Africanrose

I am considering moving to Galway next year and was just wondering if there was anyone on the forum who could share their experiences of living there. The good, the bad and the ugly would be appreciated.
Thanks

Irelandexile

Hi there, have lived in Galway for the last 4 years. It is a lovely part of the country. Not the busiest in term of the job market though!
I am originally from "Gauteng" so very different !! I love it, fire away with your questions!

Africanrose

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking of moving to Galway for university, and was wondering if there were little quirks I should be aware of. I am also from Gauteng originally, so it would be really great to get your perspective.

Firstly, what is the weather like most of the time? I can imagine it is pretty wet and cold in the winter, but are the summers any good?

Secondly, how easy is finding housing, either to rent or to buy? I am not looking for anything big, but is housing expensive?

Thirdly, in general, is Galway expensive, in terms of cost of living? I live in Nova Scotia at the moment, Canada, where food etc. is pretty expensive, especially when you consider the quality so I was just wondering.

Thanks again!!

dryroasted

hey there i dont live too far from galway and i go there alot so i can give you some input on the place. I find these kinds of questions are very subjective and can entice very misleading answers, in a nutshell...............university is good with high standard of academic staff, job market is grim, good mix of housing to rent wouldnt bother to buy as the housing market has far from bottomed, nightlife is not the best unless you like getting drunk and living the student life, very youthful town but im sure that'll change due to the recession, shopping is passable its not a huge city more of a large town depends what your used to i guess, but its safe, clean and the weather unfortunately is dull, very damp and cold for a good chunk of the year round dont bank on the summers being lovely and hot probably wont happen, this is just my experience and others will contradict me im sure.