Moving to the area of Limerick with family

Hi,

I am a complete novice on this site and I appreciate all advice given!

I am starting my uni course at the University of Limerick in September 2019. Currently live in London, have a family (2 little kids). We will be relocating to Limerick or the area around it.

Where is a nice place to live with 2 children (6 and 3) that would be no more than 20-30 minutes drive to the university? Also a key factor is school/childcare- I need to find a good school for my 6 year old and a nursery for my 3 year old. It's very important for me that they go to very good school/nursery (already feel guilty for dragging them away from their home so that I can study in Limerick so want to give the best opportunities for them).

Nice to haves: gymnastics club and swimming facilities (or am I just simply not realistic with my expectations)?

Don't mind paying a bit extra for a lovely environment.

Thank you all for your help!

chicorytip

Castleconnell is an area you should research. It ticks most of the boxes on your list.

Engineercorps

Try annacotty or even castletroy all in the vicinity of UL

Reputable Rog

Annacotty/Monaleen would be your best bet, Newport is a nearby village which is quite pleasant as is Castleconnell.

Thank you all for the recommendations.
I haven’t had the chance to look at all of the places, but looked up Castletroy and Castleconnell- Castletroy feels a bit more like what I would be looking for. It’s larger and seem to have a bit more going on.

I’ve looked at some of the primary schools and I’m finding it difficult to judge how good they are. In England there’s an OFSTED inspection for every school and it provides very clear information about what the school is like and what its rating is.
How do parents in Ireland judge if a school is good?
This question might be more suitable for a parenting thread, but thought some of you on this thread may be able to give an insight.
Thank you!

chicorytip

Mummyoftwo2 wrote:

I’ve looked at some of the primary schools and I’m finding it difficult to judge how good they are. In England there’s an OFSTED inspection for every school and it provides very clear information about what the school is like and what its rating is. How do parents in Ireland judge if a school is good? This question might be more suitable for a parenting thread, but thought some of you on this thread may be able to give an insight. Thank you!

There is no such rating system here but generally speaking the standard of education and quality of schools in Ireland would be among the best in Europe. There are some bad teachers of course like everywhere else. I suppose there are various reasons why parents will choose to send their children to a particular school. Many will make the decision based on the opinions and experiences of their own relations and friends.

Knit wit

Wishing you luck with your move to Limerick. It exciting indeed. I would suggest for primary school, the nearest school will be the best school. All the local children will likely attend the nearest school so you will quickly get to know your neighbours.
There is a creche on site in UL that may suit your 3 year old. Many preschools have waiting lists so apply asap.
I'm sure you will enjoy limerick ... we're only here a few years but love the city.

cnocbui

An outside the box option would be outside Limerick altogether: Killaloe / Ballina. Schools are fantastic - both my children have been through both the local primary and secondary schools and have done very well scholastically - enough to get into medicine. Probably too far out for you but it's 20-30 min from UL via the motorway.

UL itself has the best aquatic facilities in the region.