Galway move: Am I insane? Or a genius?
Oct 30th 2016, 9:03 am
#1
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Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 1
Galway move: Am I insane? Or a genius?
Hi there
We are a family of 4 consdering a move to Galway City. I just want to get some thoughts/input from others who may have done similar in case it is in fact utter madness.
Here's our situation:
Residency - Kids & I are Irish citizens, hubby UK citizen
Family - I have family in Ireland but not in the West. Hubby's family are in Scotland so not far away (a bit of healthy distance is helpful with his family though - the Irish sea provides a good buffer zone!)
Health - yes we know we need health insurance, although one of our kids is under 6 so would get the free GP visits. We already pay for private health insurance in our current country (about 2000 euro/yr) so assuming this would be similar?
Work - I run my own business which is totally transportable. Hubby works in a field which means he needs to travel a lot for work. He has been offered a job by a company which operates across UK & Ireland so really we can be based anywhere (but by the same token, wherever we are based he will still be away a good bit).
Finances - We were lucky enough to buy in an Australian city before the current boom, so once we sell up we can buy a house or flat outright. We'll have around 300-350k euros - we like to be in town so we'd buy something smaller and more central rather than a bigger place further out. We would earn something like 60k between the two of us. Assuming we have our own place with no rent/mortgage to pay, do people think 60k before tax would be OK for a family of 4 with a couple of primary school aged kids?
Lifestyle - We like travel, outdoor stuff like hiking/kayaking etc, music, theatre, history. A big attraction from the time we've spent visiting Galway is the more relaxed life for kids, friendly people, lots of opportunity to play sport, good sense of community etc. We also like the cultural stuff, there seems to be loads going on. And we like how accessible the amazing places like Connemara, the Burren etc are from Galway.
So what do people think? Are we crazy or does that all sound workable? Would appreciate any handy hints people mght have!
We are a family of 4 consdering a move to Galway City. I just want to get some thoughts/input from others who may have done similar in case it is in fact utter madness.
Here's our situation:
Residency - Kids & I are Irish citizens, hubby UK citizen
Family - I have family in Ireland but not in the West. Hubby's family are in Scotland so not far away (a bit of healthy distance is helpful with his family though - the Irish sea provides a good buffer zone!)
Health - yes we know we need health insurance, although one of our kids is under 6 so would get the free GP visits. We already pay for private health insurance in our current country (about 2000 euro/yr) so assuming this would be similar?
Work - I run my own business which is totally transportable. Hubby works in a field which means he needs to travel a lot for work. He has been offered a job by a company which operates across UK & Ireland so really we can be based anywhere (but by the same token, wherever we are based he will still be away a good bit).
Finances - We were lucky enough to buy in an Australian city before the current boom, so once we sell up we can buy a house or flat outright. We'll have around 300-350k euros - we like to be in town so we'd buy something smaller and more central rather than a bigger place further out. We would earn something like 60k between the two of us. Assuming we have our own place with no rent/mortgage to pay, do people think 60k before tax would be OK for a family of 4 with a couple of primary school aged kids?
Lifestyle - We like travel, outdoor stuff like hiking/kayaking etc, music, theatre, history. A big attraction from the time we've spent visiting Galway is the more relaxed life for kids, friendly people, lots of opportunity to play sport, good sense of community etc. We also like the cultural stuff, there seems to be loads going on. And we like how accessible the amazing places like Connemara, the Burren etc are from Galway.
So what do people think? Are we crazy or does that all sound workable? Would appreciate any handy hints people mght have!
Oct 31st 2016, 10:35 pm
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 177
Re: Galway move: Am I insane? Or a genius?
60k before tax would be OK for a family of 4 with a couple of primary school aged kids?
The only thing with your husbands work...if he needs to fly/drive a lot for work he'll get to know the road to Shannon or Dublin airport very well, as there is no airport in Galway (closest is Knock). That will be an add-on to any work trips.
Nov 1st 2016, 7:45 am
#3
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,148
Re: Galway move: Am I insane? Or a genius?
Hi there
We are a family of 4 consdering a move to Galway City. I just want to get some thoughts/input from others who may have done similar in case it is in fact utter madness.
Here's our situation:
Residency - Kids & I are Irish citizens, hubby UK citizen
Family - I have family in Ireland but not in the West. Hubby's family are in Scotland so not far away (a bit of healthy distance is helpful with his family though - the Irish sea provides a good buffer zone!)
Health - yes we know we need health insurance, although one of our kids is under 6 so would get the free GP visits. We already pay for private health insurance in our current country (about 2000 euro/yr) so assuming this would be similar?
Work - I run my own business which is totally transportable. Hubby works in a field which means he needs to travel a lot for work. He has been offered a job by a company which operates across UK & Ireland so really we can be based anywhere (but by the same token, wherever we are based he will still be away a good bit).
Finances - We were lucky enough to buy in an Australian city before the current boom, so once we sell up we can buy a house or flat outright. We'll have around 300-350k euros - we like to be in town so we'd buy something smaller and more central rather than a bigger place further out. We would earn something like 60k between the two of us. Assuming we have our own place with no rent/mortgage to pay, do people think 60k before tax would be OK for a family of 4 with a couple of primary school aged kids?
Lifestyle - We like travel, outdoor stuff like hiking/kayaking etc, music, theatre, history. A big attraction from the time we've spent visiting Galway is the more relaxed life for kids, friendly people, lots of opportunity to play sport, good sense of community etc. We also like the cultural stuff, there seems to be loads going on. And we like how accessible the amazing places like Connemara, the Burren etc are from Galway.
So what do people think? Are we crazy or does that all sound workable? Would appreciate any handy hints people mght have!
We are a family of 4 consdering a move to Galway City. I just want to get some thoughts/input from others who may have done similar in case it is in fact utter madness.
Here's our situation:
Residency - Kids & I are Irish citizens, hubby UK citizen
Family - I have family in Ireland but not in the West. Hubby's family are in Scotland so not far away (a bit of healthy distance is helpful with his family though - the Irish sea provides a good buffer zone!)
Health - yes we know we need health insurance, although one of our kids is under 6 so would get the free GP visits. We already pay for private health insurance in our current country (about 2000 euro/yr) so assuming this would be similar?
Work - I run my own business which is totally transportable. Hubby works in a field which means he needs to travel a lot for work. He has been offered a job by a company which operates across UK & Ireland so really we can be based anywhere (but by the same token, wherever we are based he will still be away a good bit).
Finances - We were lucky enough to buy in an Australian city before the current boom, so once we sell up we can buy a house or flat outright. We'll have around 300-350k euros - we like to be in town so we'd buy something smaller and more central rather than a bigger place further out. We would earn something like 60k between the two of us. Assuming we have our own place with no rent/mortgage to pay, do people think 60k before tax would be OK for a family of 4 with a couple of primary school aged kids?
Lifestyle - We like travel, outdoor stuff like hiking/kayaking etc, music, theatre, history. A big attraction from the time we've spent visiting Galway is the more relaxed life for kids, friendly people, lots of opportunity to play sport, good sense of community etc. We also like the cultural stuff, there seems to be loads going on. And we like how accessible the amazing places like Connemara, the Burren etc are from Galway.
So what do people think? Are we crazy or does that all sound workable? Would appreciate any handy hints people mght have!
67 The Rise, Knocknacarra, Galway City Suburbs - House For Sale
For a small city Galway really has a lot going on and you have everything from comedy festivals, music festivals, etc. Stunning scenery is never far away and places like Connemara have so much to offer if you like outdoor life. With Lough Corrib you also have plenty of opportunities right on your doorstep.
