Moving to Spiddal or surrounding area

u2fanatic · 31-05-2021 1:23pm #1

Hi folks,
Due to the fact my wife can remote wok now and I can get a transfer to galway in my job we are strongly considering moving to galway. ideally somewhere in the soiddal area or maybe or small bit further. We have 3 young kids and no real ties to where we currently live. We have no relations in galway and no real connections except for the fact we love to area and feel like we could be really happy there with a great quality of life. My wife is still very apprehensive about the move though due to no family or no connections as such. She feels the kids my suffer and is just generally scared about the whole thing even though she really wants to do it. Is there anyone in here who may have done a move like this who could give me some feedback.? thanks in advance

Mrs OBumble · 31-05-2021 2:52pm

How well do you speak Irish?

GalwayGrrrrrl · 31-05-2021 3:01pm

Check the broadband service very carefully before you move- not strong in all areas.

Schools may be Irish speaking - not necessarily a bad thing but be prepared.
Visit in the summer and winter if possible. Very different vibe.

GerardKeating · 31-05-2021 4:19pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

How well do you speak Irish?

No need to speak Irish, most/every one will speak to you in English.

But for the kids, all the schools in Spiddal and beyond will be Irish Speaking, so unless they in a Gael Scoil already, they might struggle as first.

We are an English speaking family, a bit beyond Spiddal, and it is a bit of a struggle helping the kids with the home work when required, but it well worth it for bilingual kids.

Otherwise, the only isssue is transport, ye might need two cars. 12 buses a day into town.

Much of the area does have fibre Broadband, but only really near the main road into town, once ye more that 500/700m up a side road, forget it.

klr87 · 31-05-2021 5:25pm

[QUOTE=GalwayGrrrrrl;117313581]Check the broadband service very carefully before you move- not strong in all areas.

Schools may be Irish speaking - not necessarily a bad thing but be prepared.
Visit in the summer and winter if possible. Very different vibe.[/QUOTE]
Very true. I've heard that mobile phone and wireless broadband access can be spotty if you don't have clear line of sight access to a mast, and that was from someone living near Barna, whose house is located in a slight "hollow".

GalwayGrrrrrl · 31-05-2021 5:31pm

klr87 wrote: »

Very true. I've heard that mobile phone and wireless broadband access can be spotty if you don't have clear line of sight access to a mast, and that was from someone living near Barna, whose house is located in a slight "hollow".

I live three miles from Eyre square and can see a phone mast from my window. My broadband is still not that strong and I often have to use 4g for working remotely - the 4g is sometimes dodgy too.

Galway is a lovely place to live from a lifestyle perspective but if you are used to a big city it is a shock to the system. Our house has no mains sewers and no mains gas. Nearly everyone in our area are related to each other. I personally couldn’t cope mentally with living any further out from the city. I won’t mention the traffic as that is well documented elsewhere.

klr87 · 31-05-2021 6:11pm

GalwayGrrrrrl wrote: »

I live three miles from Eyre square and can see a phone mast from my window. My broadband is still not that strong and I often have to use 4g for working remotely - the 4g is sometimes dodgy too.

Galway is a lovely place to live from a lifestyle perspective but if you are used to a big city it is a shock to the system. Our house has no mains sewers and no mains gas. Nearly everyone in our area are related to each other. I personally couldn’t cope mentally with living any further out from the city. I won’t mention the traffic as that is well documented elsewhere.

For anyone used to city life, the countryside mentality could be a massive culture shock. Who you know and who you're related to count for so much. Everything you do will be watched and taken note of, purely as a matter of routine Nothing sinister, that's just the way it is. You just don't have the same level of anonymity that you would get even in a "small" city like Galway.

As for the traffic: Unless and until that bypass gets built, the congestion is likely to get worse. If fact, depending on where you are trying to get to, it might not improve matters much. So working from home (as mentioned by the OP) could really make a difference.

what_traffic · 31-05-2021 6:22pm

u2fanatic wrote: »

We have 3 young kids and no real ties to where we currently live. We have no relations in galway and no real connections except for the fact we love to area and feel like we could be really happy there with a great quality of life. My wife is still very apprehensive about the move though due to no family or no connections as such. She feels the kids my suffer and is just generally scared about the whole thing even though she really wants to do it. Is there anyone in here who may have done a move like this who could give me some feedback.? thanks in advance

Roughly what age are the kids, the few people I know who have done this kind of change, I think they would say it is much easier with young children (under 8)rather than older. It can be key way of integrating into a "rural" community if they start at at the local school, GAA club etc

u2fanatic · 31-05-2021 6:44pm

Kids are 6 , 3 and 1... I wonder would my 6yo struggle with the Irish language in school? Of the people you know who moved would you say they are happy with their decision?

pjohnson · 31-05-2021 7:31pm

Thinking a few years down the line, Unless you plan on sending the kids to secondary school in CCM getting them in on time to any school based town will be a major pain.

And that commute will eat hours from your day, busses not always suitable.

frozenfrozen · 31-05-2021 7:50pm

wouldn't do it unless you were both WFH (or even just a few days in office) and could guarantee somewhere with FTTH internet

newuser99999 · 31-05-2021 8:05pm

Wouldn’t recommend working from home with the internet situation out this way. Have you been out here in the winter? It’s quite different to summer time.

Cal4567 · 31-05-2021 8:09pm

Surely the Broadband Plan will be nationally rolled out over the next 2 years, negating this issue. Isn't a 95% land area the target?

newuser99999 · 31-05-2021 8:17pm

Cal4567 wrote: »

Surely the Broadband Plan will be nationally rolled out over the next 2 years, negating this issue. Isn't a 95% land area the target?

They haven’t even conducted the surveys out here yet...it’s going to take a lot longer than 2 years.

simongurnick · 31-05-2021 8:23pm

Spiddal is a lovely spot, but depends what you want. With 3 young kids you might be better living in Knocknacarra where there would be more amenities at hand and then you could still drive out to Spiddal and Connemara whenever you want. But if you are ok with the rural life, away you go.
I'd say if you don't have some Irish, it would be a nice time to learn, but as mentioned previously the schools around there will be in irish.

Furbo on the way out from Galway is nice too and on the other sides of the hills ,Oughterard and Moycullen are nice, but you will be by the lake and not by the sea...but still lovely.

Good luck!

GerardKeating · 31-05-2021 8:26pm

u2fanatic wrote: »

Kids are 6 , 3 and 1... I wonder would my 6yo struggle with the Irish language in school? Of the people you know who moved would you say they are happy with their decision?

The school will help with that. A struggle for a few months, but worth it.

Cal4567 · 31-05-2021 8:35pm

newuser99999 wrote: »

They haven’t even conducted the surveys out here yet...it’s going to take a lot longer than 2 years.

Thanks. So, 3-4 years, that sort of timeframe? Or do you think much longer than that?

lisabiscuit · 31-05-2021 8:54pm

My sister and her family have just made the move from Dublin to Furbo. We are from Galway city though so moving to be closer to the rest of us. They bought a house in a new estate and they had to do an Irish language exam. Apparently a certain percentage of the builds had to have Irish speakers and a certain percentage could be non Irish speaking homes. Her husband is fluent and the kids went to Irish language schools in Dublin but just to be aware of that element. She's delighted to be back in the West and raves about Furbo, the school, the beach and the general life style. Best of luck with your decision anyway. Hope everything goes your way.

what_traffic · 31-05-2021 9:20pm

u2fanatic wrote: »

Kids are 6 , 3 and 1... I wonder would my 6yo struggle with the Irish language in school? Of the people you know who moved would you say they are happy with their decision?

Would not worry about that aspect, most kids can start a 2nd language quite easy up to 12. First semester or two might be a bit of a challenge.
Spiddal/Inverin is not like moving to remote rural Ireland. If you were going to the Aran Islands now ...

what_traffic · 31-05-2021 9:25pm

u2fanatic wrote: »

Of the people you know who moved would you say they are happy with their decision?

Anybody I know who had children who moved to rural area's it was far easier to integrate if they have children. They are like connectors/networkers who cast a far wider net. ( same for people moving to towns/City's as well, its just the way of the world) Like any move, its going to be a challenge setting up initially.

Mrs OBumble · 31-05-2021 11:15pm

what_traffic wrote: »

Anybody I know who had children who moved to rural area's it was far easier to integrate if they have children. They are like connectors/networkers who cast a far wider net. ( same for people moving to towns/City's as well, its just the way of the world) Like any move, its going to be a challenge setting up initially.

Agreed.

But if you don't have Irish already, get busy learning it: people will speak to you in English, but if you want to know what's really going or, or what you kids are getting up to when they're teenagers, you need the language.

Tilikum17 · 01-06-2021 7:31am

lisabiscuit wrote: »

My sister and her family have just made the move from Dublin to Furbo. We are from Galway city though so moving to be closer to the rest of us. They bought a house in a new estate and they had to do an Irish language exam. Apparently a certain percentage of the builds had to have Irish speakers and a certain percentage could be non Irish speaking homes. Her husband is fluent and the kids went to Irish language schools in Dublin but just to be aware of that element. She's delighted to be back in the West and raves about Furbo, the school, the beach and the general life style. Best of luck with your decision anyway. Hope everything goes your way.

Furbo is beautiful and will only get better in the next few years imo. Obviously you only need that Irish exam if youre buying a new build.

01-06-2021 8:38am

Tilikum17 wrote: »

Obviously you only need that Irish exam if youre buying a new build.

Interesting, was wondering this.

Bobeagleburger · 05-06-2021 10:14pm

You can't put a price being so close to the sea in a fantastic location. Beautiful part of the world.

Doubt you'd ever regret moving there tbh. Best of luck.

irishguy · 13-06-2021 2:58pm

u2fanatic wrote: »

Hi folks,
Due to the fact my wife can remote wok now and I can get a transfer to galway in my job we are strongly considering moving to galway. ideally somewhere in the soiddal area or maybe or small bit further. We have 3 young kids and no real ties to where we currently live. We have no relations in galway and no real connections except for the fact we love to area and feel like we could be really happy there with a great quality of life. My wife is still very apprehensive about the move though due to no family or no connections as such. She feels the kids my suffer and is just generally scared about the whole thing even though she really wants to do it. Is there anyone in here who may have done a move like this who could give me some feedback.? thanks in advance

I would strongly advise not moving if you have family connections where you are with young children, very simple things are more complex without any family near by.

Also keep in mind there are a lot less job opportunities if your moving from Dublin , depending on your fields. So make sure your happy you know the local employment market and the rates on offer, as both of you are more than likely not going to be in the same job when you retire. So factor that into your house budget.

It's an nice area in the summer, but can be quite different in the winter months. It's also quite conservative area and like alot of country areas it's a bit harder to fit in unless you get involved in local life i.e. gaa/speak Irish etc having kids will really help you to get to know people in the area.

It might be better to rent there for a bit and ensure your fully happy with the change in lifestyle

u2fanatic · 03-11-2021 4:35pm

is there anyone on here who has actually done a move similar to this that would be willing to talk privately?

06-11-2021 9:08am

If you want to be part of the community you need to speak Irish. All the schools are Irish speaking, all community events are in the Irish language. The community is working hard to keep the area a majority Irish speaking area. If you don’t intend to learn the language and just want to live in a rural area I’d suggest moving to Kinvara or Oughterard to be honest.

06-11-2021 9:54am

@u2fanatic If you are an English speaking family move to an English speaking area. Ireland is a beautiful country with lots of lovely places. People in the area will be polite as @GerardKeating has said but an English speaking family has a negative impact on the language in the area whatever way you look at it. People complain about this a lot in Irish with other Irish speakers as it impacts their children and their lives. The most annoying thing is people expecting you to turn the conversation to English when they show up. The area needs Irish speaking families to move in. That’s why the language restrictions exist regarding building and what community organisations are trying to work with.

Bobeagleburger · 06-11-2021 10:28am

You don't need to speak Irish to be part of the community. I know that for a fact as I know people living there that don't speak fluently.

However, it's definitely beneficial as Irish is widely spoken, and tbh if your kids are in school etc, you'll end up picking up quite a bit of the language anyway.

06-11-2021 10:57am

@6 I live there too and speaking Irish does help in being part of the community.

Jim2007 · 06-11-2021 2:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117315259#Comment_117315259

Late I know, but a 6 year old should not have problems with the language, so long as they are living it too - playing with class mates etc... I see it here in the Swiss schools as well, kids up to about 7 seem to have no issues it takes them a few months and they just get on with it. Kids above that age though seem to really struggle with it unless the are very committed and willing to work at it.

Jim2007 · 06-11-2021 3:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118126373#Comment_118126373

And how is that working out for you? Given the length that these policies have been going on one would have expected to see a very sizeable increase, except well it has not happened and instead the Irish speaking population continues to decline and the failures are celebrated as successes!

I spent three weeks in Spiddal a few years ago and I was shocked at just how little Irish was actually used in daily life. Sitting in the car with the window down you'd hear the odd group of older people speaking Irish, but the rest.. not a world of it. If I interrupted a group of kids or young people they'd switch to Irish alright, so they were not foreigners. My kids were really stoked planning for the big trip, 6 months going to Irish classes over here, talking Irish instead of English at home and so on. And in the end we were disappointed, the real clanger was the girl in the supermarket who not only could not speak Irish, but her English was not great either, so my wife ended up talking German to her!

06-11-2021 4:18pm

@Jim2007 English speakers moving into the area is a problem especially in Spiddal as it’s within commuting distance of Galway. Planning laws help. There is still a strong Irish speaking community there but the language is under pressure. It’s still a great place to bring up kids as an Irish speaker. The culture is great regarding language, music and sean-nós. People do move into the area too to bring their kids up with Irish. There are lots for Irish speakers in the area which is great.

Andrea B. · 07-11-2021 2:15am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058190137/moving-to-spiddal-or-surrounding-area

I have always felt that north Connemara region (Moycullen and north of that) was more accepting of blowins than west Connemara ( Furbo and west of that). North Connemara has no where near the levels of Irish language usage compared to west Connemara.

Not saying that those points are connected. Just my opinion.

u2fanatic · 07-11-2021 2:45pm

@gleanntrasna learning to speak irish would be a priority for my kids and my wife.. I currently have a moderate level of irish and could hold a conversation.

i do hope you are not a representative for the whole of the gaeltacht area but thanks for the advice anyway. I'm gonna ask can a moderator close this thread now as I feel like it's just focusing on the irish language instead of the quality of life that could be gained form living in these areas.

Mrs OBumble · 07-11-2021 3:33pm

I'd say that @gleanntrasna is likely on the mark for what many think, but don't say.

tackbeer · 13-11-2021 12:35am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117315259#Comment_117315259

I'd say your children should have no problem living it up but the eldest one would need extra support and some preparation to ease them in as there would be no English outside of it as a subject, and that doesn't start until first class.

tackbeer · 13-11-2021 12:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117315736#Comment_117315736

Good advice, especially about trying a place outside of the summer, spend a few months in a place you don't know before buying or else it could get the start of an expensive upset for a family.

tackbeer · 13-11-2021 1:27am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118131319#Comment_118131319

Good to hear the positive attitude to the language. As some wrote above you could live in the area without Irish but then that's the same guff heard from ex-pats in nice parts of Spain/France/etc, not untrue but showing a certain lack of knowledge of what it is to be part of a community with a different language than your own. Stands to reason that communities that has kept their own language that close to a city must value it highly and expect anyone moving in to respect that rather than adopting that old colonial approach to natives having to switch or be seen as unfriendly or uncivilised or whatever. If that sounds like too much work most of the coast of Ireland doesn't place such an obvious demand on 'blow-ins', although there's always some efforts that need to be made to move beyond the 'family from x who bought y's old place, don't know much about them' description. Go n-éirí libh ar aon chaoi cibé áit bhur dtriall!

Moving to Spiddal or surrounding area

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