Chickenlady

...this is the response I get when I tell people I'm considering moving to Ireland from the UK.

We're married with 1 child (7) currently living near Durham (North East UK) but are seriously considering moving to Clare / Galway in order to live a more rural self-sufficient greener life. Rural property is way cheaper in that area than over here - basically we want a cottage with about an acre to grow fruit & veg etc (I believe it's very rainy - ideal for growing things)

Anyway - I've done some research into prices and price differences and reckon that because we're not a big consumer family that we could live reasonably cheaply (I was planning to not work for the first few months, but my OH is a carpenter & joiner)

Am I deluded ??

Thanks in advance for any advice...

marcecie

Hi,
I think of Ireland as expensive since euro came in but my tenants from Scotland and Uk tell me it is much cheaper here. I consider electricity expensive but they say their bills are much cheaper also.
I know when I go to Uk I find things very expensive especially eating out. I live in Mayo so it would be cheaper than Galway not sure about Clare.
Wish your hubby was here now as one of my families are moving out and I have some carpentry work for doing, ( almost impossible to find a tradesman when you need him)

snowqueen

Hi Chickenlady

One of the things that makes Ireland expensive is the price of property (especially in the cities) but it sounds like you have that one worked out. Do however be aware of the stamp duty that gets slapped on second hand properties. It can add quite a bit to the budget (check out with estate agents what it would be for your level of house). There are a lot of stealth taxes like that in Ireland!

England can seem expensive from Ireland mainly because of the exchange rate, but that works in reverse for you now, and things may seem cheaper in Ireland. However, when you are earning and spending in euros it is a little different. That said, I believe that carpenters earn good money, so I don't thing you are totally deluded , especially as you plan to live a semi-self sufficient kind of life (I would love to have an acres and grow veggies myself, but we are tied to city life with jobs etc). Do you have a fall back though, in case the carpentry jobs don't come frequently enough?

Some of the other things that are expensive in Ireland are utilities and insurance, but then some things (like petrol) are cheaper. It sounds like your intended lifestyle will mean that you may have a bit more control over costs than others.

The term rip-off Ireland was coined in recent years as a lot of people feel that everything is very expensive and moan about it!! Fact is, it is a lot more expensive than it used to be, and a lot more expensive than France or Spain,say, but probably on a level with the UK overall.

As for us, we moved to Canada.....

Good luck though with your decision, I think your dream is a good one....

Snowqueen

Miss Eck

Indeed it is

I do find it very expensive, in particular housing.

Chickenlady

Now to me, the housing is so much cheaper than the UK - well rural properties anyway.
I compared houses with land in Clare / Galway and we could get a decent 3 bed house on an acre for 350K plus stamp duty (equivalent to about 260K GBP)

Similar properties in Yorkshire & Northumberland were upwards of 400K GBP.

UK property prices are spiralling up beyond belief...

Londonuck

I think what you'll find is how very friendly and helpful the locals are. Once you've been there a short while people will use your husbands skills. I love Clare/Galway/Mayo, it really is wonderful place. If you get a chance drive through Gort in Galway and check out the amount of Brazilians there. Surely a west of Ireland carnival must be arranged soon!

Best of luck.

marcecie

there was a great carnival in Gort a few months ago(saw it on tv) the Brazilians arranged it and all the locals lined the street to support them. Just goes to show how the different communities can live together.

Irelandexile

hi there, we live in Galway, not too far from Gort. Housing outside the city is cheaper, and better value for money. Dont know much about price comparison with England (I moved from South Africa) but there are loads of English people here and moving here, say the quality of life is much better for the kids especially. Galway is beautiful!!

Miss Eck

Ah, I lived down South in the UK - hence probably the big difference in comparison. I ended up buying in London and Bristol and they were far better investments that the West Coast of Ireland where I originate from.

Miss Eck

Definitely agree on Galway. I had not been there since I was a teenager and went there last year and it was fab.

Londonuck

A mate of mine was telling me his building firm in Galway isnt getting anymore money from the banks for building new housing cos they are very worried about a crash coming.

I knew it wouldnt take long for the Brazilians to arrange a carnival in Gort!

spaino

In general it is, very expesive with high taxation, the VAT rate sits at about 21% if I remember correctly.

What you will have is great quality of life compaired to the mainland UK, although the weather is not just as good, which can be a pain. The weather in the north "which can be a little wetter and overcase even still" was one of the things that help promote my decision to move to Spain from Northern Ireland 26 years ago.

The people are very friendly and the pace is very much slower than England, this may be something that will take adjusting to if coming from the city.

Just be careful at meeting up with locals in pubs and being tempted by the local brew, you will eventually loose all track of your life which will turn into a black and cream swirl very quickly... but at least a very, very subdued one! lol

Hope this helps

moppet30

Hi

we only found eatin g and drinking out plus insurance to be more expensive than UK.

We lived in Clare for 5 years leaving around 2 years ago and unfortunately we suffered different degrees of racism because we are English from my husbands work and from some people around us.

The weather is rainy most of the time, which is depressing, and hygiene standards are really not that great in pubs and restaurants particularly the toilets which we really struggled with.
Be sure that you are happy to stay in the home you buy permanently as rural properties can be hard to sell on again due to lack of employment etc.

Sorry to be so negative but it’s and honest opinion of what we found Clare to be like

There are however some nice people and the place is safer than the UK by far

Irelandexile

Hi there, do not agree with you. we have been in Galway for 2 1/2 years now and have never experienced racism, people have been curious yes, want to know your history and are interested in hearing about your reasons for choosing Ireland. (We moved from South Africa) but generally have been friendly and very helpful.
Can not say I have seen dirty toilets in restaurants!!

Regarding houses, if the house is realistically priced, it will sell. I work for an auctioneer and we have houses that have been on the market for months, but their price is too high and the sellers wont face reality!
The market here is a bit slow as there are stamp duty issues to be finalised by government,but once that is settled , will pick up again (hopefully)

We live our in the country and have a child in a country school. I could not ask for a better school and the kids here have a great quality of life in spite of the weather. The summers are great and everyone make s the best of the long evenings.
I certainly do not regret my move.
Jen

moppet30

Irelandexile

Your not English so wouldn't have a problem, there racism is against the English for things that happened hundreds of years ago and they can't let go of and very much exists.

The toilets are among the worst i've ever seen and i've travelled a huge amount often in the mens (told by my hubby) you could do with wellies.