I'm moving to Galway (About Ireland & localisation...) [Merged]

super-lloyd

Hi all, due to health and career issue I'm thinking to move to the Irish country side.

However, having lived the last 6 years in the sunny queensland (NE of Australia) I'm a bit daunted at the prospect of moving to the cold and rainy Ireland.

Now, I would need some positive feedback about the wonderfull live I could lead in its greenish country side to motivate me.
Care to enlighten me about the joy of being in Ireland (in place like Galway, Limerick, etc... in fact anywhere but Dublin and Cork)?

kowloon

No redbacks here for a start.

oleras

super-lloyd wrote: »

Hi all, due to health and career issue I'm thinking to move to the Irish country side.

However, having lived the last 6 years in the sunny queensland (NE of Australia) I'm a bit daunted at the prospect of moving to the cold and rainy Ireland.

Now, I would need some positive feedback about the wonderfull live I could lead in its greenish country side to motivate me.
Care to enlighten me about the joy of being in Ireland (in place like Galway, Limerick, etc... in fact anywhere but Dublin and Cork)?

Try this.... http://www.discoverireland.ie/

Mulan

Well, if you can find a place like this, let us all know!!!.
Any how, I'd recommend the west cork /kenmare region.

Best of luck

AlanSparrowhawk

Heh, this all sounds a bit whimsical. I'm sure you have some kind of fantasy in your imagination of what Ireland is like, I'm not too sure how accurate it is. There are a lot of advantages to living in Ireland.

There are rarely any kinds of natural disasters. Ireland get's a bad rep for having rainy weather but we rarely suffer any kind of weather extremes. Flooding, droughts, snow storms etc. are all rarities.

There are very few animals that will bite, sting or eat you. You don't need to worry about standing on a copperhead.

We're fairly politically stable, we have no dictators on the rise. We're democratic too.

We've have very low levels of gun crime.

People are generally friendly and talkative. It's apparently relatively easy to come to Ireland and meet people in pubs and just start talking to them.

I think things like education and health care are quite good. Health care is a contentious issue and you'd have to think long and hard about your own personal situation and do PROPER research into the practicalites of living in Ireland.

Good guinness.

super-lloyd

The discover ireland web site is nice!

By the way a colleague found a redback below my desk once!
Nasty bugger, but they are very small, much more impressive is the huge (and harmless) huntsman.

From your reactions I take it that everyone survive mostly well in the cold and rainy Ireland hey ;-) mmhh....

super-lloyd

AlanSparrowhawk wrote: »

Heh, this all sounds a bit whimsical. I'm sure you have some kind of fantasy in your imagination of what Ireland is like, I'm not too sure how accurate it is. There are a lot of advantages to living in Ireland.

I'm not exactly sure what you mean but ... well there are so many Irish over here (Australia) who seems so much happier to have flee the rain that I was fearing it might be depressing.
Anyhow all your reactions tend to prove I should not have such preconception, hey good to know, thanks!

to answer your implied question those web sites http://www.citypopulation.de/, http://www.monster.ie, http://maps.goole.com and a trip long time ago through Ireland (plus many other in various sized town) has convinced me that I could get a job in place like Galway, Limerick, etc.. and that is exactly what would be good for me health and career wise.

AlanSparrowhawk

Yeah, job prospects and pay are good in Ireland. Obviously, I don't know what your profession is.

Just to elaborate on what I wrote earlier. Sometimes I think I might go to live in NZ or Australia myself, because, well, it would be cool. I think that's whimsical. A lot of Americans have this idea of what Ireland is that is totally at odds with the reality. Again, I don't know what your thinking. Good luck anyway.

kowloon

super-lloyd wrote: »

The discover ireland web site is nice!

By the way a colleague found a redback below my desk once!
Nasty bugger, but they are very small, much more impressive is the huge (and harmless) huntsman.

From your reactions I take it that everyone survive mostly well in the cold and rainy Ireland hey ;-) mmhh....

I drive a motorcycle daily in our weather, you'll get used to it.

Galway is pne of the nicest towns in Ireland.

Meath and Louth are nice if you want to find somewhere in the country, but near enough to travel to Dublin for the day (Practically everything leads into Dublin.)

oleras

super-lloyd wrote: »

I'm not exactly sure what you mean but ... well there are so many Irish over here (Australia) who seems so much happier to have flee the rain that I was fearing it might be depressing.
Anyhow all your reactions tend to prove I should not have such preconception, hey good to know, thanks!

to answer your implied question those web sites http://www.citypopulation.de/, http://www.monster.ie, http://maps.goole.com and a trip long time ago through Ireland (plus many other in various sized town) has convinced me that I could get a job in place like Galway, Limerick, etc.. and that is exactly what would be good for me health and career wise.

What kind of work would you intend on doing ?Are you going to be bringing equity, e.g. from a house sale with you ?

super-lloyd

I'm looking for a computer programmer job. Unfortunately most of those are in cities, fortunately it seems there are many fitting opportunity for me in Ireland outside Dublin and Cork.

I don't have much for someone with my career and my age, but yeah, I still have a few tens of thousands australian dollar, why is that?

Speaking of that, I'm thinking of coming in January... (very soon), I'm just debating with myself if it's a good idea to go to New Caledonia instead (had a job interview over there recently, job market is worse, job less interesting, polution a tad bad, but just a tad it's why I'm still partially seduced by the warm weather and water and wonder what I should do).....



===
Also thanks for the advice about Galway, Meath and Louth. Having been in Galway and knowing there are a few IT opportunity there for me, it's my 1st choice from here!... ;-)

tbh

I'd a mate from Townsville that settled over here, eventually having kids with a Dutch girl (it's a complicated story). He loves Ireland, but he does get depressed at the weather. I mean very depressed - he's used to the sunshine and heat, and you just don't get it over here. just bear that in mind

craichoe

+1 on the Weather, you don't know if you have S.A.D until you come to Ireland.

super-lloyd

Ho no TBH, just what I was fearing...

Anyway I'm pretty decided now, I will investigate the few more option I have left now in the very short term future and if it doesn't work: it will be Ireland... other post have motivated me ;-)

We'll see....

Whispered

Ireland is the best place in the world. I dont care what anyone says even the weather is great depending on how you look at it!! What is more comfortable than coming home on a cold wet night lighting a fire, having a drink and a nice bit of food and listening to the weather outside. I love it!

tbh

super-lloyd wrote: »

Ho no TBH, just what I was fearing...

Anyway I'm pretty decided now, I will investigate the few more option I have left now in the very short term future and if it doesn't work: it will be Ireland... other post have motivated me ;-)

We'll see....

well mate, he obviously likes it here too, as he's stayed so long, but he does find it hard. He's in the sea as soon as the temperature gets over 10 centigrade! mad as a cut snake

super-lloyd

Well cool, thanks all for your posts, I'm decided now.
I'm still investigating one opportunity in Cairns (NE Queensland), if it doesn't work I'm comiiiiiing!



By the way I have another problem I wonder about. (which probably won't impact my decision anyway (yet I'd like to know))
Ok, let's say I move over (t)here, I'm finally healthier than ever woaw at last, with a good job. Now I want to bring in one Japanese girl I'm fond of (she is currently in Japan, sigh....).
Any idea how difficult would that be?
I mean on other forums I saw people who have heaps of problem bringing their non-EU wife and I'm not even married yet with Ushio . What do you think?

tbh

if you're not married, then they'll treat her as an individual. it won't make a difference where you are - we don't really have the same de facto concept over here. But there's loads of Chinese and Japanese people here, so it's probably not that difficult for her to get a visa to come... Have you any Irish connections - could you get an Irish passport for example?

super-lloyd

I have 2 passports: French and Australian. And no Irish connection, unfortunately.

She won't come before she finish this year study, if she would come she would be 28. I'm fearing it might get close to an age where it's hard to get a long term visa. I guess I would be able to study the situation better once I'll be there hey, anyway I ask in case someone knows...

By the way thanks for the tip, good to know there are many of them (asian people) already there hey!

Galway is quite nice. Not sure if theres many careers as computer programmers though, there might be.

mise_me_fein

If you get the right job near a train station you could live in the Cooley Peninsula in Louth. Really beautiful area and close to Dundalk, so you could get the train to Dublin or Belfast. Close to the M1 too, which is a great road and you're also close to the sea, two airports and big towns like Newry and Drogheda.

peasant

well ..one thing you can completely forget about is any kind of outdoor lifestyle.

Things like nice pedestrian zones, outdoor cafes / restaurants, regular evening /weekend barbecues, evenings spent by the sea or at a lake , swimming (in warm water ) etc

Even I miss that sometimes and I'm not from Australia.

You DO get nice weather sometimes ..mostly when you're in work

seamus

super-lloyd wrote: »

She won't come before she finish this year study, if she would come she would be 28. I'm fearing it might get close to an age where it's hard to get a long term visa. I guess I would be able to study the situation better once I'll be there hey, anyway I ask in case someone knows...

Yeah, as said she'll be treated like an individual, even if you end up getting married over here. Marraige to an EU citizen doesn't automatically make you an EU citizen so she'll need her visa and all the other stuff. I've never had to deal with Visas or even spoken to anyone who needs them, so couldn't help you there.

Although Ireland has a reputation for cold & wet, we get less rain than most people think. The west of the country gets more rain than the east. The thing is that when it rains, it usually does so for a week or more. Not constant, but you can expect it to be raining at some point every day for a week or two. Then it may stop for a week. Then it may rain again and so on.

As someone who drove a motorbike for a couple of years and now cycles into work, I can attest to there being few morning or evenings where I actually get wet. On the motorbike I was more often cold than I was wet.

Another thing that can either catch you out or you may love is that Ireland is small. Not geographically, but socially. Because of our small population you can almost always be sure that when you meet someone, they know a friend of yours or a friend of a friend. It's one of the more endearing parts of our little island - you can be in a remote village in the arse end of nowhere and find out that your mother in Dublin lives next door to the publican's nephew. It can also be irritating, especially in tiny villages - everyone knows everyone else's business.

l3LoWnA

super-lloyd wrote: »

Hi all, due to health and career issue I'm thinking to move to the Irish country side.

However, having lived the last 6 years in the sunny queensland (NE of Australia) I'm a bit daunted at the prospect of moving to the cold and rainy Ireland.

Now, I would need some positive feedback about the wonderfull live I could lead in its greenish country side to motivate me.
Care to enlighten me about the joy of being in Ireland (in place like Galway, Limerick, etc... in fact anywhere but Dublin and Cork)?

Galway = Fantastic place to live in my own personal opinion and not many would disagree I'm sure. Galway all the way!!

And you can do all of the below in Galway too,

Things like nice pedestrian zones, outdoor cafes / restaurants, regular evening /weekend barbecues, evenings spent by the sea or at a lake , swimming (in warm water ) etc

Grant it, some-times it's seasonal, but my boss dived into and swam in the atlantic at Salthill every single morning before work, even in the winter!!

Limerick = Not such a fantastic place to live.

Weather pretty bad/rainy/windy everywhere alot of the time and very unpredictable, but it makes us appreciate any bright sunny warm days we DO have.....we had a fantastic time of it last April/May and into June when it was so sunny everyone was in top form, getting sun-burnt (we Irish aren't used to it) and having barbeques in the evenings/beach during the day etc....we had no rain for ages.

Sligo is a nice place to live - so I'm told, but I don't really "get" it yet!

As for the rain, it's what makes the landscape and land in general so green and beautiful! If you live here, you will appreciate visits home all the more or even short holidays to other parts of Europe where there are warmer climes, you get used to the Irish weather. Everything else makes up for it anyways!

Bets of luck with the move - hope everything goes well for you!

ScumLord

When the sun does shine thought it's great and there's no place nicer. It seems hotter than it really is and the country side air is thick with moister and the smell of greenery coming out of wet ground. You are practically next door to everywhere else in Europe and can have regular trips down to Spain or Portugal for your sun fix. You might even want to set up in those countries it seems like there's just as many Irish in these places as there are in Ireland itself.

thelordofcheese

l3LoWnA wrote: »

Galway = Fantastic place to live in my own personal opinion and not many would disagree I'm sure. Galway all the way!!

And you can do all of the below in Galway too,

Galway is full of hippies.
Lots and lots of damn hippies.
Other than that, it's one of my favourite places, dispite the hippies.

l3LoWnA wrote: »

Limerick = Not such a fantastic place to live.

The city is a hole, a flithy eyesore, but if you live outside of limerick it's alot nicer. Castletroy and beyond is quite nice though the closer to UL you are the more likely you'd be to get annoyed by drunken students.

l3LoWnA wrote: »

Sligo is a nice place to live - so I'm told, but I don't really "get" it yet!

Nah, i'd pick either of the above over Sligo. Sligo is a small town with delusions of grandure (gateway city my arse). Very little in the town itself, it's like a poor copy of galway.
However if your living outside the town, the scenery is lovely, i dunno if thats your thing.

Fratton Fred

Well, if you have a french pasport then i suppose it would be fair to say Ireland is a bit like France. It's a lovely country shame about the people

Seriously, I have lived here for a year and I think it's a great place to live. If you have or are thinking about a family, the education here is very good. As for the weather, it is fdry and sunny today and you could quite easily sit outside a cafe orsomething, as long as you have your thermals because it's about 6degrees. In my neck of the woods, south county Dublin, there are people who swim everyday. The Sandycove Bathers Association meet at the 40 foot regardless of the weather http://www.video-u.net/fortyfoot.htm

tbh

they say the first 20 years are the hardest

super-lloyd

There are not many, there are some.
In the last 3 weeks I saw about 10 offer in the country side, my hope are high.
Anyway tomorrow I check the opportunity in Cairns, if it doesn't work I immediatey contact recruitment consultant and give them the date I arrived, I might get lucky!!

spank_inferno

Check out wicklow.
On dublins door step, lower population densities than other counties surrounding dublin.
Very beautiful countryside... & I think they've cleared most of the illegal waste dumps now.

ScumLord

mise_me_fein wrote: »

If you get the right job near a train station you could live in the Cooley Peninsula in Louth. Really beautiful area and close to Dundalk, so you could get the train to Dublin or Belfast. Close to the M1 too, which is a great road and you're also close to the sea, two airports and big towns like Newry and Drogheda.

What two airports are there in the east?

Out here we're loads of them, sure we're swiming in airports, there's Knock 15minutes away, Galway 40 minutes away and Shannon 1h 40minutes away. There's one up in Sligo too.