Moving out of Dublin - pros and cons?

Cyrstal said:
I moved out of Dublin 1.5 years ago and have never looked back!!

Pros
No traffic problems
Being able to go to Post Office, the Dry Cleaners AND the butchers all in the one day AFTER work!!! This would have had to be done over a couple of evenings in Dublin!!
Nicer, bigger home, for a quarter of the price I would have got in Dublin
Nicer environment(imho) to bring up kids
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i live in dublin and i can do this - plus go to work, butchers, pharmacy, bakery, school, creche, library all within 10 min walk of home. i lived in the country while growing up, and dont think i'd ever like to return to a car dependant place again. ok, i dont live in a 4000sq foot house that only cost 200grand to build, but like others have said, if you're happy with your lot, good luck to you.

mind you - i know many many people who live outside of dublin with HUGE commutes, because there just isn't the choic of jobs available
 
Biggest con re moving to the west is that effectively it's a one way street -- you won't be able to get back on the property ladder if you change your mind and want to return.

I would recommend anyone thinking of the change to rent out their home in Dublin for a year and rent a place in the west, to see if you like it. If you are from there originally it might be different, but if you are from Dublin you should consider the issues in the event that you might want to move back.
 
auto320 said:
Biggest con re moving to the west is that effectively it's a one way street -- you won't be able to get back on the property ladder if you change your mind and want to return.
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Why not? Have they erected checkpoints at Newlands Cross? I'm sure people move from "the west" to Dublin all the time?
 
HelloJed said:
It always surprises me how vitriolic some people who live in Dublin are against the place. There's an easy solution - change jobs, work remotely, life is too short to live in a place you hate!

(Unless you're a martyr, which I suspect some of you anti-Dubliners are) ;)
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I totally agree, I am from the West originally and people down there who have never even lived in Dublin are always giving out about it.
i cannot understand the complete hatred?? What's that all about?
Noones asking them to live here.

Personally I would hate to live in the countryside, I grew up there and coudlnt wait to get away. I've never looked back. But I dont feel the need to slag off the choices of other people who choose to live there. That's their choice.

Why can't people be happy with what they want to do and let everyone else get on with their own lives? Whe can't people realise that we all like different things?

Some people love the tranquility of the coutry but for others the bussle of the city is what excites them, can we not accept that we all just like different things?

to put my view on the arguement, I think alot of people have a very romantic view of countrylife!!

The reality is often not so sweet.
Certainly you get a bigger house, but there's more to life that the size of your house - there is for me anyway.

A bigger house for me would not compensate for loosing all the facilities and amenities I have learnt to love so much.

There is a misconception that everyone in Dublin commutes for hours everyday. I think people in the commuterzome have it hard but people who actually live in Dublin don't. I commute 40 mins each way. Still leaves me loads of time to go to pharmacy etc!!

My friends in Mayo commute on average an hour each way, many more than an hour and a half each way daily!

They have to travel to Galway for 'decent' restaurants and shops etc
The social scene is very poor, the pubs only really catering for underagers. There are not many residents between 20-40 so you are hoping to meet people similar to yourself. It's not so easy!

there are pros and cons to eveerything, my only advise is prioritise what's important to you, only you can know that. One persons dealbreaker, is irrelevant to someone else, and good luck whatever your decision.
 
I am from the country, in the west of Ireland, and after 7 years in Dublin I now live in the country again, and I love it. For me though it's because it's who I am, it's where I'm from etc. so I always wanted to get back. I don't believe I could suggest to a Dublin native to move though, because they might feel about their homeplace like I feel about mine, i.e. it's the best place on earth to live!

I agree that we shouldn't assume other people's choices are wrong, just because we don't agree with them. A friend of a friend was down from Clondalkin last week. One of the first things she said on greeting me was "Jaysus, some of the places we passed through to get down here I was thinking how the hell could anyone live here - it would be my worst nightmare". Instead of telling her to go right back where she came from, I decided to let her stay for the weekend, but pointed out to her immediately that my worst nightmare would be having to live in Clondalkin with houses stuck on to mine, houses at the back of mine etc., queues of car in the morning just to get out of your housing estate etc. Suffice to say she kept her opinions to herself after that. I do think it shocked her though that people didn't think Clondalkin and urban living was the bees knees. I think good luck to you wherever you live, but don't slag off other peoples choices just because they aren't in line with your own.
 
I have lived in Galway for the last 14yrs & wouldn't move. Lived in Bray up to that & Wexford before that, though from Carlow originally.

You can be happy anywhere ...entirely up to yourself to make the most of what you've got.

Plenty of pubs & restaurants in Galway. Lots of live music - though I agree the big gigs are in Dublin. Good cinemas& shops & for the ladies I believe the hairdressers, beauticians etc cost a lot less here than Dublin.

From where I live city centre 15mins drive, beach &/or connemara 15mins drive & I work a 10min drive from home (because I live the same side of the city). I have a lovely view of Galway bay from my bedroom window & for me that's hard to beat.

Priorities vary & I would agree with Auto. Try it first, rental for your house in Dublin would well cover renting in Galway. It would be difficult to buy again in Dublin should you want to return so at least that way you can keep your options open. I haven't changed jobs in a long time so not sure what the availibilities are in that line.
 
noc1 said:
i live in dublin and i can do this - plus go to work, butchers, pharmacy, bakery, school, creche, library all within 10 min walk of home. i lived in the country while growing up, and dont think i'd ever like to return to a car dependant place again. ok, i dont live in a 4000sq foot house that only cost 200grand to build, but like others have said, if you're happy with your lot, good luck to you.

mind you - i know many many people who live outside of dublin with HUGE commutes, because there just isn't the choic of jobs available
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Just speaking from my experience when living in Dublin! Lived there for 8 years, in two locations in the city centre and two locations in the suburbs....worked and lived in the city centre and wasn't able to do all the above in the one evening!!!

I have friends(living in Dublin) who think we live out in the sticks and feel half sorry for us :) (We live in a big town outside Dublin) I would be absolutely gutted if I had to move back. It's definitely a case of different strokes for different folks!
 
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Cyrstal said:
I have friends(living in Dublin) who think we live out in the sticks and feel half sorry for us :) (We live in a big town outside Dublin) I would be absolutely gutted if I had to move back. It's definitely a case of different strokes for different folks!
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Do you mind me asking Cyrstal why you would be gutted to have to move back to Dublin? What is it about living outside of Dublin that is attractive for you?
 
NDP, I would be gutted to move back to Dublin for a number of reasons!!

1. I own my own house where I live, this house would cost over a million in Dublin, I would never be able to afford that

2. The cost of childcare(since Baby Cyrstal arrived this is a big priority) I get my child minded for 520 a month, as opposed to the costs of 1000 or thereabouts it would cost in Dublin. Child minder lives 5 mins away

3. Schools, have a choice of about 5/6 national schools, all within close distance, and won't be caught in mad traffic jams getting to anyone of them

4. The convenience of living in a large town - no mad traffic jams, doesn't take hours to get to the Post Office, butcher etc etc, like I said in a previous post which was what was the norm for me when I lived in Dublin

5. I loved the buzz around Dublin when I lived there - but priorities have changed since baby arrived!! No more gigs, or out on a night out a drop of the hat!!!! I still go to Dublin a good bit, but involves arranging baby sitters etc etc....I'm not that far from Dublin either, so feel I get the best of both worlds, the convenience of country living, but close to Dublin when I need the shopping fix or city atmosphere fix!

6. Support of family!!! Am living in area where my Mr Cyrstal is from, so have great support here, again, very much appreciated since baby arrived.

7. When we do get out and about, everything is less expensive, pints, taxis, cinema, eating out....

Think that about sums it up for me!!!
 
I remember once saying to a friend who was thinking of moving back to Roscommon, that the thing that'd be nice for her was cycling would be more pleasant and she cracked up laughing, & said that "if you cycled more than 3 or 4 miles to commute, people would think you were crackers, coz everyone used cars". I was surprised by this. And similarly maybe people in small towns think people in Dublin live horrendous lives but Not everyone in Dublin is stuck in traffic jams. I bet there's a lot of people living healthier, more relaxed lives in Dublin than those in rural areas. My brother lives in a rural area, but he has to drive 10 or 15 minutes in order to go for a walk.

As for me, i think i'm a total west-brit. I think I'd rather live in an English city than have to live outside Dublin in a smaller town (Galway perhaps being the exception).
 
Cyrstal said:
Just speaking from my experience when living in Dublin! Lived there for 8 years, in two locations in the city centre and two locations in the suburbs....worked and lived in the city centre and wasn't able to do all the above in the one evening!!!

I have friends(living in Dublin) who think we live out in the sticks and feel half sorry for us :) (We live in a big town outside Dublin) I would be absolutely gutted if I had to move back. It's definitely a case of different strokes for different folks!
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sorry - wasn't suggesting i'd ACTUALLY go to all of those places in the evening!! just that they are all very close by....:)
 
One thing to be aware of -- it's a buyers market for housing in many rural areas right now. The market may have slowed in Dublin and large centres, but in some rural towns the only thing moving is the tax designated property. I have a friend who was looking for a property in the north Roscommon area, and he found that while auctioneers were "holding the line" to some extent on prices, approaches to house owners provided staggering discounts of as much as 30%. A certain desperation seems to be creeping in with people who have had houses on the market for a couple of years and need to sell.

The downside of this of course is that if you decide to sell up and move back to Dublin, you might be stuck!
 
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My sister lives in Sligo. It is nice and everything with spectacular surrounding countryside but to be honest I find it to be a bit too small, grim, cold, parochial, too far north and more of a country town than a small city. Myself, I live in Limerick city.... great looking city, chock-a-block with history, shopping galore, theatre, cinema, dance, good restaurants, great air /rail /bus links, nearby accessible countryside of county limerick, clare, cork, tipp, good job and career oportunities, a great buzz about what the city is becoming and still comparatively reasonable house prices.......
 
city girl said:
My sister lives in Sligo. It is nice and everything with spectacular surrounding countryside but to be honest I find it to be a bit too small, grim, cold, parochial, too far north and more of a country town than a small city. Myself, I live in Limerick city.... great looking city, chock-a-block with history, shopping galore, theatre, cinema, dance, good restaurants, great air /rail /bus links, nearby accessible countryside of county limerick, clare, cork, tipp, good job and career oportunities, a great buzz about what the city is becoming and still comparatively reasonable house prices.......
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I find all of these things in Sligo too, and Sligo town has always been very cosmopolitan attracting lots of nationalities and artists for 20/30 years now. The arts scene has always been particularly strong.
 
Not trying to be defensive about my native town :) but what Trafford said is true - Sligo does have all these things! I also find it strange to hear it described as 'grim' - the weather is undeniably appalling 11 and a half months a year - but I always thought it was quite a pretty town and that its setting was beautiful. I guess it depends on your perspective. I ache for the ever-changing mountains I used to see out my bedroom window, I miss the wildness of the sea and the peace of Lough Gill and how easy it was to find a forest to walk in.

If it had all that and no amenities, I can see why it wouldn't appeal, but if you add in regular trains and buses to Dublin, buses to Galway and other towns, its own airport, a few theatres, a large cinema, plenty of arts and culture events and sports clubs, a thriving local IT, a yacht club and two golf clubs, several spas and hotels and relatively moderate house-prices, both in the county and in the neighbouring counties...

God, I wish I could move home! :D
 
interesting thread.

have been half entertaining the idea of moving to sligo recently. probably would be looking to live somewhere north of sligo like drumcliff, rathcormack, grange, cliffony.

most people who have posted on the positives have mentioned family, childcare etc.

what about a single person moving down? (job would not be a factor - might be able to transfer to a similar role, same money etc - swap apartment for a house).

pros - big into surfing and golfing and these would be much easier in sligo - golf club membership (i assume - no research done) would be much cheaper and surfing - well, it would safe me driving to bundoran every second weekend.

cons - moving away from friends and family (thats a personal choice and i dont need advice on that)

on my own. difficult to make friends? - some said its a clique town? someone else said there's few people between 20 and 40? what is that based on? anecdotal evidence or the recently released CSO stats?
long dreary winters?
a slow (or maybe fast) spiral into alcoholism if there's no social scene except pubs?!

i actually spend a lot of time around bundoran and grange and i like the towns between sligo and bundoran - i dont like bundoran as it reminds me of the 80's in mosney - and also - and sorry for offence caused - but sligo, particularly at night - strikes me as an awful kip of a place.

any thoughts?
 
Harlequin said:
Not trying to be defensive about my native town :) but what Trafford said is true - Sligo does have all these things! I also find it strange to hear it described as 'grim' - the weather is undeniably appalling 11 and a half months a year - but I always thought it was quite a pretty town and that its setting was beautiful. I guess it depends on your perspective. I ache for the ever-changing mountains I used to see out my bedroom window, I miss the wildness of the sea and the peace of Lough Gill and how easy it was to find a forest to walk in.

If it had all that and no amenities, I can see why it wouldn't appeal, but if you add in regular trains and buses to Dublin, buses to Galway and other towns, its own airport, a few theatres, a large cinema, plenty of arts and culture events and sports clubs, a thriving local IT, a yacht club and two golf clubs, several spas and hotels and relatively moderate house-prices, both in the county and in the neighbouring counties...

God, I wish I could move home! :D
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I really don't mean to sound like a smart a*se, but why don't you move home then?? I think if i really REALLY wanted to live some place, then i'd move - even if that meant getting a job that paid less, or with less opportunities to move job etc. Theres always re-training (if you're young enough)...
 
Because I'm in college in Dublin.

Because I can't do the job I've wanted to do since I was 11 years old unless I live near Dublin.

Because my partner and his entire family lives here and I live with him and I wouldn't uproot him for the world.

Just because I prefer my hometown to the place I live now and love many, many things about Sligo doesn't mean I'd give up all the other things I want from my life. I chose to leave Sligo nine years ago and I don't regret it. If I could move back, I probably would. But it isn't possible for me to move there without losing out hugely.
 
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