Hello Everybody,

I currently live in France with my husband and 2 young kids - we have been here for almost 4 years and are ready to move on..
I am British, my husband is French/American - but more american really...
For ages we were thinking of moving to BC, Canada - but I think we are in agreement that actually we don't want to be so far away from my family and all of our friends - here and in UK. And so we are now looking at Ireland...

Recently someone suggested West Cork to me - and I have been scouring the internet and real estate sites - and getting ridiculously excited - It just looks stunning, and house prices are not so expensive....well, they are, but not as much as I was expecting......Bantry just looks like it has everything we would look for in a town.....

My husband is a tree surgeon - could this be difficult for him..? and I am a Montessori teacher.

Any advice or suggestions would be fantastic.

Thank you!

should not be a problem with montessori as is very popular in ireland and have primary schools that are montessori based. West cork is stunning but work is scarcer than in dublin. I would say you will be grand, Good luck

Thank you very much! Have a great day!

We lived in BC and now are in Wicklow. Only go to BC if you have robbed a bank, house prices are mental. Mind you it aint cheap here either. Nice quality of life though. Everyone is very happy and friendly. There seems to be loads of Montessori schools around our area.

I hope you don't mind my asking....but why did you leave BC..? Was it because it is so expensive. I know we would never be able to afford to own a house there...
I know Ireland is expensive too. I guess ultimately it is quality of life we are looking for - and a safe and friendly place to raise our kids.
My only concern with Ireland is the weather!! After living here in South of France - we have become a bit spoiled by endless sunny days!

Yea the weather was a major concern for us as well. It was awful in August, when we got here, but its been lovely for the last 2 weeks. Coastal BC has the worst rain you'll ever see from late October to May. It doesnt stop but the summers are perfect.

We left cos we werent getting any where. Money was becoming a concern and my wife really missed her family. We got our citizenship before we left so we can go back and probably will to retire. All the cheap airlines are going out of business aswell. North American culture kind of gets on your nerves after a while aswell. You cant go any where for cheap hols cos its so expensive to fly. We did weekends to Whistler and Seattle to death. We looked at Nova Scotia last summer but again the weather was cold and grey, lots of fog. Its a bit like heavens waiting room

Since we returned in 2005 we've had 40 odd flights to Europe. Really enjoyed going all over and seeing the different old culture. Shame about the carbon footprint!