Thanks Jetblue.Loneliness is not really an issue. I don't suffer from it as I am quite happy in my own company whilst at the same time I am not anti- social.Nor indeed is the weather as I go out when it's fine and stay in when the weather is really bad.To answer your question,yes,both my wife and I are taking early retirement for various reasons and are looking to live a life away from estates,traffic hustle and bustle etc.I have visited and stayed in Clare many times over the last twenty or more years, so am happy with our choice of destination but would love an insider's view.I know for example that even within my own area here in Dublin there are places that are, shall we say, nicer than others but you wouldn't know that unless you lived here.