

Bazzo

I presume the person who said there's nothing to do in Galway was taking the piss.

OP: There will be more and probably better job opportunities in Dublin but if that small town feel is important to you then Galway is a good fit for that lifestyle. Have lived in both and liked them both for different reasons but if I was picking one to settle in without looking at extra factors like jobs etc I'd go back to Galway.

Discodog

Discodog wrote: »

Simply not true. I work outdoors & Galway doesn't have anywhere near as much rain as people make out. I remember seeing a rainfall map. There is a narrow band from the sea to around a mile inland. It stretches from Rossaveel to Oranmore & has far less rainfall that the rest of the area.

Are you saying galway has less rain then surrounding galway areas?
Galway as a whole, has a whole Lotta rain!

Cordell

Blazer wrote: »

Limerick is actually a great place for IT and I work in the field myself. Pay wise it's not much less than Dublin as someone mentioned above they have to be competitive to get people due to skills shortages. Traffic wise Limerick beats both Galway and Dublin hands down as it's nowhere near as bad and Limerick is a lot safer than Dublin although the national media would have you think otherwise.
Accommodation would also be cheaper in Limerick.

Cork is another alternative and I spent 2 years down there and loved it. So much to do down there as well.

Indeed it is, but people have a bad opinion about it hence my comment. Id does have its shortcomings, like only since recently we have (barely) enough parks with playgrounds, oversubscribed schools, from what I gather expensive rent in Dooradoyle/Raheen area.
On the IT jobs, it could do better. Just a handful of good firms between Limerick and Shannon.

wordofwarning

wordofwarning wrote: »

1) World Class museums and galleries in Dublin

I lived in London for a while and took advantage of the great free museums and galleries.

I couldn't really afford to do anything else on your list...

Aongus Von Bismarck

I'm from Galway originally, but moved to Dublin as a 17 year old to study. I spent 7 years in Dublin before moving to the UK for my MBA. I now live and work in Frankfurt, Germany, at the cutting edge of the European financial industry. 

There really is no comparison between Galway and Dublin. Galway is a sleepy, parochial backwater, while Dublin has many of the trappings of a modern capital city. I don't have the figures close to hand, but Dublin must be at least 25 times bigger than Galway?

Don't get me wrong; I enjoy visiting Galway, and will be home on a number of occasions this summer as we strive for the ultimate success in both hurling and football. There's a small, if charming, arts festival, a number of moderately decent restaurants, and a racing festival which seems to appeal to those who enjoy getting drunk in a field whilst wearing a Topman suit. 

What's most annoying about Galway is the attitude of some of the people who live there - mostly blowins from desolate hell-holes in Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon and Clare. If you were to listen to them (which I don't), then you'd think they lived in some cultural hotspot of international significance.  A melting pot of Irishness, art and music that is the envy of everyone else in Ireland. Most of the art there of an evening is some toothless drunk playing the tin whistle, and a couple of crusties with dogs on strings beating away on pots and pans. 

Dublin is the cultural, economic and political focal point of Ireland.

Galwayguy35

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I'm from Galway originally, but moved to Dublin as a 17 year old to study. I spent 7 years in Dublin before moving to the UK for my MBA. I now live and work in Frankfurt, Germany, at the cutting edge of the European financial industry.

There really is no comparison between Galway and Dublin. Galway is a sleepy, parochial backwater, while Dublin has many of the trappings of a modern capital city. I don't have the figures close to hand, but Dublin must be at least 25 times bigger than Galway?

Don't get me wrong; I enjoy visiting Galway, and will be home on a number of occasions this summer as we strive for the ultimate success in both hurling and football. There's a small, if charming, arts festival, a number of moderately decent restaurants, and a racing festival which seems to appeal to those who enjoy getting drunk in a field whilst wearing a Topman suit.

What's most annoying about Galway is the attitude of some of the people who live there - mostly blowins from desolate hell-holes in Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon and Clare. If you were to listen to them (which I don't), then you'd think they lived in some cultural hotspot of international significance. A melting pot of Irishness, art and music that is the envy of everyone else in Ireland. Most of the art there of an evening is some toothless drunk playing the tin whistle, and a couple of crusties with dogs on strings beating away on pots and pans.

Dublin is the cultural, economic and political focal point of Ireland.

I'm not afraid to list some of the downsides of living in Galway and did so a few posts earlier but a parochial backwater it certainly isn't.

To be honest you sound like a bit of a snob looking down on people when you return to visit on a break from your big important job in Germany.

Murrisk

OP, it sounds like Galway would suit you better, it has more of a town feel.

Galways wouldn't be for me for that reason though. I've never understood the hype.

biko

Consider Waterford, Limerick, Belfast and Cork as well as Galway.
Don't do Dublin - it's not worth it.

Dr.MickKiller

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

I'm from Galway originally, but moved to Dublin as a 17 year old to study. I spent 7 years in Dublin before moving to the UK for my MBA. I now live and work in Frankfurt, Germany, at the cutting edge of the European financial industry. 

There really is no comparison between Galway and Dublin. Galway is a sleepy, parochial backwater, while Dublin has many of the trappings of a modern capital city. I don't have the figures close to hand, but Dublin must be at least 25 times bigger than Galway?

Don't get me wrong; I enjoy visiting Galway, and will be home on a number of occasions this summer as we strive for the ultimate success in both hurling and football. There's a small, if charming, arts festival, a number of moderately decent restaurants, and a racing festival which seems to appeal to those who enjoy getting drunk in a field whilst wearing a Topman suit. 

What's most annoying about Galway is the attitude of some of the people who live there - mostly blowins from desolate hell-holes in Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon and Clare. If you were to listen to them (which I don't), then you'd think they lived in some cultural hotspot of international significance.  A melting pot of Irishness, art and music that is the envy of everyone else in Ireland. Most of the art there of an evening is some toothless drunk playing the tin whistle, and a couple of crusties with dogs on strings beating away on pots and pans. 

Dublin is the cultural, economic and political focal point of Ireland.

So, Galway then?

Bazzo

I tend not to give much weight to the opinions of people who label large parts of the country as "hellholes" and make sweeping generalisations about the people who live there, but that's just me.

maudgonner

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

To be honest you sound like a bit of a snob looking down on people when you return to visit on a break from your big important job in Germany.

The Baron Von Bismark, a snob? :eek:

Never in all my days have I heard such balderdash!

BrianBoru00

wordofwarning wrote: »

1) World Class museums and galleries in Dublin

2) Study at the number 1 & 2 Universities in Ireland

3) Go to nightclubs until close to 4am in Dublin

4) Get a pint in an Early house in Dublin at 7.30am

5) Massive selection of excellent restaurants. Supermacs is not a fine dining experience to Dubliners

6) A quick City break (Dublin has an international airport). While you are still driving from Galway to Dublin for a flight, a Dubliner is already slipping a cocktail in London

7) Shopping is better in Dublin eg New Look, Forever 21, a Brown Thomas that is actually large, etc etc

8) Amazing authentic Indian, Chinese, Korean, Filipino food etc

9) Dublin has better tourist sites eg Trinity, Guinness, etc

10) More luxurious housing. If you wealthy in Dublin, you have a pick of housing that exists nowhere else in Ireland

11) If you are wealthy in Dublin, the lifestyle of Dublin is not comparable to the rest of Ireland eg World class hospitals, hotels, restaurants, spas etc

The irony of you claiming Galway has nothing unless your drinking and then listing two drinking "To dos" in your top 10..
#1 Quite subjective and certainly not comparable to the Louvre, MOMA in New York and
#2 Again quite subjective
#3 Doable in Galway
#4 Doable in Galway
#5 Again subjective and a bit pathetic to suggest Galway people regard Supermacs as fine dining. If your going to bring up Michelin stars - Galway has more michelin starred restaurants per capita than Dublin
#6 So your saying that one of the best things to do in Dublin is Leave it ???
#7 Of course its better. that doesn't mean there isn't good shopping in Galway
#8 Galway has many authentic restaurants of various cusines also. so Doable in Galway
#9 Yes Dublin does have better Tourist "sites" but on a weekly basis how many of these does the average Dublin resident visit?
#10 Have you studied Maths past Senior infants? Aside from the fact the "luxurious" housing is probably open to less than 5% of the entire population. You have absolutely no facts to back this up and on a per capita basis again Its probably the same. Again Id refer you back to the original query "to do" .
#11 repeating yourself here. World class hospitals? Your really reaching and haven't really come up with any bona fide points.