Living on Ireland's islands

3GAINSBOROUGH

Whats it like living on Ireland's islands?
I am seriously considering it having visited some of them.
I wonder would the novelty of it wear off and boredom set in after a while though? Some of the scenery is spectacular, but I worry about being able to get get a job living on one of the islands. I suppose I could live on the dole in the meantime. Another thing that I am unsure about is are outsiders treated as blow ins? Or are they welcomed as fresh blood to the island?
I would love to hear from anyone who has experience living on one of the islands.

Wacker The Attacker

We all live on the island

Augmerson

No man is an Island.

DirtyBollox

3GAINSBOROUGH wrote: »

Whats it like living on Ireland's islands?
I am seriously considering it having visited some of them.
I wonder would the novelty of it wear off and boredom set in after a while though? Some of the scenery is spectacular, but I worry about being able to get get a job living on one of the islands. I suppose I could live on the dole in the meantime. Another thing that I am unsure about is are outsiders treated as blow ins? Or are they welcomed as fresh blood to the island?
I would love to hear from anyone who has experience living on one of the islands.

visited one a few years ago and one family who had been there for 3 generations was still considered a blow in.

The Scientician

DirtyBollox wrote: »

visited one a few years ago and one family who had been there for 3 generations was still considered a blow in.

Sure many parts of what is now suburban Dublin are like that.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

3GAINSBOROUGH wrote: »

Whats it like living on Ireland's islands?
I am seriously considering it having visited some of them.
I wonder would the novelty of it wear off and boredom set in after a while though? Some of the scenery is spectacular, but I worry about being able to get get a job living on one of the islands. I suppose I could live on the dole in the meantime. Another thing that I am unsure about is are outsiders treated as blow ins? Or are they welcomed as fresh blood to the island?
I would love to hear from anyone who has experience living on one of the islands.

I doubt you'd get the dole after moving to an island. You probably wouldn't be seen as genuinely seeking work to move from the mainland.

girl2

Spent a week on Clare island there in July. Had such a lovely, relaxing time. The place I stayed at was an Eco farm, so they grow a lot of their own stuff and the likes.

I came back from that week away with a completely different outlook on life. If I could - I would move there in the morning. I don't think boredom would set in, it might take some serious readjustment, but I really think that it's a great life.

Yakult

Bring some condoms for all those fine sheep you will be shagging.

wyndham

> Insert Paul Brady youtube vid here.

PizzamanIRL

Its a good place to live on the dole.

Chucken

Augmerson wrote: »

No man is an Island.

Every man is an island.

Lapin

wyndham wrote: »

> Insert Paul Brady youtube vid here.

>Insert Dolly Parton's here !

ArtSmart

Curiosity OP

Are you Irish, born n bred?

Or a city dweller who has never been outside the city except for very brief moments?

Your query strikes me as shockingly naive.

(as indeed mine may appear shockingly condescending )

Chucken

Lapin wrote: »

>Insert Dolly Parton's here !

>Insert a Depeche Mode one here.

Am I doing this right?

podgemonster

I lived for a number of years on a Island off the west coast. I was sent there through work, didn't like it at all. I had the chance to go to america but turned it down, still regret it. Still it had a friendly shop, a fantastic Chinese and even a little cinema.

I stayed in quite a large house that had a leaky roof, the heating bills were ridiculous. Lived with 2 work colleagues one of which was a full blown alcoholic, the other lad was sound but pretty slow and had a scumbag friend who called over to played Street Fighter for hours.

There were highlights i suppose like when we won the Talent show, the Lovely Girls competition and when we represented Ireland in the 1997 Eurovision.

SteelyDanJalapeno

podgemonster wrote: »

I lived for a number of years on a Island off the west coast. I was sent there through work, didn't like it at all. I had the chance to go to america but turned it down, still regret it. Still it had a friendly shop, a fantastic Chinese and even a little cinema.

I stayed in quite a large house that had a leaky roof, the heating bills were ridiculous. Lived with 2 work colleagues one of which was a full blown alcoholic, the other lad was sound but pretty slow and had a scumbag friend who called over to played Street Fighter for hours.

There were highlights i suppose like when we won the Talent show, the Lovely Girls competition and when we represented Ireland in the 1997 Eurovision.

Damn you, you got me up until street fighter

ArtSmart

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Damn you, you got me up until street fighter

'twas the Lovely Girls for me.

gullible i is.

girl2

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Damn you, you got me up until street fighter

+1

I had to read to the end before the penny dropped with me :rolleyes:

Canis Lupus

It's an absolute and utter terrible idea OP.

starviewadams

Only island I've been to was Tory Island off the coast of Donegal.Was a cool place to visit (it has a king who greets the new arrivals off the boat in the harbour everyday,if you're 12 you can drive a car,pub doesn't close,good fishing)but I'd say you'd tire of it fairly quickly,especially in winter when the weathers bad and you can't get back to the mainland.

Capt'n Midnight

good in summer, miserable in winter

of course you'd need money from somewhere as things can be pricey there

Of all islands in the world... Sounds like you're prepared to move everything so why not move further.

danniemcq

GF is from Tory Island so I’ve spent quite a lot of time there over the last 5 years!

As the poster a bit above said it’s a tricky place to get over and back, at 9 miles off the coast it’s the furthest inhabited island off the coast and travel usually depends on both tide and wind. During the winter months there is a helicopter that runs every second Thursday but due to sheer brilliance in planning/execution the heli has to fly from Scotland first so if it’s bad weather in Scotland no heli to Tory.

Back in the 70s there was a storm that meant no on or off for 3 months and supplies had to be sent in using the Irish air corps

I think however they have got planning for a helipad though recently so that should help.

As for everything else, think rural town except much more rural, anything that needs done on the island everyone works together, everyone knows what to do.

A great example of this is when her granda died, I thought same as mainland that there was someone in charge of the graveyard and someone would dig it. Nope. I was handed a shovel and down I went with some of the others from the island and in the end there was maybe 8 people around the grave either digging or chatting or (another tradition) carrying sandbags full of soil/sand from the dug out grave to behind the chapel. Turns out you can't just dump it on the grave next to it. Once done though major session and chats (and drink wink wink).

As said above though yeah the kids drive but it sounds worse than it is, the road on Tory is tiny there is never any speed involved or anything crazy and thanks to lots of salty wind they can be quite rusted and quite load so you hear them coming!

they are getting better broadband out there too than I’ve got in a few place on the mainland, not gaming worthy but browsing is ok (dongles)

Shop opens once a day for a few hours and not sure about Sunday it might be closed. You buy everything in bulk be it coal or milk and have at least 2 freezers in case of emergency!

I couldn't do it at the minute, no decent broadband and if I needed anything from the nearest big town would mean waiting (usually) to the next day, hoping there would be a boat, and then have an hour+ drive. And then if I missed the later boat I’d have to find a place to stay, and then the whole process would start again the other way the next day.

Yes there are lots of positives from living there but until they get a decent boat service (compared to other Islands around Ireland this service is severely lacking it wouldn't be for me but if you want to get away from it all Tory it is!

ibarelycare

I went to Cape Clear, off the coast of West Cork, for 3 nights back in September. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I wouldn't fancy living there though. It's busy enough during the summer, it gets lots of tourists and has an Irish college. There's one small shop on the island, that's also a cafe and restaurant. There are two pubs. People get their shopping from Tesco on the mainland and it gets sent over in a boat. Great place to visit!

Remmy

I have never been to any of the Islands but just from watching the odd documentary about them they seem like hell on earth for anyone that would be in anyway predisposed to mental health problems. Brutal weather, long periods of isolation, not much too do, I'm nearly getting depressed thinking about it.

3GAINSBOROUGH

ArtSmart wrote: »

Curiosity OP

Are you Irish, born n bred?

Or a city dweller who has never been outside the city except for very brief moments?

Your query strikes me as shockingly naive.

(as indeed mine may appear shockingly condescending )

I was born in Fenagh (a small village in Leitrim).
The only island I have lived on is Ireland, I have never lived on the other islands around it. I may strike you as shockingly naive, but I have never been ashamed or embarrassed to not know something. Unlike you I don't stereotype or judge people I know nothing about. I suppose you feel superior or think you are omniscient, but I don't feel the need to be either. I will let the users of this forum decide who is the better man..

Shenshen

I live in Cobh, so technically I live on an island...
The only thing different from living on the mainland is that occasionally, the road around the bridge will flood and you can't get anywhere unless you take the ferry. Never lasts more than a few hours, though.

biko

I'd like to be from Inishmore and go back visit every now and then.
But I wouldn't live there...

If you think the nosiness is small towns are bad you haven't been to the islands yet.

That would be an ecumenical matter

Conmaicne Mara

3GAINSBOROUGH wrote: »

Whats it like living on Ireland's islands?
I am seriously considering it having visited some of them.
I wonder would the novelty of it wear off and boredom set in after a while though? Some of the scenery is spectacular, but I worry about being able to get get a job living on one of the islands. I suppose I could live on the dole in the meantime. Another thing that I am unsure about is are outsiders treated as blow ins? Or are they welcomed as fresh blood to the island?
I would love to hear from anyone who has experience living on one of the islands.

What are you coming from? A city, a town, a foreign country? Do you place value on night life, convenience, being able to travel at will?

Scenery is great, I live among some of the nicest in the world, but you can't eat it. What will you do for an income? A Turkish/Irish man set up a whiskey distillery on one of the Islands in Clew Bay and has since folded I believe, he was in one of the secret millionaire programmes if I am not mistaken.

You'll be a novelty for a while and a blow in in some peoples minds for ever. How you relate to the locals will depend on how you can capitalise on the novelty factor in the start.

I live in a remote area, and I like peace and quite and some amount of solitude but I don't think I could live on an island to be honest - unless it had a bridge

I imagine you'd need a wedge of cash to get yourself set up. Life won't be as per the mainland if you need to buy in bulk and more importantly store that bulk food appropriately will you be able?

Could you hack the weather when it turns bad in Winter? If you don't get on with the locals and how they do things?

It's worth researching, but it's a risk.

L1011

I'm from (but do not currently live on) probably the best or second best served (in terms of facilities) islands. Regular car and passenger ferries, schools from playschool through to leaving cert, a few shops, resident doctor. There is no wired broadband - relatively high speed and very reliable Eircom FWA is available but its EXTREMELY dear.

You can get trapped - its rarer these days with newer boats - but in sufficiently bad weather you are stuck there. Completely. The copter can come in for emergencies but that's really it.

Shops don't always get fresh produce every day - they might in the height of tourist season basically. So you get used to having 'spare' bread and milk frozen in case they run out.

There are very few jobs, many people work on the mainland and commute in either daily or weekly, having digs/grotty flat on the mainland. There really isn't much scope to set up a business to fund yourself - local market is tiny and saturated, running an e-business would be close to impossible due to delivery problems and the lack of cheap BB. Land isn't even easily farmable.

stevedublin

Re broadband, would satellite broadband be an option?

Set yourself up on Rockall and declare independence.

SafeSurfer

Life on the islands can be very exciting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIIuR-HjFho

Teyla Emmagan

I would go mad.

That is all.

mikom

wyndham wrote: »

> Insert Paul Brady youtube vid here.

Lapin wrote: »

>Insert Dolly Parton's here !

Chucken wrote: »

>Insert a Depeche Mode one here.

Am I doing this right?

Insert Elton john here................ Oooo errr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywJ1MD4-Cns

Capt'n Midnight

danniemcq wrote: »

if I needed anything from the nearest big town would mean waiting (usually) to the next day, hoping there would be a boat, and then have an hour+ drive. And then if I missed the later boat I’d have to find a place to stay, and then the whole process would start again the other way the next day.

an hours drive,

if you had a car that is , otherwise bus or lift or go back on the boat

Capt'n Midnight

stevedublin wrote: »

Re broadband, would satellite broadband be an option?

Satellite is only an option if you can get nothing else. Even dial up would be better for many purposes.

danniemcq

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

an hours drive,

if you had a car that is , otherwise bus or lift or go back on the boat

oh i know, i have to get bus down and up every time i head in really. i think though if you are living that far away from anywhere (really REALLY rural Donegal here) you need to buy yourself a car. That or have really good friends on the mainland!

stevedublin wrote: »

Re broadband, would satellite broadband be an option?

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Satellite is only an option if you can get nothing else. Even dial up would be better for many purposes.

AFAIk digiweb do the europe wide satellite BB and that covers tory. 10mb speed but not perfect for a lot of situations (gaming or anything realtime due to ping) it is ok for general browsing. You also have the hassle of dish installation, and bad weather can affect the connection (rain doesn't block the signal but causes something called rain fade)

Fuinseog

3GAINSBOROUGH wrote: »

Whats it like living on Ireland's islands?
I am seriously considering it having visited some of them.
I wonder would the novelty of it wear off and boredom set in after a while though? Some of the scenery is spectacular, but I worry about being able to get get a job living on one of the islands. I suppose I could live on the dole in the meantime. Another thing that I am unsure about is are outsiders treated as blow ins? Or are they welcomed as fresh blood to the island?
I would love to hear from anyone who has experience living on one of the islands.

dangerous and rough. Inis Shark for example. I would say the romantic side of it would soon wear off. have you ever lived in a place that could be cut off from the outside world for a few days due to storms?

podgemonster

Law would be fairly lax on islands i'd imagine. I remember hearing of the guards eventually visiting Sherkin Island off Baltimore one night. When the guard was spotted walking up from the pier by an oncoming car the driver pulled the car over into the ditch, turned off then engine and then ran home through the fields.

Car had no tax, insurance, NCT, wing mirrors or license plates.

Would be some seriously crazy lock ins in the pubs too.

OneArt

I knew someone who lived on an island once.

They died.

3GAINSBOROUGH

podgemonster wrote: »

Law would be fairly lax on islands i'd imagine. I remember hearing of the guards eventually visiting Sherkin Island off Baltimore one night. When the guard was spotted walking up from the pier by an oncoming car the driver pulled the car over into the ditch, turned off then engine and then ran home through the fields.

Car had no tax, insurance, NCT, wing mirrors or license plates.

Would be some seriously crazy lock ins in the pubs too.

You don't need car tax or NCT if the car is permanently on the island.
Usually pubs don't have lock ins, they are open all hours anyway.

L1011

3GAINSBOROUGH wrote: »

You don't need car tax or NCT if the car is permanently on the island.
Usually pubs don't have lock ins, they are open all hours anyway.

You need car tax now - albeit at a very reduced rate. NCT is still exempt and insurance can be got for half nothing on the basis that you've got the limited tax disc.

Capt'n Midnight

danniemcq wrote: »

AFAIk digiweb do the europe wide satellite BB and that covers tory. 10mb speed

Transponders do in the order of 20Mb/s and you are in contention with other people all over Europe. There should be plenty of bandwidth with the new Ka spot beam but in any event two way satellite isn't cheap.

Probably better off trying to get fixed point wireless from the main land or base station on the Island if one has been setup.

eth0

Tory Island is a mighty spot. Would move there in de morning if I could get away with it. Inis Oirr wouldn't be bad either

snubbleste

River Island would'nt be bad.

podgemonster

eth0 wrote: »

Tory Island is a mighty spot. Would move there in de morning if I could get away with it. Inis Oirr wouldn't be bad either

Doesn't the "King" of Tory greet every visitor to the island personally on the pier?

starviewadams

Yeah,King Patsy Dan Rodgers is his name,funny lad he is too.He likes to keep tabs on whoever is arriving on his island.

The shop on Tory when we were there used to run out of meat by Wednesday,so you'd be stuck with spam for dinner unless you fancied going fishing.No tree's on the island either because of the strong winds apparently.Birds nest in the ground instead.

The guy who run's the lighthouse and dresses like a sailor is good craic too.

Went out there with my brother who was surveying the island for the OSI,got boring enough after a week and a half.Worth a visit though.

ArtSmart

3GAINSBOROUGH wrote: »

I was born in Fenagh (a small village in Leitrim).
The only island I have lived on is Ireland, I have never lived on the other islands around it. I may strike you as shockingly naive, but I have never been ashamed or embarrassed to not know something. Unlike you I don't stereotype or judge people I know nothing about. I suppose you feel superior or think you are omniscient, but I don't feel the need to be either. I will let the users of this forum decide who is the better man..

I demand a poll!!!




(please dont make a poll)

eth0

starviewadams wrote: »

Yeah,King Patsy Dan Rodgers is his name,funny lad he is too.He likes to keep tabs on whoever is arriving on his island.

Salt of the earth.

I'd never get bored of the pub & social club there