Hi would really like some advice My family and I have been living in Greece for the past 20 years. Hubby is Greek and I'm from the Uk. At the moment my hubby is in talks with a company in Donegal if anyone could give me any advice regarding areas, primary schools, how to rent a house i guess the list is endless!!! Thanks a million.

Come on folks - must be someone here who can help?

O.K., I'll start. Lived in Cork, Ireland for 17 years now retired to France. Never actually got as far as Donegal but friends who did said it is beautiful.

Renting a house should be straightforward due to the recent recession.

Here is a link to a few properties to give you an idea.

http://www.daft.ie/donegal/houses_to_rent/

Hopefully your husband's company should be able to help a little with more information.

Finally Thanks for the help. Can anyone give me advice regarding the schools in Donegal?? and how to go about getting my daughter into one , can we just arrive and then I approach the headmaster of the school in whatever area I'm in???

When we moved from UK to Ireland we wrote to the headmaster of the local school and telephoned beforehand, (our daughter was 9) he seemed surprised.....I think we could have just turned up! Most schools in Ireland are undersubscribed. I'd wait until you get there, have a look around and then enrol her at the one you think best. Primary schools are 'National schools', the religion is Catholic , which we are nominally, but there was no pressure to conform if we didn't wish to.


Daughter attended religious classes and church services at secondary school (Convent) but didn't receive Holy Communion (her choice). Hope this helps.

There might be an option to live in Northern Ireland and work on the Republic of Ireland side of the border. Which gives you access to the NHS, etc.

Which is incredible when the entire country seems pregnant. Even the men.

Thanks to you all for the advice. Snoopycat where did you live in Cork??? Have also been thinking about cork if the Donegal job doesn't pan out Can anyone tell me in their opinion where in Ireland would they consider the best place to live???
Thanks a million

We lived just outside of a town called Clonakilty, around 25 miles south of Cork City. never lived anywhere else in Ireland, so can't comment. We were there for 17 years.
Retired to sunnier climes 3 years ago....the weather won in the end!

I am so pleased I grew up in an Ireland where men were men and women weren't. It is about time sex reared its ugly head on this site,and I,for one,will be monitoring it closely for any libellous comments.
Which reminds me,I got married in Sallynoggin,Our Lady of Sorrows church in 1969. On my stag do,we had a good night out in dun laoghaire,coming back to my mates house for the night.(we had a double wedding but I won't go into that too much!!). His brother-in-law was called Tommy,and he was a dapper fellow. Colour co-ordinated everything,plus he always smelled flowery. Well Tommy slept in the same room as me and Joe(my mate) and believe me,I kept a weather eye open all night. I have served in submarines you know and was something of a man-about-town...I was absolutely kn------- during our church service,and when we got outside for photographs,Tommy sidled up to me and said "Thanks for the wonderful night" and 41 years later my wife is STILL demanding to know what he meant. Me too.

Ooh i took some photos of the pool beside Blackrock Dart station Mick, by the diving platform. I must put them up. Its very unused now. My parents were over and my Dad was saying they'd come up from Bath Avenue to swim there.

Saw some you put up a time ago mate. so sad to see the place looking so run-down but to be honest it was never too clean and tidy. as I lived in Blackrock,in st.annes square,I used to swim a lot just beside the baths. When I think of some of the things we used to swim amongst,I shudder. The park was terrific in those days too,and when we got a band to play on the band-stand,it was magic.
I used to deliver medicine for O'Neills the chemist when I was about 12 or 13. One of the places I delivered to was De Valeras' house(mansion really,with police on the gates). I actually saw him once,was about 10 foot from the great man. Big,thin old man,dressed in black and stooped. He had a little black hat on as well. My grandad didn't like Dev for some reason.

I live in the North and I've never been more happier! My grandkids go to great schools and their education is second to none, and there are plenty of activities for them to join and enjoy. Don't get me wrong, the South is a great place to live, but a lot of people come from the South to the North to do their shopping!

What does that tell you?

Mike

Thanks Mike, I'd almost given up!!!!!!!