Gortahork

Beruthiel

I'm "thinking" about moving to Donegal.

We have looked at a house just outside Gortahork and the area is just beautiful, the house location is a dream.

However, I'm a tad concerned about the fact that the nearest supermarket, doctor, dentist, etc... all seem to be miles away.

Any advice?

Thanks!

slimboyfat

If you are concerned about all those things, my advice would be to move to a large town with all those facilities on your doorstep. Falcarragh has most if not all of these things and is at most only 10 minutes away.

muffler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058217898/gortahork

Well hello stranger. Good to see you posting again and particularly in the Donegal forum.

If you are thinking of moving here it will be a wee bit of a shock to the system compared to city life. Donegal is a big county and unfortunately Im on the opposite end to Gortahork so dont really know anything about it but I will list a few things that might help.

Like all small towns and villages throughout Ireland Gortahork will probably lack in certain services and facilities. Banks and post offices have closed at an alarming rate in rural locations and investment in jobs etc is retained for the larger towns like Letterkenny. Im not sure if there is a post office in Gortahork but Im fairly sure there isnt a bank.

To get a doctor's sugary may entail travelling a few miles to the next biggest town. Some doctors practices do operate satellite clinics eg. a part time surgery for 2 or 3 mornings/afternoons a week but Im not sure if this applies to Gortahork. The likes of dentists, solicitors etc wont locate to small urban/semi rural areas as its not really profitable for them.

Day to shopping is always catered for but you are limited on the range of available products. A lot of people will buy a few bits and bobs in the local shop and then go to Letterkenny or Dungloe and do a big shop once a week. Also its hit and miss wrt hairdressers and barbers with most of these located in larger towns.

But you will always have the essentials at hand such as a grocery shop, cafe/takeaway, pub, garage etc etc. Local tradesmen are easy enough found by either asking neighbours or the nearest publican or postmaster...those guys know everyone.

Roads have been improved greatly in recent years and while there are plenty of bends here and there the potholes have all but gone and roads generally are in good nick. Public transport would be poor compared to what you are used to but there are lots of taxis around with charges being a lot cheaper here than in Dublin. Broadband shouldnt really be an issue as would mobile coverage but again I wouldnt be 100% sure.

Anyone else who knows Gortahork personally might chip in but hopefully the above helps a little.

Beruthiel

[quote]Well hello stranger. [/quote]

Hello yourself! 😁 I've been in stasis for a while....

Thanks for the info Muffler, I'll make an extra effort to get to know the barman and postman!

Edit - forgotten how to use quotes now! Jeezus.

muffler

If you need any other info just let me know and I'll do my best to answer.

Regarding the quotes well what you done is actually correct but doesnt work on the new platform. In fact most things dont work on Vanilla,

Hi Beruthiel.

Define "outside Gortahork"? Which townland?

You'll find that there's a relatively decent Eurospar in Gortahork. Also a national school (Irish speaking). The local secondary school is in Falcarragh.

The post office, sadly, closed a few years ago, so, Falcarragh post office now services the Gortahork area as well.

There's a pub, a hotel, and 2 takeaways.

For a doctor, or chemist, you'll need to travel to Falcarragh, which is 3 miles away, or 10 minutes by car. For banks, or dentists, you'll need to travel to Dungloe or Letterkenny.

The nearest hospital is also Letterkenny.

As Muffler said, you'll find the day to day neccessities are generally bought locally, with a weekly/fortnightly trip to Dungloe or Letterkenny for a bulk shop.

You will find the vast majority of what you neex locally, but it tends to be expensive, so most people do a bulk shop in Letterkenny.

Accordingly, a car is pretty much a neccessity, although there are two local taxi services, and a couple of private bus companies making a couple of trips to Letterkenny six days a week.

That drops to one company, making 2 runs to Lettrrkenny on Sundays, but the times aren't particularly conducive to shopping or cinema.

Its a huge change from Dublin, but you will find people are friendly and helpful, and there's a strong community ethos here. I dont know if you have children, but Gortahork/Falcarragh is a lovely safe place to raise kids. There are both Gaelic and Soccer football teams, for the sports minded. Swimming can be catered for in the Cúirt hotel in Winter. In summer, we have loads of beautiful beaches in the area. No need for swimming pools, lol.

If you decide to move here - Welcome!

If you need any more info, feel free to ask...

Beruthiel

Thanks for that info Lochlach.