Relocation to Galway with children

McGiver · 16-01-2015 1:57am #1

Hello everyone,

We are considering relocation to Galway from the southern UK (expats here as well). I found this little nice forum, so I thought I'd ask here. I've done a bit of homework and read a couple of threads here, but anyway I've got a couple of questions.

Just a bit of a background, we are family of three, me, my wife and our 3 year old daughter.

First of all, what area would you recommend to live in? We prefer safe area with some greenery, good public transport connection and good pre-schools & schools around. Some shopping options near would be good as well.

Second, what's the healthcare cost? Private medical insurance required?
I hear some complaints about HSE stating NHS is better. I consider NHS to be sub-standard (as compared to continental healthcare systems), so if HSE is worse than that, it raises some serious concerns.

Lastly, how's the weather in Galway, is it tolerable for a continental person? I hear it rains there all the time.

Thanks a lot.

roytheboyo · 16-01-2015 8:33am

Hey OP,
Galway is a great place to live, personally I prefer West city, salthill/knocknacarra, pretty well serviced with buses etc, decent schools (but can be difficult to get into, so look into it early).
cost of private health insurance I would estimate at 1500- 2k per year, what this buys you is the opportunity to jump queues for tests etc. Actual health care system (once you get in) is decent, although I'm sure someone will be on just after me saying it's 3rd world.
galway has a great buzz, lots of festivals, good feel, is a pretty safe place to raise kids, big enough to have good services buy not really a city feel, I love the place (not originally from galway).
You might want to consider (depending on work etc) living in a town/village in County Galway, lots of them seem good to me, or maybe somewhere like oranmore which has a nice feel and 15 mins from city.

jkforde · 16-01-2015 9:43am

op, have you ever visited Galway? might be a good idea to come over and hire a car/bike for a day and just get a vibe for the place... lots of pros and cons about this town but overall I wouldn't live anywhere else, even taking into account the bloody weather! (the reason for notorious Galway grey weather is that we're right bang in the middle of the west coast so we're always on the edge of somewhere else's worse weather!... that's me pet theory anyhow)

on the topic of healthcare, I'm actually in hospital at the moment for an acute infection via a GP referral into the public system and I'm receiving good rapid care.. can't fault it so far.

Paddyfield · 16-01-2015 1:48pm

I pretty much agree with most of the above. I live in Knocknacarra which is 2km from Salthill and 5km from city. Busses are frequent and efficient. Getting into a primary school wasn't a bother for my kids but I believe that secondary schools are tougher to get into.

One of kids was was critically ill when he was born and spent 4 months in neonatal intensive care. His life was in the hands of some outstanding medical professionals who beat the odds. He survived and thrived. He is 8 now. My missus was also very sick at the time and spent a week in intensive care. Both received world class care through the HSE. Never ever underestimate the Irish health system. It ain't perfect but it's damn good when needed.

Enjoy Galway. When the weather is crap, it's very crap. But when it's not crap, we celebrate it. When it's beautiful, we stay indoors and give out about the heat. ;0)

FINALLY..... Where are you from originally and where do you live now? If you are originally from Westport and are currently living in Southampton, then you will blend in quickly. If you are originally from Longford and are currently residing in Milton Keynes, then Galway will overwhelm you.

Failte abhaile

McGiver · 16-01-2015 11:21pm

roytheboyo wrote: »

Hey OP,
Galway is a great place to live, personally I prefer West city, salthill/knocknacarra, pretty well serviced with buses etc, decent schools (but can be difficult to get into, so look into it early).

Thanks for the suggestions. I will likely be working in Galway Technology Park, so I would appreciate something close to there. West city, Salthill and Knocknacarra all look nice, but are on the opposite side of the city.

roytheboyo wrote: »

cost of private health insurance I would estimate at 1500- 2k per year, what this buys you is the opportunity to jump queues for tests etc. Actual health care system (once you get in) is decent, although I'm sure someone will be on just after me saying it's 3rd world.

Is the figure for three persons (2 adults & 1 child) or just one person? It's quite a lot. Do you have to pay any consultations or anything on top of that? How much would I pay if I didn't have private insurance?

roytheboyo wrote: »

You might want to consider (depending on work etc) living in a town/village in County Galway, lots of them seem good to me, or maybe somewhere like oranmore which has a nice feel and 15 mins from city.

Oranmore is looks too rural to me...

McGiver · 16-01-2015 11:28pm

jkforde wrote: »

op, have you ever visited Galway?

Not really, never been to Ireland

might be a good idea to come over and hire a car/bike for a day and just get a vibe for the place...

Yeah, a good idea, but I might be getting a job offer soon with no much time do decide, so not sure it's feasible.

lots of pros and cons about this town but overall I wouldn't live anywhere else, even taking into account the bloody weather! (the reason for notorious Galway grey weather is that we're right bang in the middle of the west coast so we're always on the edge of somewhere else's worse weather!... that's me pet theory anyhow)

It's just the proximity of the Atlantic and all the weather systems coming from there, which bing straight into Irish West coast as a first thing. Therefore the rainfail. I'm from a city that has nearly 25% annual rainfall of Galway. I do suffer in the UK which has about twice as much as my home city, but still half of that of Galway. So don't know really what to think.

on the topic of healthcare, I'm actually in hospital at the moment for an acute infection via a GP referral into the public system and I'm receiving good rapid care.. can't fault it so far.

Best of luck, I hope you get well soon.

JillyQ · 16-01-2015 11:47pm

OP if you are going to come you do need to visit the city first before you make the move. I to would recommend the Salthill/Knocknacarra area. It has most of the primary and secondary schools in the city. Living in Salthill you are on the doorstep of the most popular walking area in the city right beside the sea.

It is also worth remembering the Galway in a University city and has a young vibrant city atmosphere about it. With the Unversity it also helps to attract multinational companies to the city.

You need private health insurance on top of that you will pay consultants fees. If you dont have private health insurance you will go onto a waiting list wish could take months or years (at worst).

saabsaab · 16-01-2015 11:48pm

Renmore would be a nice place on the east of the city. As for rain I'm afraid we get about 2 out of 3 days rain on average per year. A&E is crowded but once you get in the care is good. It is a good place to live though.

McGiver · 16-01-2015 11:49pm

Paddyfield wrote: »

I pretty much agree with most of the above. I live in Knocknacarra which is 2km from Salthill and 5km from city. Busses are frequent and efficient. Getting into a primary school wasn't a bother for my kids but I believe that secondary schools are tougher to get into.

Are the schools used to foreigners at all? I'd say foreigners are not that common, are they? Also, my cocern is, I hear the schools are Catholic and teach catechism and stuff like that. Myself raised in liberal catholic family, but I'm not really religious and don't my child to be pushed into a certain religion (any really).

One of kids was was critically ill when he was born and spent 4 months in neonatal intensive care. His life was in the hands of some outstanding medical professionals who beat the odds. He survived and thrived. He is 8 now. My missus was also very sick at the time and spent a week in intensive care. Both received world class care through the HSE. Never ever underestimate the Irish health system. It ain't perfect but it's damn good when needed.

Right, I guess it's case by case. It's difficult to generalise.

Enjoy Galway. When the weather is crap, it's very crap. But when it's not crap, we celebrate it. When it's beautiful, we stay indoors and give out about the heat. ;0)

Interesting

FINALLY..... Where are you from originally and where do you live now? If you are originally from Westport and are currently living in Southampton, then you will blend in quickly. If you are originally from Longford and are currently residing in Milton Keynes, then Galway will overwhelm you.

I ain't no Irish, neither my wife

Failte abhaile

Cheers

Roquentin · 16-01-2015 11:52pm

salthill knocknacarra renmore, some areas of ballybrit

barna and oranmore are lovely towns.

avoid rahoon and areas of ballybane

edit: it rains 360 out of 365 days in galway

McGiver · 17-01-2015 12:15am

JillyQ wrote: »

OP if you are going to come you do need to visit the city first before you make the move.

Will try...

I to would recommend the Salthill/Knocknacarra area. It has most of the primary and secondary schools in the city. Living in Salthill you are on the doorstep of the most popular walking area in the city right beside the sea.

I see. I've been looking in those areas in Google maps and can't see any playgrounds for kids, like we have here in residential areas in the UK. We live in a small city of around 30 thousand and we have got plenty of these here. Maybe I was not looking at a wrong place?

You need private health insurance on top of that you will pay consultants fees. If you dont have private health insurance you will go onto a waiting list wish could take months or years (at worst).

Oh dear.

McGiver · 17-01-2015 12:38am

Roquentin wrote: »

salthill knocknacarra renmore, some areas of ballybrit

barna and oranmore are lovely towns.

avoid rahoon and areas of ballybane

Thanks, that's helpful.

edit: it rains 360 out of 365 days in galway

I hope you don't have problem with mould.

McGiver · 17-01-2015 12:39am

saabsaab wrote: »

Renmore would be a nice place on the east of the city.

Cheers, will check it out.

bonzodog2 · 17-01-2015 12:48am

Assuming you have a job offer... you should really live on the same side of the river, as the traffic can be mental.
Most industrial estates etc are on the east side of the city. Parkmore, Ballybrit, Mervue, Liosban. Good bus service to city from there.
Commuter towns: Oranmore, Athenry. OK bus services. Moycullen, Spiddal, Barna: less so.
Oranmore nearly counts as a suburb these days.

Kristopherus · 17-01-2015 12:57am

bonzodog2 wrote: »

Assuming you have a job offer... you should really live on the same side of the river, as the traffic can be mental.
Most industrial estates etc are on the east side of the city. Parkmore, Ballybrit, Mervue, Liosban. Good bus service to city from there.
Commuter towns: Oranmore, Athenry. OK bus services. Moycullen, Spiddal, Barna: less so.
Oranmore nearly counts as a suburb these days.

+1. Oranmore & Claregalway are very good areas to live in. Mostly quiet. Certainly would not be as "noisy" as the west of the city.

Wompa1 · 17-01-2015 1:42am

I'd suggest going for it. Ireland is class, great way of life and seemingly an ever increasing population coming over from the UK.

Ireland is probably a bit more multi-cultural than you might think. Somebody who has never been would likely think it's a small Island with only Island people but it's not.

Paddyfield · 17-01-2015 1:05pm

My kids go to a Catholic school but there are many faiths in the school and also non faith. There are no clergy teaching in the school. The schools welcomes all and accommodates all religions. My daughter has friends from many countries. The school holds an 'international day' every year to illustrate the various nationalities in the school. There are dozens including Indian, British, Pakistani, American, Nigerian, Spanish, etc There are non religion schools in Galway but perhaps another poster will have information about them.

This is my daughter's school... www.scoilide.com

Mrs OBumble · 17-01-2015 1:47pm

bonzodog2 wrote: »

Assuming you have a job offer... you should really live on the same side of the river, as the traffic can be mental.
Most industrial estates etc are on the east side of the city. Parkmore, Ballybrit, Mervue, Liosban. Good bus service to city from there.
Commuter towns: Oranmore, Athenry. OK bus services. Moycullen, Spiddal, Barna: less so.
Oranmore nearly counts as a suburb these days.

The bold bit +100000.

I'd describe the bus service from Oranmore and Athenry as barely adequate - and (apart from possibly one Athenry bus) it doesn't go to the industrial estates.

OP, one option that no one has mentioned is Roscam and some estates in Doughiska (Coil Tire and An Fiodan come to mind, there are other good ones too).

These are close to Merlin Woods and a fantastic park and award winning play ground. There's the best bus service in town - which goes out to Galway Tech. Park and back in every 15 minutes. Primary and secondary schools are brand new and getting excellent reputations so far - the primary had it's first Whole School Inspection a while back and it went well. The primary is catholic, but there are lots of non-Catholic kids so they have a very inclusive programme. There are two supermarkets (one discount, one expensive) and a shopping centre, a health centre, a family resource centre, sports clubs etc.

Good ethnic mix in the area, and strong community spirit.

I think it's unfair to say it rains 360 out of 365 days ... shure'n last year it only got to 355 days! Seriously, it rains a lot - but when it does, it's not normally for the whole day. Carry an umbrella, adopt the attitude of "do it anyway" and you will see some nice weather. But you will want to go somewhere sunny for a holiday each year.

Galway overall has been a port and trading town since the 1500s, so is far more welcoming of various cultures than many places. Lots of multi-nationals have European-language contact centres here, so there are some quite large ex-pat communities.

Health system: if you get very sick, and get the right doctor, it can be fantastic. As others have said, they've had excellent care. But there have been cases where someone with the wrong doctor and team, and things were somewhere between bad and tragic. However if you're that sick, health-insurance won't necessarily help - eg the private A&E in Galway isn't open at night and doesn't cater for serious trauma. If you're only a bit sick (ie not so urgent) it might not be so good - and this is where health insurance may come in handy. But don't bother with it for your children, because we don't have any private hospitals for children anyway. That said, if you're a citizen of another EU country and qualify for an EU health card from there, you may not need it. Perhaps enquire among other people from your country.

jkforde · 17-01-2015 2:09pm

Roquentin wrote: »

avoid rahoon and areas of ballybane

ignorant and plain wrong advice... rahoon is a huge diverse area so open your eyes and opinion... I live in Rahoon but people choose to refer to west and south Rahoon as Knocknacarra and Taylor's Hill but that's sadly rooted in childish snobbery.... Rahoon is a great place to live

Roquentin · 17-01-2015 3:57pm

jkforde wrote: »

ignorant and plain wrong advice... rahoon is a huge diverse area so open your eyes and opinion... I live in Rahoon but people choose to refer to west and south Rahoon as Knocknacarra and Taylor's Hill but that's sadly rooted in childish snobbery.... Rahoon is a great place to live

sure it is

bluecorp · 17-01-2015 4:04pm

McGiver wrote: »

Are the schools used to foreigners at all? I'd say foreigners are not that common, are they? Also, my cocern is, I hear the schools are Catholic and teach catechism and stuff like that. Myself raised in liberal catholic family, but I'm not really religious and don't my child to be pushed into a certain religion (any really).

I had to smile at that. You might be surprised to hear that it's actually quite the opposite. Foreigners, we prefer to say 'non national' are very common in Ireland and Galway in particular. At times walking around town you'd think you were anywhere but a small city on the west coast of Ireland when you hear all the languages spoken. The schools are very used to kids from all over. Indeed in some areas, Irish kids are the minority. You don't say where you're from originally but you'll probably find some of you countrymen already living here.

Galway is a very open and cosmopolitan city. If you watch the St Patrick's Day parade in Galway, it's more like a celebration of flags of the world than Irishness.

Yes most of the schools are Catholic however they are long used to children of other faiths. I even once saw two Muslim girls wearing the uniform of the local Catholic convent school! Most Irish now are in fact liberal Catholics. My sons school is Jesuit in character but nothing is pushed on them so far. There are non Catholic schools but are often popular and hard to get into. Plus what school you choose is dependant on where you settle. Also some of the best schools teach entirely through the Irish language. That's not the problem you might think because most kids start with no Irish at all. Yours I see is three so that won't be a problem because he or she will start at the same level as all the others.

In terms of health insurance. Check the job offer. Many companies, particularly multinationals offer a subsidised health insurance package. Galway is well equipped with hospitals. The main regional hospital is here, plus two private hospitals.

As for where to live, well I assume you're going to rent. There is a lot of demand for rental properties, party due to the large number of foreigners living here. So you'll need to look at getting a place quickly. Once settled though you can look around for something better. You'll find people you work with will advise from their own experiences.

There are no real bad areas in Galway. It's generally an affluent city which is partly the reason for the chronic traffic. Oranmore is just outside the city and has the advantage of buses and a train station.

Weatherwise to be honest, in my experience it's not as rainy as people say. In fact statistically it's the same as most of the rest of the country. But once you go west into Connemara it's gets wetter. There is a lot of exaggeration about it though. Heavy rain is the exception and most commonly it's showery and it rarely lasts all day. We do get treated to a couple of Atlantic storms each year.

Because it's close to the sea it doesn't get that cold and rarely do we see snow. On the other hand it rarely gets too hot in Summer. I'm not from Galway originally and my experience is that the weather is fairly benign and the locals really tend to exaggerate how bad it is. Today is a case in point. A couple of showers early on left the ground wet but there's lots of blue skies and the temperature is well above freezing. I even saw people sitting outside a café, wearing coats of course. Typical for Galway in the Winter.

I rarely meet anyone, foreign or not who regret living in Galway. Indeed many Irish people when they find out where I live tell me that they would love to move here. That says something.

McGiver · 17-01-2015 7:08pm

bonzodog2 wrote: »

Assuming you have a job offer... you should really live on the same side of the river, as the traffic can be mental.
Most industrial estates etc are on the east side of the city. Parkmore, Ballybrit, Mervue, Liosban. Good bus service to city from there.
Commuter towns: Oranmore, Athenry. OK bus services. Moycullen, Spiddal, Barna: less so.
Oranmore nearly counts as a suburb these days.

Thanks for the suggestions, what a nice list! I'd kind of figured it out that I'd need to stay on the east side. The western seems better/nicer to me though, but I won't consider it for now. I've ruled out the commuter towns for the time being. Feels too rural and I kind of fear we'd be the only foreign blowins in there.

McGiver · 17-01-2015 7:10pm

Kristopherus wrote: »

+1. Oranmore & Claregalway are very good areas to live in. Mostly quiet. Certainly would not be as "noisy" as the west of the city.

I'm not a village person really, but I'll check these out once I'm settled, cheers.

JillyQ · 17-01-2015 7:19pm

Op have you ever been to ireland?

McGiver · 17-01-2015 7:21pm

Wompa1 wrote: »

I'd suggest going for it. Ireland is class, great way of life and seemingly an ever increasing population coming over from the UK.

I'm quite afraid to be honest. Never been to Ireland. Potential cons what I can see straight away upon doing my shallow research are: the healthcare system (some scary reports, need to pay private insurance), small market therefore small competition leading to not so big range of services/goods offered (compared to, say, the UK), alcoholism seems to be a problem (i.e. absence of social life if you are not a drinker or even a drunkard

), and of course the weather.
Couple of pros: nearly no water charge, no council tax, beatiful countryside/mountains/lakes, friendlier and more family oriented people (I hope

, compared with the UK), cheap Guiness??

Wompa1 wrote: »

Ireland is probably a bit more multi-cultural than you might think. Somebody who has never been would likely think it's a small Island with only Island people but it's not.

That's exactly what I'd imagine

I mean, I'd expect Dublin (and maybe Cork) to be a bit multi-cultural, but that's it.

McGiver · 17-01-2015 7:22pm

JillyQ wrote: »

Op have you ever been to ireland?

Nope, but I hear the people are friendly. I've got an Irish colleague though. But I guess one person is too small sample size to draw any conclusions.

McGiver · 17-01-2015 7:25pm

Paddyfield wrote: »

My kids go to a Catholic school but there are many faiths in the school and also non faith. There are no clergy teaching in the school. The schools welcomes all and accommodates all religions. My daughter has friends from many countries. The school holds an 'international day' every year to illustrate the various nationalities in the school. There are dozens including Indian, British, Pakistani, American, Nigerian, Spanish, etc There are non religion schools in Galway but perhaps another poster will have information about them.

This is my daughter's school...

OK, that sounds good then. Thanks, I'll check the website.
What is the system regarding the school placement, do you need to actually live in the catchment area of a schoold to get a place for your kids in a particular school?

McGiver · 17-01-2015 7:43pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

The bold bit +100000.
I'd describe the bus service from Oranmore and Athenry as barely adequate - and (apart from possibly one Athenry bus) it doesn't go to the industrial estates.

I've noticed that too, there is ONE stop in the whole of Oranmore, at least the Google Maps says so and I couldn't really find the bus in Street View...would have to drive from there daily, I'd rather avoid that (I'm a terrible driver)

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

OP, one option that no one has mentioned is Roscam and some estates in Doughiska (Coil Tire and An Fiodan come to mind, there are other good ones too).

These are close to Merlin Woods and a fantastic park and award winning play ground. There's the best bus service in town - which goes out to Galway Tech. Park and back in every 15 minutes. Primary and secondary schools are brand new and getting excellent reputations so far - the primary had it's first Whole School Inspection a while back and it went well. The primary is catholic, but there are lots of non-Catholic kids so they have a very inclusive programme. There are two supermarkets (one discount, one expensive) and a shopping centre, a health centre, a family resource centre, sports clubs etc.

Good ethnic mix in the area, and strong community spirit.

Cheers, will check these out, this sounds good, also very near to the Tech Park. I could even cycle. Which leads me to my another question regarding cycling in the area in general. I didn't see any cycle tracks in Google Maps nearly anywhere in whole of Galway, is anything place at all? I've seen the Cycle Hire scheme, but that's a separate topic.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I think it's unfair to say it rains 360 out of 365 days ... shure'n last year it only got to 355 days! Seriously, it rains a lot - but when it does, it's not normally for the whole day. Carry an umbrella, adopt the attitude of "do it anyway" and you will see some nice weather. But you will want to go somewhere sunny for a holiday each year.

That's what I'd expect, something akin to northwestern England.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Galway overall has been a port and trading town since the 1500s, so is far more welcoming of various cultures than many places. Lots of multi-nationals have European-language contact centres here, so there are some quite large ex-pat communities.

I see.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Health system: if you get very sick, and get the right doctor, it can be fantastic. As others have said, they've had excellent care. But there have been cases where someone with the wrong doctor and team, and things were somewhere between bad and tragic. However if you're that sick, health-insurance won't necessarily help - eg the private A&E in Galway isn't open at night and doesn't cater for serious trauma. If you're only a bit sick (ie not so urgent) it might not be so good - and this is where health insurance may come in handy. But don't bother with it for your children, because we don't have any private hospitals for children anyway. That said, if you're a citizen of another EU country and qualify for an EU health card from there, you may not need it. Perhaps enquire among other people from your country.

Right, so no insurance for children. We've all got a EU healthcards...

JillyQ · 17-01-2015 7:48pm

Op if you don't have health insurance here you will go on to a waiting list for the public hospitals. Regardless of whether you have the European health card. That Is if you need to see a consultant. If you are talking about a gp its €50 a go unless you have the medical card issued by the department of social welfare.

PLL · 17-01-2015 7:55pm

As someone also with a 3 year old daughter who has moved around for my partner's career, I insist you come to Ireland and check it out for yourself. I have moved to places that I researched but had never been to and it didn't turn out well. It just wasn't a good fit for us, no matter how good it might be on paper or how wonderful people tell you it is.

Galway is wonderful though, thought I would throw that in there. But do visit these places suggested for yourself, especially with your wife.

McGiver · 17-01-2015 9:54pm

PLL wrote: »

As someone also with a 3 year old daughter who has moved around for my partner's career, I insist you come to Ireland and check it out for yourself. I have moved to places that I researched but had never been to and it didn't turn out well. It just wasn't a good fit for us, no matter how good it might be on paper or how wonderful people tell you it is.

I agree, we've had a similar experience when we moved to the UK.

PLL wrote: »

Galway is wonderful though, thought I would throw that in there. But do visit these places suggested for yourself, especially with your wife.

Sure

Relocation to Galway with children

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