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Canadian family moving to Ireland 2023 - Best town for young outdoorsy family (2+2 small kids)?

Daney

Hi folks,

We are a family from BC, Canada and have an opportunity to move to Ireland in 2023/24 with the potential to make it a permanent home. We have 2 small kids and we are moving because the housing in Ireland is much cheaper than BC. and much of our family is located in Europe.

We have a few ideas on where might be a fit but would love to get some local peoples thoughts on where might work for us.

Our priorities are:

1) Good community spirit with very low crime-rates.

2) The ability to buy a quality, 4-bed, detached house for under 500K euro

3) Excellent primary and secondary schools

4) Infrastructure for kids, park, indoor/outdoor playgrounds etc.

5) Good proximity to Shannon or Dublin airport (under 90mins preferable)

6) A population that is neither too small nor too big (5000-100,000)

Super grateful for your ideas with this, we are very excited at the potential of calling Ireland home!

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Akrasia

Ennistymon co. Clare. If you're outdoorsy you have the Burren national park, Lahinch beach 5 mins away for surfing, rock climbing, sea fishing etc

The town itself is really vibrant with good community spirit, good schools including a steyner primary school if that's what you're in to

About 50 mins from Shannon Airport, not too far from Galway City, you could get a beautiful place for your 500k budget

Yellow_Fern

There are a lot of comments here about crime, manly they claim that Ireland is especially safe. This is not true. Cities and towns alike would have crime crime rates that are middle of pick compared with Europe if you look at stats. I'm from a rural area. My house had about four break-ins over the years, but the risks are not extremely higher either. So Ireland is neither very dangerous or very safe.

If I was the OP I'd choose Central Europe, or Iberia over Ireland. You have everything, with much better value, and noticeable safer and far better scenery and nature. Ireland is death zone for ecology. The country has the worst ecological integrity index in Europe.

Tefral

Killaloe, Clonlara, Broadford, Ballina Co.Clare would be my vote!

I live in Broadford recently upgraded Primary, new secondary school in Tulla. Great community spirit and you have Lough Derg, Doon lake, River Shannon, 12 o clock hills etc on your doorstep.

Youd get a fine house for less than 500k. Closer you get to Killaloe/Ballina the house prices go up.

Wildly Boaring

OP when you say biking and kayaking.

Like whitewater and downhill or just flat water or sea kayak and road biking with few hills.

I ask cus a lot of good whitewater and downhill biking in some areas of Canada. Some areas here better than others. Like Wicklow and Kerry are hotspots. But some areas be a disaster, like most of the midlands.

But plenty flatwater spots.

Into surf?

When you say 90 mins to Shannon or Dublin. That a deal breaker.

Cus lot of those suggestions like Westport are not in there. Or any west Cork. Wexford be a stretch. Cork city be very tight.

No point being near the wrong airport for you.

[Deleted User]

I would say somewhere like Dunfanaghy in Co.Donegal. It has a lovely vibe and has lots of people from all over the world living there.

It is a surfy wee town.

Nearby...you have Marble Hill Beach, Tramor, Ards Forest Park, Ards Friary, Glenveagh National Park, Muckish & Errigal mountains to climb.

You could send your children to the Loreto Secondary School in Milford, which consistently has a high percentage of its pupils going to university.

The only criteria it wouldn't meet is that it's quite a distance from the airport. Over 2 hours to Belfast airport.

An hour to Derry airport if you want short distant flights. Derry City is good for shopping too.

Mrs OBumble

OP you are hunting for a unicorn.

Nowhere has everything.

Especially the train connectivity, excellent schooling, high educational achievement mix. Apart from the ecologically minded, most people with high education see sharing a vehicle with strangers as failure.

Many of the places named in this thread have good schools. Few would be excellent.

Also, I don't think you have thought thru the implications of community spirit. In short, you don't become part of it just by moving in. Many places will welcome a foreigner who moves in. But close-knit ones will view you with suspicion and exclude you for a couple of decades.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118722265#Comment_118722265

Westport is an hour from Knock,Knock is on a par with Shannon and a much nicer airport in general.

Claw Hammer

The only place I have seen mentionsed which might meet the criteria is probably athlone. It is on a direct motorway link to both Dublin and Shannon and is also quite near Knock. It is water sports on the Shannon and sits in the middle of open countryside. Houses are available in the price bracket, educationally there are reasonably good schools with a high progression rate to Third Level and a University campus. It is also a town where quite a lot of the people who live there were not born there so there isn't a big "blow-in" culture. For all that, there is crime, some of it quite serious.

houseyhouse

Education in Ireland is generally fairly consistent in quality relative to somewhere like the US ( don’t know as much about Canada). Personally in your position I would restrict myself to places with an Educate Together school nearby - these are multi-denominational schools, whereas most schools here are religious. There are other multi-denominational options too but Educate Together is the most common. You will struggle to get a multi/non denominational secondary school in most areas though.

The other thing to note is that we have a choice of schools here unlike a lot of countries, including Canada I believe. This means that where you live does not dictate what school you child can go to. In practice if you’re in a more rural area there won’t be much choice nearby but I live in Galway city (as an aside: great place to live, would meet most of your criteria but you would struggle to get the house you want for 500k these days) and the children in my estate go to loads of different schools, at least 6 or 7 primary schools among my kids’ friends. This means the schools are not segregated by income in the way they are elsewhere because kids from different areas all go to school together. Personally, I think this is a very good thing.

Also, you can look into crime rates yourself but Ireland is extremely safe. There’s very little violent crime outside the rougher areas of Dublin. However, if you have neighbours anywhere in the country they could potentially be ‘rough’ or not have university education because our government favours a strategy of economically mixed housing development and there is social housing in almost every development in the country.

Finally (!), having lived in the US and visited Canada several times, you need to understand that everything is smaller here, including the houses and the plots. This makes our communities more walkable but living with less space might be an adjustment for you.

yagan

A relative moved his family to Canada for a few years and the kids told me that they found the schools there very unchallenging, almost dumbed down in comparison to what they were used to, and they were all glad to get back before starting the leaving cert cycle. Their local school in ireland is just average.

The only thing I ever heard them saying they miss was a bit of wintersports. Mobile phones charges in Canada were supposedly a shocker in comparison to here. The coast being a day trip will be a novelty for most Canadians. I reckon if work location isn't an issue then most towns in Ireland would suit. Some are better amenities than others, like parks or watersports etc.

Having said that I would suggest this as a base line criteria, any town that has at least both a Lidl and an Aldi and a primary care centre probably is a descent size. Bonus points if it's on a trainline or bus route with airport links.

SteelyDanJalapeno

Check out Kinsale

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118717832#Comment_118717832

to be fair if he is coming from BC his version of FREEZING is a hell of a lot colder than ours!!

Cyrus

OP my brother went the other way, lives in Vancouver now. As others have noted the scale of ireland versus what you are used to is vastly different, and most places are within 90 minutes of either Dublin or Shannon. Also Ireland is cheap compared to BC isnt really correct, for example prices in Vancouver are probably a little lower (or around similar at least based on my knowledge) than the expensive parts of Dublin and im sure if you live rurally in Canada it can be cheap too.

You have some good recommendations here, Kilaloe, Westport, even Wexford town isnt a bad shout. Also parts of kerry are amazing (around sneem etc) and Galway around Barna. Places like Greystones and Kinsale would also meet all your requirements bar the 4 bed detached house for 500k.

PGE1970

OP,

You could pick most of Ireland and it would tick a lot of your requirements.

You haven't said what your work requirements are i.e. work from home, work in a specialised area etc.

For example, rural broadband is poor. That might affect your work choices. Also, if you work in, for example, aircraft leasing, your housing locations may be influenced accordingly.

Finally, building the one-off house of your dreams in rural Ireland will be very difficult because of very restrictive planning rules. You will probably end up buying one that ticks your boxes or one to "do up" and expand.

Most of Ireland has already been suggested in the posts above and most are, indeed, lovely places. You need to narrow down your search!!

I'd suggest you pick a spot that comes as close to satisfying your needs and rent for a while to find out what it is like. Whilst both Killaloe and Greystones are both lovely places, they are two very different towns.

PGE1970

In my post above , I mis-read "buy" for "build" a house. Sorry OP!

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118725143#Comment_118725143

Shannon and Dublin airport have lots of transatlantic flights, Knock doesn't. I don't know of any other airport that charges you €10 on top of the airlines charges to board a flight.

phormium

Lots of suggestions obviously but double check all the ones re airports/distance. While for example there are parts of Kerry within 90 mins roughly of Shannon airport somewhere like Sneem is going to take a hell of a lot longer, be quicker go to Cork but it's still 2 hrs to there. Same applies to a lot of counties. Personally I'd like to be near a town big enough that it has a hospital a&e/ambulance base too, just in case!

Daney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118717345#Comment_118717345

Greystones looks ideal, but looking on Daft.ie the property prices are very high, comparable to B.C even!

Daney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118717499#Comment_118717499

Hi @SouthWesterly , thankyou for the suggestion. I have been to Kerry before and stayed in Killorglin. I had a blast there, wonderful people and countryside, it might be a bit far from Shannon/Dublin for us but if you we were to buy a holiday home there where in Kerry would you suggest?

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118727692#Comment_118727692

I'm living in North kerry. It's less than 90 minutes to Shannon. I can see the Shannon estuary from my house.

Is it a holiday home or a home you are after.

When we moved down the advice from friends was no more than 10 to 15 minutes drive outside of town. We are a 7 minute drive and within a stones throw of 7 blue flag beaches. I can see some of them from my house.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118726772#Comment_118726772

How many times a year is the op going to be doing transatlantic flights? 2 or 3?

Let's take Westport as my example,will be 3 hours from Dublin Airport when new road opens in under 12 months.2 hours to Shannon,1 hour to knock.Houses aren't cheap but are compared to Dublin,crime rate is non existent, good schools,great outdoors facilities,on the coast, plenty of blow ins welcomed,very forward thinking place and excellent community spirit.Op could get the house they want aswell.

Now,say they decide they want to live in a Dublin commuter town thats 1 hour from Dublin Airport.It would be very difficult to fulfil the criteria above fully.....all to save a couple of hours travel to the airport on transatlantic flights? Doesn't make sense to me.

BTW,most people I know are delighted to spend the €10 flying out of knock,it contributes to having the nicest Airport in ireland on our doorstep and makes the west fully assessable.

To the OP,I know you have to start somewhere and you have some decent suggestions on here but be very aware,boards.ie is not a reflection of Irish society or opinion.Its a nastier,more cynical angrier version. My advice would be to spend some time here,have a chat to a few locals and you'll get a decent feel for things.Make sure you experience a bit of winter aswell as summer,I know you have hotter summers and colder winters than us but the long,damp,dark Irish winter can be hard to deal with.

Most rural places will have sufficient Internet but obviously you need to double check specific properties before moving in.

Deeper Blue

Based on your criteria I would go with Ennis. I feel a few of the places mentioned so far are a bit too small.

Ennis is a big town by Irish standards, but not too big either, population approx 12k.

It's near Shannon, has plenty of schools and is very safe. Loads to do in the vicinity and it's near enough to a couple of cities if you needed a shopping trip etc.

Daney

Hi folks,

Thankyou so much for the recommendations and advice, it has been extremely insightful! I think if money were no option we would move to Wicklow because of its geographical position (Dublin is not too far away for city fixes and the Wicklow montains lie on the doorstep). Areas like Greystones have very good schools and Dublin has a concentration of excellent universities. The properties at present in Wicklow however seem somewhat overpriced for their size/plot/Enegry efficiency/build quality. Infact Irish property in general seems very expensive compared to where it was a couple of years ago! Is the consensus amongst the Irish that house prices will continue to rise over the next few years or is there an expected cooling in the market (surely interest rates inevitably rise?) I guess my question really is WHEN might be the best time to buy property in Ireland?...and so when to move. I fear that in the later half of this decade house-prices might fall in Ireland and if that is the case buying a property and moving in 23/24 may not be the wisest thing to do.

But regarding the hunt for a town - a great alternative to Wicklow (at half the price) seems to be county Mayo and Westport in particular. We enjoy sea kayaking and hiking, freindly pub-life (no dodgy bars - seen enough of these when i lived in London) and with this in mind Westport seems a great fit (albeit it is a little far from Shannon). The reason Shannon and Dublin are very important to us is because we have family from Wroclaw that will visit via these airports (they have direct flights). In Westport is there a lot to do for kids and teenagers?

Thankyou also for the advice regarding healthcare, Im curious do most people have private health insurance and approx how much would this be? Is there a lot of doctors per population or a shortage of specialists in particular medical fields?

A final question that I think is important to us - does Ireland have good internet speeds throughout the country or are there significant differences in rural communities vs cities?.....is there an info-map that anyone knows of that might provide this data? The reason I ask is that we will likely both work remotely.

Thankyou all for helping us with our life-decision, we are trying to look at all variables (even if they seem odd) to ensure that the move from Canada is the right thing to do as tbh things here in B.C. are great (good schools/unis, fantastic nature, very low anti-social behaviour HOWEVER extremely expensive housing, long wait times for healthcare, extreme climate (46C this summer!)). The big question is will Ireland offer our children a better childhood than in Canada and when a bit older, provide more opportunities....this is something that every parent wants for their children and involves some analysis of the countries' current status (economic/social/overall happiness) and some forecasting as to if things will get better/worse.

Thanks again!

Daney

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118727714#Comment_118727714

Hi @SouthWesterly , actually we are considering all of the above, a complete move to Ireland 12 months a year, or live there for 3 months of the year over the summer period. It really comes down to where is best for our kids all year round. If its Canada that we choose we would still like to live in Ireland during the summer.

Caranica

Nobody knows what's going to happen with property prices in Ireland. In 2000 I was advised by the head of a bank (that no longer exists) to hold off buying for 5-6 years as prices would fall. They doubled. Luckily I didn't take his advice. Similarly there are plenty of people who are still in negative equity of 6 figures because they bought at the height of the market 15 years ago. So nobody can answer that question for you.

Will you have the right to live and work in Ireland? Otherwise you need very significant funds and very expensive health insurance.

Internet speeds and options vary hugely even within small areas. Once you have an idea of where you're going you need to check out the local speeds and options.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118727879#Comment_118727879

No one can tell you on house prices people have been saying for the past 5 years that a drop is coming and they have risen 40 percent from a high base along the coast in Dublin and into parts of Wicklow.

re healthcare ideally you need insurance but a lot employers offer it as part of comp packages.

BC has a lot going for it I’m sure there are parts with lower property prices , may make more sense to explore those than completely uproot to Ireland ?

Geuze

Approx. 40% of the population have health insurance.

The fees vary according to the plan, there are loads of plans.

Fees = 1,000 euro pa approx for a plan that is above a basic plan, but there are many plans above that again.

By this I mean, there are plenty of plans at 2,000 pa.

Geuze

Large towns within 90 mins of Shannon

Ennis, pop approx 20,000, on a motorway, on a railway line (not great service),

Limerick city - a city, so more choice of schools, more facilities, but higher house prices

Rest of Limerick = No?

Tipp = I can't see anything working out

Kerry = I can't comment on north Kerry

Oranmore = former village, pop now 5,000, affluent, lots of families, but houses expensive, just one school, but a popular place

Galway city, pop 80,000, on both motorway and railway, houses expensive, good schools in demand

EDIT: Athlone, on M6 and railway, close to lake, not an affluent town? Is it 90mins to Shannon?

Geuze

I have lived in 3-4 locations in Ireland over 40 years, "anti-social behaviour" never really entered my mind.

That may be an issue is some specific suburbs of cities, but for most people it isn't an issue.

Geuze

1) Good community spirit with very low crime-rates. No rough areas nearby. Community is well-educated (large percentage with university education).

Nobody in Ireland thinks like this. Nobody chooses a location to buy a house based on "university education".

Bear in mind that Ireland has very high rates of participation in third-level education (too high in my opinion).

2) The ability to buy a quality, 4-bed, detached house for under 500K euro. Communities that are beautiful and well maintained by their local councils.

You will be disappointed by your local council all the time. Many roads are dug up again and again, the surface is like a patchwork quilt.

In rural Ireland, 250k will but you a 150 sqm detached house in 2021. But in Galway city, that same house will be 450k-500k.

3) Both the town center and fantastic nature within walking distance. Forest, hiking, biking and kayaking are things that we enjoy, but also we enjoy town-life, beers in a lively bar or coffee in a snug somewhere.

4) Excellent primary and secondary schools (schools with state of the art facilities for kids), high percentage of kids going to university/third level education.

The majority of schools have more or less the same facilities, unless you go for a fee-paying school.

5) Excellent Infrastructure for kids, large parks with indoor/outdoor playgrounds, swimming pools, sports clubs etc.

There are loads of sports clubs, and loads of parks.

6) Good proximity to Shannon or Dublin airport (under 90mins preferable)

7) A train-station to major towns/cities (driving everywhere gets old fast).