Re-locating to Galway

bblissful_2000

Hi Mars Bar, yeah I know Greaney busses, Johnny drove me to primary and secondary school!!

Mars Bar

It's such a small world!

suzieoc

Hi,

Looking for some advice on area's to move to, with 2 kids ages 7 & 9.
(originally from Dublin, moving back from the States for a few years)

We won't need to be commuting into Galway all that much, but would like to be reasonably near for the odd trip in.
Looking at Oranmore, Knocknacarra, or Headford?
We'll be renting a house, and want somewhere that has some facilities for the kids - library, swimming pool, shops, good national schools, and also decent grocery shops, coffee shops etc.

Some areas sound lovely (Craughwell, Corofin, Annaghdown), but it seems like they wouldn't have much there, facility-wise, especially for the kids? A little too quiet for us probably.

Any suggestions appreciated! Especially any school recommendations!

Thanks!

serfboard

suzieoc wrote: »

library, swimming pool, shops, good national schools, and also decent grocery shops, coffee shops etc.

Pros: Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick and tick ... Tuam's got it all! Also, with the downturn in the irish property market there's loads of stuff available to rent or buy, should you be so inclined.

Cons: Town has a bit of a (undeserved, in my view) reputation, which I can understand, but have no direct or indirect experience of - and I've lived here for 5 years. Also, it's 22 miles from Galway - the road is a good one, but it's not a dual carraigeway, so you can get stuck behind some oul codger doing 40 MPH. Also, Claregalway is a nightmare at peak times. There is a train station, but you'll have to wait 4 years for the next train! The bus service to Galway is good during the day, bad in the evenings.

As regards some of the other places you mentioned.

Headford - Not much of what you want from your list and a bad road into Galway.
Corofin - A nice village, but that's it. Church, 1 or 2 small shops, 1 or 2 pubs and a school. Good GAA club, mind. Closer to Galway than Tuam on the same road - but you probably spend a lot more time on that road.
Oranmore - More or less a suburb of Galway now. Loads of buses into Galway, will have a train station in the next couple of years. Dual-carriageway into Galway too. Nice, busy village has got most things on your list and some good restaurants as well.
Knocknacarra - Imagine 10,000 people living in a place with no facilities - that's Knocknacarra. A planning disgrace of a suburb. 3 miles to Galway city centre, plenty of buses. Church, hotel, 2 pubs. Gym in hotel, 25 m pool in Leisureland (Salthill) 1 mile away. 2 national schools - One Gaelscoil, one regular, both bursting at the seams. Recently new retail developments have gone in so you have better shopping than before. Mind you, still considered a "good" area, but should have been better planned - similar areas in other cities and towns would be better.

Well, that's it for now. Best of luck with your move.

suzieoc

Thanks for all the info. It's definitely good to get some feedback, especially about somewhere like Knocknacarra. It sounds great, but when I looked into schools it seems like there are too many kids and not enough schools!

Will definitely look into Tuam, and Oranmore.

If anyone has any info on Primary schools in either of those places I'd appreciate it (preferably mixed, I have two boys but prefer the mixed schools)
I just want the kids to be in a welcoming, friendly atmosphere at school ,as it's a big enough deal for them moving from U.S. to Ireland so they'll have enough to worry about!!

Thanks!

Pete4779

Actually, despite my complaining about and living in Galway, I'm in Tuam quite regularly and quite like it. It's small enough to still have a lot of small town attitude: friendly people in shops and restaurants, and there is quite a cohesive community mentality there. It also to me feels like a much more "Irish" town than Galway (not least because of the way the way the Cathedral is located centrally in the town, the nice river nearby and the 1916 mini-Obelisk opposite!), and I don't think it has the same stag party mentality of Galway, and seems like a great place to live if you are goign to live "in the west".

Knocknacarra is practically part of Galway city now, but it is the equivalent of Lucan in Dublin - just enough outside and just enough badly planned to be a generic sprawl. Tuam has quite good character, and I've never noticed or had any problems despite a "reputation" - I don't know where it comes from (I think it might be simply Galway snobbery).

Galway itself is very convenient to things, but it's got a bit of an ego. Tuam is around a 30 min drive, but as said above the N17 between it and Galway is quite okay (relative to a lot of routes here).

Also, Tuam is a 45-50 min drive by back roads to Athlone (R332/N63 route, ~70km), and that will be a rather quick journey on the impending (months away from opening, it's almost done) M6 connection.

Amimad

Have to agree, we moved just 5 miles from Tuam a year ago & we just love it.
The town is just big enough to have what you want (but still warrants the odd trip to Galway).
We're originally from Dublin & find the commute much more convient than it ever was from Galway.
Good luck with the move:)