Expats in Galway, did you ever regret moving there?

bahamut88

@spiritcrusher , thanks for sharing your opinion, I see your into metal. Your nick it’s pretty straightforward! I can still remember buying the LP of spiritual healing... good old times! If you want to grab a beer with a fellow metalhead when I come there or share a bus trip to a metal gig in Dublin it would be great. Yes, I saw some band stop by in Dublin several times, so I shouldn’t have any problems.


GekkePrutser
I can already feel your pain, the same would go for me. There's only Dublin to Rome or Dublin to Milan and I'll have to come in Italy very often during the first months. That's definitely going to suck, but I'm prepared.
As for the houses, I really hope to find something new, I don't mind the price, so hopefully I'll succeed!

spiritcrusher

bahamut88 wrote: »

@spiritcrusher , thanks for sharing your opinion, I see your into metal. Your nick it’s pretty straightforward! I can still remember buying the LP of spiritual healing... good old times! If you want to grab a beer with a fellow metalhead when I come there or share a bus trip to a metal gig in Dublin it would be great. Yes, I saw some band stop by in Dublin several times, so I shouldn’t have any problems

Unfortunately I'm not quite old enough to have been into metal when Death were still active so I never got to pick up any LPs when they were first released! My first album was Sound of Perseverance, which obviously explains the name. But I'm always agreeable to some beer and metal talk so send me a message when you arrive!

bahamut88

spiritcrusher wrote: »

Unfortunately I'm not quite old enough to have been into metal when Death were still active so I never got to pick up any LPs when they were first released! My first album was Sound of Perseverance, which obviously explains the name. But I'm always agreeable to some beer and metal talk so send me a message when you arrive!

Great, will do!
I'm not that old either, I'm 30. But my father and uncle are old metal heads, in their 20/30 they bought the first Iron Maiden lps in my small 3000 souls hometown. And then I used to listen to ozzy osbourne since I was 7 years old in the car, so naturally I got close to death metal rather soon.

Daisy78

I often find (local, sorry!) people difficult to get to know and mostly, extremely apathetic.



I might be a bit biased given that im originally from galway but the one thing I would challenge you on is the point you have raised above. Galwegians may be many things but unmotivated and apathetic are definitely not amongst their flaws. Throughout the year there are arts, music, literature and food festivals (some I would class as niche) which would never have happened if it were not for the activism and enthusiasm of local people. Yes alchol is a big problem but there are plenty of events happening in the city where it does not overtake or interfere.....the cuirt literature festival being one. Galway has its problems like everywhere else but on the whole I think its a great place to live. ...and that is down to the local community more than anything else. Id question how much effort you have put into getting to know people based on the comment above.

Butterface

Daisy78 wrote: »

I often find (local, sorry!) people difficult to get to know and mostly, extremely apathetic.

I lived in Galway for about 10 years, and my closest friends are all Galwegians. Friendships don't happen over night though; you actually have to have some common ground and a desire to spend time with each other. One of the posters above characterised his/her friendships with locals as shallow and fragile, but it may just be that her understanding or expectations of friendships differs. Often when people first move to Galway, and fall in love with the place, they expect their enthusiasm to be reflected back by the friends they make there. But since locals have spent their lives living in the city or county, they're not going to be as excited as you are to get up at the crack of dawn to go out to Inis Mor, as somebody who's been there umpteen times!

I've lived in a few European countries, and yet I would still love to return to live in Galway. The city centre is compact enough, that you can walk everywhere (weather permitting). There's always a good atmosphere around the place, and while the weather can drench your soul sometimes, the colourful buildings are always cheerful. It can be hard enough to find decent accommodation, but I wouldn't have said it's expensive. The max I paid was 400e for a double room in the city centre, although the condition of the apartment wasn't great. OP, you could get in touch with a property agent/company in the city and ask them if they could help you find accommodation?

bahamut88

Butterface wrote: »

I lived in Galway for about 10 years, and my closest friends are all Galwegians. Friendships don't happen over night though; you actually have to have some common ground and a desire to spend time with each other. One of the posters above characterised his/her friendships with locals as shallow and fragile, but it may just be that her understanding or expectations of friendships differs. Often when people first move to Galway, and fall in love with the place, they expect their enthusiasm to be reflected back by the friends they make there. But since locals have spent their lives living in the city or county, they're not going to be as excited as you are to get up at the crack of dawn to go out to Inis Mor, as somebody who's been there umpteen times!

I've lived in a few European countries, and yet I would still love to return to live in Galway. The city centre is compact enough, that you can walk everywhere (weather permitting). There's always a good atmosphere around the place, and while the weather can drench your soul sometimes, the colourful buildings are always cheerful. It can be hard enough to find decent accommodation, but I wouldn't have said it's expensive. The max I paid was 400e for a double room in the city centre, although the condition of the apartment wasn't great. OP, you could get in touch with a property agent/company in the city and ask them if they could help you find accommodation?

I'll first try with DAFT, If I won't get any luck I'll definitely ask some estate agents for some help.

zarquon

I'm not a galwegian myself but have lived here the best part of a decade now. Galway may have it's weak points but to suggest that locals are difficult to get to know and apathetic is nonsense. I've lived in many places but Galway is certainly one of the friendliest. Certainly anyone who is outgoing will have no problem making friends. I would suggest that anyone struggling to make friends in Galway is either very introverted or has extremely niche interests with little chance for social engagement but Galway should certainly not be blamed for this.

biko

Making friends with Galwegians is about the same as everywhere else. Locals already have a circle of friends from growing up/school and might not be all that eager to make new friends.
That said, almost a fourth of the population are blowins of some kind.

Any foreigners I know seems well happy here so Galway must be doing something right.

inisboffin

biko wrote: »

Making friends with Galwegians is about the same as everywhere else. Locals already have a circle of friends from growing up/school and might not be all that eager to make new friends.
That said, almost a fourth of the population are blowins of some kind.

Any foreigners I know seems well happy here so Galway must be doing something right.

It feels like even higher a percentage of blowins to me!:) A lot of native Galwegians have also gone and come back, so the place has a cosmopolitan feel for the size of the population. Finding a group or regular meetup will really help. On here there is a book group, a beers, and often other sports/arts related meetings that are posted. People are very friendly if you make an effort, and as to depth of friendships, that depends on the type of person you are and the connections you make. If you are out on a beers night, for example, and expecting an intellectual and deep friendship to happen overnight, you may be disappointed (or you might be lucky!)

2rkehij30qtza5

I am from Galway City...spent a few years living away but am back now. I love Galway and have a good few friends and loads of family here but I do think that Galway City people are 'clicky'. I have had chats with my friends about this before actually. A number of my non-Galway friends from college would also say that about us city folk (although I would like to think i am excluded from this opinion as I have lots of friends who are not from Galway!)...that we are a 'clicky' bunch!

Red Pepper

Fabian Strong Freight wrote: »

I am from Galway City...spent a few years living away but am back now. I love Galway and have a good few friends and loads of family here but I do think that Galway City people are 'clicky'. I have had chats with my friends about this before actually. A number of my non-Galway friends from college would also say that about us city folk (although I would like to think i am excluded from this opinion as I have lots of friends who are not from Galway!)...that we are a 'clicky' bunch!

Yeah but if you think Galway city folk are clicky, you should try Cork people!

El_Dangeroso

Red Pepper wrote: »

Yeah but if you think Galway city folk are clicky, you should try Cork people!

Limerick is worse! As a blowin I don't find Galway clique-y at at all. It's easy enough to get chatting to people in my experience.

Helps if you like pub culture, otherwise better get to joining some local clubs.

Mrs OBumble

biko wrote: »

Making friends with Galwegians is about the same as everywhere else. Locals already have a circle of friends from growing up/school and might not be all that eager to make new friends.
That said, almost a fourth of the population are blowins of some kind.

Any foreigners I know seems well happy here so Galway must be doing something right.

I think it's a bit of an Irish thing: Lots of people go home to Mammy every weekend - or once they're married alternately his/her Mammy. This only seems to change once there are 2-3 kids in the family and travel every week gets too hard. (Yes, yes, this is a generalisation, and I know some don't. But a surprising number do.)

I've heard people here on boards say outright that they met all the friends they're ever planning to have at school / college, and I have a few work colleagues who seem to operate that way. Tis an attitude that I totally don't understand.

All that said, Galway's been a trading town since the 1500s, so is more open-minded than most. Always lots of blow-ins looking for new friends.

Jamsiek

I lived in Galway for about 5 years and really liked the place.
However I found some of the people I knew to be a bit fake. Maybe I knew the wrong people.
I've been living abroad for quite a while now but it's always a nice place to visit.

Red Pepper

Jamsiek wrote: »

I lived in Galway for about 5 years and really liked the place.
However I found some of the people I knew to be a bit fake. Maybe I knew the wrong people.
I've been living abroad for quite a while now but it's always a nice place to visit.

I hear Vancouver is a cracking city. I have always wanted to go. How do you rate it? Consistently in the top 5 most livable cities.

Jamsiek

Red Pepper wrote: »

I hear Vancouver is a cracking city. I have always wanted to go. How do you rate it? Consistently in the top 5 most livable cities.

Yes it's a great city, I've been here almost 2 years and I like it a lot.
It's a beautiful place. It was no 1 liveable city but I think it's no 3 now due to roadworks etc.
There are some good threads about Vancouver on boards if you want a look. I sometimes make comments there too.
Are you thinking of coming over?

Red Pepper

Jamsiek wrote: »

Yes it's a great city, I've been here almost 2 years and I like it a lot.
It's a beautiful place. It was no 1 liveable city but I think it's no 3 now due to roadworks etc.
There are some good threads about Vancouver on boards if you want a look. I sometimes make comments there too.
Are you thinking of coming over?

Yeah I might go for a visit at the end of summer. Have been to Calgary/Toronto but Vancouver has always been on my wishlist. I think I would need 2-3 weeks to journey up the coast and maybe get some fishing done.

pleasant Co.

Hey folks, I know you're having an interesting discussion but out of respect to the OP would you mind continuing it via PM.

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I think it's a bit of an Irish thing: Lots of people go home to Mammy every weekend - or once they're married alternately his/her Mammy. This only seems to change once there are 2-3 kids in the family and travel every week gets too hard. (Yes, yes, this is a generalisation, and I know some don't. But a surprising number do.)

You say the above like there is something wrong with it? Also I'm sure Irish people are not the only ones who like to go home for weekends.

Mrs OBumble

Leona Zealous Self-sacrifice wrote: »

You say the above like there is something wrong with it? Also I'm sure Irish people are not the only ones who like to go home for weekends.

Readers can make their own judgements about maturation and the degree of independence from parents which it's appropriate for adults to have. This ain't the psychology forum.

In practical terms, what ii means for expats is that - in general - you're less like to make friends with Irish people than other blow-ins, because a higher-than-average proportion of Irish people have their social networks back in the home-place and regard the city as a place just to work and sleep. There are exceptions of course, especially if you're older and your friends are more likely to be the Mammy with adult kids rather than the adult kids, and if you have hobbies which local people take part in.

And IMHO, going home for all / most weekends is particularly common here, because it's such a small country. In many countries it simply wouldn't be feasible. (I die of laughter every time I hear someone whine about what a long drive it is to Cork.)

zarquon

Leona Zealous Self-sacrifice wrote: »

You say the above like there is something wrong with it? Also I'm sure Irish people are not the only ones who like to go home for weekends.

As an Irish person with a lot of non Irish friends and having travelled extensively it is a particularly Irish phenomenon. It does say a lot of the maturity of the Irish when many have still not cut the umbilical chord late into their adulthood. I know many adults still living like students into their late twenties and thirties, going home at weekends to get a "proper dinner" and "get the washing done". I've never understood this myself and i much prefer to hang around the city at the weekends where i won't get bored - maybe that's why i have so many non-national friends as the mammy's boys tend to not be around

zarquon

zarquon wrote: »

As an Irish person with a lot of non Irish friends and having travelled extensively it is a particularly Irish phenomenon. It does say a lot of the maturity of the Irish when many have still not cut the umbilical chord late into their adulthood. I know many adults still living like students into their late twenties and thirties, going home at weekends to get a "proper dinner" and "get the washing done". I've never understood this myself and i much prefer to hang around the city at the weekends where i won't get bored - maybe that's why i have so many non-national friends as the mammy's boys tend to not be around

Frankly I think it's nonsense this "maturity" and not "cutting the umbilical cord" just because people like to regularly spend time at home. I think it's a positive trait rather than a negative one where people want their family to be a regular part of their lives. Also going home obviously isn't boring for a lot of people and they still go out at night etc when home or head back into town Saturday night for the night out. Calling home some evenings during the week is also common among a lot of people.

It's not for debate on this thread obviously but I don't understand why some people feel that you need to nearly break off contact with parents. Building a house right beside your parents house is a very common thing among my friends for instance, so seeing parents daily is or is going to be the norm.

Jamsiek

zarquon wrote: »

As an Irish person with a lot of non Irish friends and having travelled extensively it is a particularly Irish phenomenon. It does say a lot of the maturity of the Irish when many have still not cut the umbilical chord late into their adulthood. I know many adults still living like students into their late twenties and thirties, going home at weekends to get a "proper dinner" and "get the washing done". I've never understood this myself and i much prefer to hang around the city at the weekends where i won't get bored - maybe that's why i have so many non-national friends as the mammy's boys tend to not be around

I agree here 100%. I went to college in Galway and a lot of people I knew just went out on a Thursday night and home every weekend with the dirty laundry.
Then I went to Dundee University (which was full of Irish by the way) and it was so much better as everyone was about at the weekends. Even our Scottish friends didn't bother to go home as the craic was too good, their friends from home visited them instead as they didn't want to miss out either.
I thought college life was great in Ireland but when I went to Scotland I learned the proper way to do it and student life in Galway didn't seem as good to me. I still liked Galway of course.

beardybrewer

Leona Zealous Self-sacrifice wrote: »

Frankly I think it's nonsense this "maturity" and not "cutting the umbilical cord" just because people like to regularly spend time at home. I think it's a positive trait rather than a negative one where people want their family to be a regular part of their lives.

This whole home every weekend conversation is probably irrelevant to OP or other expats.

Regarding previous comments on what sort that are easier to get to know, there's not point in this. People, personalities, friendship -- this is all to subjective to figure out here. Galway is no less friendly than anywhere else.

Also expats are always going to have a lot in common with other expats. Regardless where they hail from, there is a big common bond moving abroad to a new country and dealing with another culture. For that matter, they will probably have more in common with other Irish who have travelled and have a broader world view.

pleasant Co.

newkie wrote: »

This whole home every weekend conversation is probably irrelevant to OP or other expats.

Spot on. Valid points being raised but the OP has probably gathered enough info from this line of discussion (going home at the weekend) to allow us to move on, it's now a topic for another thread really.

Ann Landers

zarquon wrote: »

maybe that's why i have so many non-national friends as the mammy's boys tend to not be around

"Non-national?" Jaysus, haven't heard that phrase in about seven years. Didn't know anyone used it anymore!

Frank Lee Midere

zarquon wrote: »

As an Irish person with a lot of non Irish friends and having travelled extensively it is a particularly Irish phenomenon. It does say a lot of the maturity of the Irish when many have still not cut the umbilical chord late into their adulthood. I know many adults still living like students into their late twenties and thirties, going home at weekends to get a "proper dinner" and "get the washing done". I've never understood this myself and i much prefer to hang around the city at the weekends where i won't get bored - maybe that's why i have so many non-national friends as the mammy's boys tend to not be around

In cities like Dublin people just live at home until married. A bit like....Italy.

Are people forgetting the OP is Italian. Irish people are like Southern Europeans on tour - Northern European whines about Irish family closeness, small town cliques, easy going attitude and political corruption won't scare him.

cbd18

Hopefully this is helpful: I moved to Galway from Chicago to be with my Irish partner after spending 4 years in different countries. The city itself is small but there really is a lot to do. Many great pubs that have both traditional Irish music and other types of bands. People here drink a lot (from an American's view at least) and there's a big pub culture here but at the same time the atmosphere in many of the pubs is outstanding. Ireland itself is beautiful and there are many outdoor places to walk/hike within an hour from the city. Connemara National Park has a few nice hiking options, Mayo is nearby as is Clare. There are some really nice beaches to spend a weekend afternoon at, if you bring a blanket rain jacket as it rains frequently and can be chilly. You said you have a job you are coming over for, which is good, because I've had a very difficult time finding a job as a non-Irish person. But, it's been a fun change and a nice experience (other than getting robbed during my first week here). The people are lovely, I'd say the people in Galway are some of the friendliest people in Ireland. But you have some bad apples like everywhere. We had a hard time finding an apartment only because we have a dog. Some areas of the city are better to live in than others - I'd do your research so you don't end up living in the wrong area. We pay 700 per month and live in one of the nicer areas but our apartment was built in the boom and has had SO many problems. I haven't had any experiences with the health care system here, but I have also heard the bad things about the hospital at NUIG and if you are seriously ill or injured to go to the Galway Clinic no matter what (I heard this both from Irish people in the US before I moved and from people living in Galway as well). One other point - I've had a difficult time making friends here, but if you have a job I think meeting people right away will be easier. It was a huge surprise how hard it has been for me to make friends, more so than any other place I've lived (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, Madrid, Chicago). I thought maybe it was because I am a girl but it has been difficult for my partner to make friends here too, he is originally from Dublin so maybe it's just the way people here view others who aren't from Galway. Anway, this has been my experience. All in all Galway is a nice place to live, I think it comes down to personal preferences. If my partner wasn't working in Galway I wouldn't live here but it is a nice place.

Mrs OBumble

[QUOTE=cbd18;89618611 I haven't had any experiences with the health care system here, but I have also heard the bad things about the hospital at NUIG and if you are seriously ill or injured to go to the Galway Clinic no matter what (I heard this both from Irish people in the US before I moved and from people living in Galway as well). [/QUOTE]

Just one slight point here:

A&E at the Galway Clinic is open from 7am-7pm only. If you need urgent care after that, GUH is your only option.

Also, if you are so seriously hurt/ill that an ambulance is called, then you will be taken to GUH, because they're the only one with facilities for major traumas and the like.

Other than that, great post IMHO, tells the good and bad.

bahamut88

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

In cities like Dublin people just live at home until married. A bit like....Italy.

Are people forgetting the OP is Italian. Irish people are like Southern Europeans on tour - Northern European whines about Irish family closeness, small town cliques, easy going attitude and political corruption won't scare him.

I'm italian because I've born in Italy but I'm kinda different from the typical italians.
I live alone since I was 20, I don't have a tan all year, I don't eat only pasta and pizza when I'm abroad and I'm very precise, I like things being done properly.

@cbd18 How did you get robbed? Just curious to know how things went, I know it happens everywhere (hello, I've been to Naples too ).