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Escaping to the countryside?

I Was VB

Ever get tired of city life? I know I have, Currently living in south dublin city centre and working in north Dublin, I’m tired of a hour sitting in traffic each way to get to work, tired of paying €3.50 per hour for parking, tired of little scruffs thinking they are gangsters, tired of junkies, cyclists, not having change out of two pints from a tenner (I know it’s been that way for ages) tired of walking Instagram accounts, tired of people looking down thier nose at people who have a €20 less than them in thier pockets, tired of trials by social media, tired of knocked together houses being sold for €500k just because of the postcode*

so that’s why I want to move to Leitrim, nice and quiet, just a few acres of land and a little cottage, potter around the garden, wake up in the morning to the sound of a cock a doodle doo, instead of a cock in a BMW driving in the bus lane. Get away from city life, just me and the country air, and a few retired freedom fighters and Semtex weapons dumps, get a job in a bar for €250 per week, that’s the dream. Anyone ever do it?**

* I realize most of these problems aren’t exclusively city related.

** probably not going to move to Leitrim or the arsehole of Ireland in the immediate future but thinking about it the last while and I need some inspiration.

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John_Rambo

Still waters wrote: »

You're wife works, lol, she could spend that time having quality time and raising her kids properly like good mothers do in rural Ireland with tiny mortgages, or vice versa if you wanted to stay at home

So could I, lol! We have a tiny mortgage and have plenty of quality time with the kids and we raise them properly and not to judge people without knowing much about them. She likes to work three days a week and she's a good mother.

freshpopcorn wrote: »

You could also buy a very small property in rural Ireland and live off the land.
Get a job locally that may pay less and cycle /walk there everyday. if you wanted to reduce your carbon footprint further.

As I said, I like having the city close by and all the amenities it offers. I don't have to drive to get to them, I have a job locally and I cycle/walk there every day resulting in a very low carbon footprint.

freshpopcorn

John_Rambo wrote: »

As I said, I like having the city close by and all the amenities it offers. I don't have to drive to get to them, I have a job locally and I cycle/walk there every day resulting in a very low carbon footprint.

It was honestly a serious suggestion.
I heard about a family and they've gone off the grid to reduce their carbon footprint/etc. They found it easier in the country because they could afford a good plot of land to live off.

meeeeh

freshpopcorn wrote: »

It was honestly a serious suggestion.
I heard about a family and they've gone off the grid to reduce their carbon footprint/etc. They found it easier in the country because they could afford a good plot of land to live off.

I don't think he is looking to lower carbon footprint, he is trying to tell everyone that his way of living is better. If you can't compare the size you need to find carbon footprint or theatres or restaurants and pubs.

the_syco

Eggs For Dinner wrote: »

Anyone who says there is a constant smell of cow ****e is full of the stuff themselves.

I personally only dislike pig manure. Cow manure is grand. Heck, it's a lot better than car fumes in the city.

I know a few who are looking to buy in the countryside, but are blocked by "local needs".

Danzy

sk8erboii wrote: »

I get it y'all. You cant stand conflict, never could. That's why when you're brought to a place thats all about competition (for money, for pussy, for fame) you just cant hack it.

Truth is, you're never gonna make it. Never will. You might aswell lay down and surrender (Go to the countryside and be alone so no one can hurt your fee fees).

You cant hack it in the arena. Here in Dublin, its a young man's game. The worn and tired slink away quietly to moldy pubs to complain about whoever they cant fight (Liberals? Immigrants? Feminists).

Thats what you are. Worn. You used to be a sharp knife. But you lost your edge. This is the time of our lives and your death.

Really piling back the champagne this weekend?

Jim Morrison meets James Joyce.

A well written piece though, nice flow to it.

John_Rambo

freshpopcorn wrote: »

It was honestly a serious suggestion.
I heard about a family and they've gone off the grid to reduce their carbon footprint/etc. They found it easier in the country because they could afford a good plot of land to live off.

Yeah, I appreciate you posting an honest and serious non-sarcastic judgmental post, it's doable, but not for us.

The family is happily anchored in the community now and we're using infrastructure that's been here for years. The kids are comfortably integrated with a broad range of social and cultural influences, we're happy with that.

Our house has been lived in by families and will be lived in by families, no new building, no new hook ups, no new roads, no new cement to be poured etc... surprisingly urban recycle living has the least impact on the environment and further development on my road will have a lesser impact than a new house situated away from in-situ amenities and infrastructure.

My parents house is 200 years old and is closer to the city than I am. Plenty of people have lived and died in it over decades, the house has been recycled plenty of times. They're old and use public transport all the time.

We buy local, support local business and as I've said before, we do love the city and what is has to offer from cheap ethnic eateries to cultural pleasantries, bars, restaurants, concerts, museums, galleries and sports events.

It's a simple, low carbon, relaxed lifestyle that's at odds with the usual rhetoric that's given to suburban living. Small cycle & public transport commutes with beach and park lifestyles.

Roger_007

We should all aspire to the vision that De Valera described in a speech in 1943:-

"....The ideal Ireland that we would have, the Ireland that we dreamed of, would be the home of a people who valued material wealth only as a basis for right living, of a people who, satisfied with frugal comfort, devoted their leisure to the things of the spirit – a land whose countryside would be bright with cosy homesteads, whose fields and villages would be joyous with the sounds of industry, with the romping of sturdy children, the contest of athletic youths and the laughter of happy maidens, whose firesides would be forums for the wisdom of serene old age........

That's exactly what life in the countryside is like.............isn't it?
Surely the great man's vision has been realised by now.........hasn't it?

John_Rambo

meeeeh wrote: »

I don't think he is looking to lower carbon footprint, he is trying to tell everyone that his way of living is better. If you can't compare the size you need to find carbon footprint or theatres or restaurants and pubs.

We aspire to have lower carbon footprint for our own good. We don't want to spend hours in the car with the kids, or hours getting home to the kids in a car.

That's ok, isn't it?

Capt'n Midnight

mistersifter wrote: »

fluid dynamics, eh!? you should write an interesting article about the dynamics of the verbal scutter you're coming out with.

only messing, I actually think your posts are gas. Excellent trolling!

verbal scutter Don't you mean Bingham plastic ?

Eggs For Dinner

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I can cycle to work in 30 mins and walk to the sea in 15 and live in Dublin. Sounds like you’re the one doing all the driving! I love having neighbours tbh.

Yep, drive everywhere. Cycling and buses are not for me. Town, work, restaurants, theatre, leisure centre, football pitch etc all 10-15 minutes away. I park near where I'm going. My garden is very tranquil and not overlooked. I take my dog for a walk through the fields off his lead. All my family are in Dublin and I can can walk through the door of my mother's house within 90 minutes.

Ive done city living and commuting and thought nothing of it. It's what I was born and reared into. Now, I couldn't think of anything worse than having to return there. I openly admit it suits ME and is not for everyone. I just feel Ive more freedom to go where I want, when I want an not have my movements dictated by traffic

Also, Ive loads of neighbours. Approx 15 houses within 750 metres

Snow Garden

John_Rambo wrote: »

We aspire to have lower carbon footprint for our own good. We don't want to spend hours in the car with the kids, or hours getting home to the kids in a car.

That's ok, isn't it?

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp6ci/p6cii/p6td/

Average travel time in minutes by county (2016).

Dublin and surrounding counties take the top 7 places. Fingal, Dun Laoighare, South Dublin and Dublin City were 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th. So who is spending
most of their time sitting in traffic?

The 12 towns with the highest % of workers doing a > 1 hour commute were all in Leinster.

The west coast counties are in the bottom 10 places (Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Kerry, Clare etc)
Galway City is actually the lowest.

meeeeh

John_Rambo wrote: »

We aspire to have lower carbon footprint for our own good. We don't want to spend hours in the car with the kids, or hours getting home to the kids in a car.

That's ok, isn't it?

Did anyone say it isn't? But you were not talking about that you were going on how you could afford Celtic mansions and Audis if you wanted to. Good for you.

Snow Garden

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I can cycle to work in 30 mins and walk to the sea in 15 and live in Dublin. Sounds like you’re the one doing all the driving! I love having neighbours tbh.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/water-quality-at-five-dublin-beaches-judged-poor-1.3496692

A marked deterioration in water quality at beaches in the Dublin region is outlined in the latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) bathing water report.

A third of 15 monitored bathing areas in the county failed to meet EU standards in 2017, and have been classified as “poor” and vulnerable to periodic pollution.

Over the past four years nine of the 15 Dublin monitored bathing waters “have shown deterioration in water quality”.

John_Rambo

Snow Garden wrote: »

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/water-quality-at-five-dublin-beaches-judged-poor-1.3496692

Lol... someone likes living by sea so you frantically google bad things about the sea and post them up!! You shouldn't have to put down areas to make where you live seem better.

BarryD2

I Was VB wrote: »

so that’s why I want to move to Leitrim, nice and quiet, just a few acres of land and a little cottage, potter around the garden, wake up in the morning to the sound of a cock a doodle doo, instead of a cock in a BMW driving in the bus lane. Get away from city life, just me and the country air, and a few retired freedom fighters and Semtex weapons dumps, get a job in a bar for €250 per week, that’s the dream. Anyone ever do it?**

Ah sure, why not but if you've others in your life, they'd need to be in agreement too. Rural life is grand but don't expect much in the way of services, public or otherwise. Expect to have to drive a lot. Expect to pay for your own water and sewage etc and so on. Don't expect much in the way of broadband. That's just the way of it. Lots of good points but also downsides, particularly as you age.

BarryD2

Eggs For Dinner wrote: »

Moved to the countryside over 30 years ago from Dublin and would never go back. I live 10 minutes away from a large town, where I can park outside my workplace for €2 a day. My kids were educated in good schools and flew through university. I'm 20 from fabulous beaches and there are no end of top notch restaurants, bars, hotels, cinemas and theatres. My house is located on a mountainside, surrounded by fields and cows. I can blast my music and tv without annoying my neighbours, who have been great in my hour of need. I have 150Mb broadband, IPTV and a fridge full of beer

That's not really rural Ireland, that's ribbon development near a large town. You might as well be living in Greystones or Kilcock relative to say Dublin. 150MB broadband gives it away

Klonker

I'm from the country but moved to Dublin 7 years ago for work. Myself and my partner bought up here recently enough but in the next few years we are going to have to make a decision about where we want to live long term and its looking very likely that its going to be in the country.

My situation is probably different to some on here as I'd only consider moving to the area I grew up in (and thankfully my partner is ok with that) as most of my family and friends still live there which is the main reason I'd want to move back especially when it comes to the stage of us having children. Also I just think my children would have a more enjoyable childhood in the countryside.

Main issue is jobs in our field of work are nearly all in Dublin but hopefully with the move to more remote working then won't need to travel every day plus with lower mortgage only one of us might need to work. I know one working families is very unusual in Dublin nowadays but is still not that unusual in the country.

Snow Garden

John_Rambo wrote: »

Lol... someone likes living by sea so you frantically google bad things about the sea and post them up!! You shouldn't have to put down areas to make where you live seem better.

I wont let you off that easy. You made the assertion that people in rural areas spent longer in their cars commuting to work. I proved you were talking nonsense but of course you will never admit when you're wrong.

John_Rambo wrote: »

Not interested in long car drive commuting and the rage that seems to go with it (judging by this thread).

Here you are again: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp6ci/p6cii/p6td/

There is also no doubt that going to the beach in Kerry, Mayo, Donegal, Clare, Galway, Sligo is a damn sight better than any seaside in Dublin.
The Irish Sea is not a patch on the Wild Atlantic Way.

John_Rambo

Snow Garden wrote: »

I wont let you off that easy. You made the assertion that people in rural areas spent longer in their cars commuting to work. I proved you were talking nonsense but of course you will never admit when you're wrong.

Lol, very good. Read back my friend I said that if we moved to the country we'd be more car reliant than I am now! Currently we use bikes and public transport to get around and use the cars at the weekend. You see in the city and suburbs we have trains and buses, there's also cycle lanes.

In rural areas throughout the world there isn't

Snow Garden wrote: »

Here you are again: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpub...ci/p6cii/p6td/

Not working, fix it and I'll check in later, I don't have time, I'm off West for some wind and waves.

Snow Garden wrote: »

There is also no doubt that going to the beach in Kerry, Mayo, Donegal, Clare, Galway, Sligo is a damn sight better than any seaside in Dublin.
The Irish Sea is not a patch on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Believe me! I've surfed and sailed off the coast of each of these counties and I worked on the WAW initiative when it was developed in Dublin! It's fantastic that you use the destinational marketing name we came up with, shows what a good job we did.

Every sea has unique offerings Snow Garden

Snow Garden

John_Rambo wrote: »

Not working, fix it and I'll check in later, I don't have time, I'm off West for some wind and waves.

I already summarised the commuting statistics for you yesterday. Here you go (for the 3rd time now);

Dublin and surrounding counties take the top 7 places. Fingal, Dun Laoighare, South Dublin and Dublin City were 4th, 6th, 7th and 9th. So who is spending
most of their time sitting in traffic?

The 12 towns with the highest % of workers doing a > 1 hour commute were all in Leinster.

The west coast counties are in the bottom 10 places (Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Kerry, Clare etc). Galway City is actually the lowest.

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp6ci/p6cii/p6td/

John_Rambo wrote: »

Every sea has unique offerings Snow Garden

Yes and for the Irish Sea the unique offering is it's radioactivity!

The Irish Sea is described by Greenpeace as the most radioactively contaminated sea in the world

Nekarsulm

I live and farm in rural Cavan.
Just started a job in Cavan town, which is 12 miles away.
My commute is 20 minutes and costs about 15 euro per week, diesel wise.
Wife works in Dublin city centre, 80 miles away.
Her commute is 2 hours 20 minutes.
20 minutes into Cavan, and 2 hours on the 109x.
Her commute costs about 140 euro a week.
You would want to be paying me a serious wage to entice me to do what she does.
In reality, 450 per week in your pocket in Cavan town would be better than 750 in Dublin.

Eggs For Dinner

BarryD2 wrote: »

That's not really rural Ireland, that's ribbon development near a large town. You might as well be living in Greystones or Kilcock relative to say Dublin. 150MB broadband gives it away

Rural does not have to mean isolated. I'm surrounded by farmland, up a mountain and 2kms from the N road to the town.

wakka12

Omackeral wrote: »

Hahah the perfect gif reaction

El_Bee

I Was VB wrote: »

Ever get tired of city life? I know I have, Currently living in south dublin city centre and working in north Dublin, I’m tired of a hour sitting in traffic each way to get to work, tired of paying €3.50 per hour for parking, tired of little scruffs thinking they are gangsters, tired of junkies, cyclists, not having change out of two pints from a tenner (I know it’s been that way for ages) tired of walking Instagram accounts, tired of people looking down thier nose at people who have a €20 less than them in thier pockets, tired of trials by social media, tired of knocked together houses being sold for €500k just because of the postcode*

so that’s why I want to move to Leitrim, nice and quiet, just a few acres of land and a little cottage, potter around the garden, wake up in the morning to the sound of a cock a doodle doo, instead of a cock in a BMW driving in the bus lane. Get away from city life, just me and the country air, and a few retired freedom fighters and Semtex weapons dumps, get a job in a bar for €250 per week, that’s the dream. Anyone ever do it?**

* I realize most of these problems aren’t exclusively city related.

** probably not going to move to Leitrim or the arsehole of Ireland in the immediate future but thinking about it the last while and I need some inspiration.

Yeah but aren't you much more likely to be burgled if you live in a rural area?

Mad_maxx

Snow Garden wrote: »

I wont let you off that easy. You made the assertion that people in rural areas spent longer in their cars commuting to work. I proved you were talking nonsense but of course you will never admit when you're wrong.

Here you are again: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cp6ci/p6cii/p6td/

There is also no doubt that going to the beach in Kerry, Mayo, Donegal, Clare, Galway, Sligo is a damn sight better than any seaside in Dublin.
The Irish Sea is not a patch on the Wild Atlantic Way.

Galway has no especially impressive beaches

Mad_maxx

Nekarsulm wrote: »

I live and farm in rural Cavan.
Just started a job in Cavan town, which is 12 miles away.
My commute is 20 minutes and costs about 15 euro per week, diesel wise.
Wife works in Dublin city centre, 80 miles away.
Her commute is 2 hours 20 minutes.
20 minutes into Cavan, and 2 hours on the 109x.
Her commute costs about 140 euro a week.
You would want to be paying me a serious wage to entice me to do what she does.
In reality, 450 per week in your pocket in Cavan town would be better than 750 in Dublin.

Just as well Dublin has a hundred times more to offer than Cavan, your wife must really have few renumeration options if she drives that far to Dublin

meeeeh

El_Bee wrote: »

Yeah but aren't you much more likely to be burgled if you live in a rural area?

Not really. I think there are less opportune burglaries but once someone decides to get into your house they will. And once they do they can do more damage before anyone notices.

Nekarsulm

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Just as well Dublin has a hundred times more to offer than Cavan, your wife must really have few renumeration options if she drives that far to Dublin

A lot more options of the same stuff, I suppose.
You haven't seen the M3 at 7am lately, its chock a block with white vans doing the same trip.
She takes the bus, far cheaper than driving, not to mention having to pay parking for ghe day.
Downside of that is the scobies on the bus .....

Snow Garden

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Galway has no especially impressive beaches

What?

Dogs Bay and Gurteen Bay are 2 of the best beaches in Ireland.

There is also Tra Mor, Ballyconneely, Kilmurvey, Coral Strand and Silverstrand.

Mad_maxx

Nekarsulm wrote: »

A lot more options of the same stuff, I suppose.
You haven't seen the M3 at 7am lately, its chock a block with white vans doing the same trip.
She takes the bus, far cheaper than driving, not to mention having to pay parking for ghe day.
Downside of that is the scobies on the bus .....

I take my hat off to her, the idea of two hours morning and evening on the bus is hell to me, that's a days work in of itself