EdamAnchorman Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 (edited) Help me, WATMM. The wife and I would like to retire in Ireland primarily because the climate, culture, and natural surroundings suit us well (plus, my wife can get an Irish passport since her grandfather was born there). We're looking to buy soon and were wondering where are the best areas in terms of climate and other considerations. Here are some of our desires: We would like to be on or near the coast, hopefully with a view of the ocean. We don't need to be near any big cities, we're OK being near smaller towns. Ireland is pretty drivable compared to the US which is what we're used to. Annual rain and sunshine data suggest that Kerry would be not so good, which is a shame because it's a beautiful area. There seems to be a sweet spot between Galway and Dingle. The southern coast looks OK, too, but I haven't had a chance to visit Cork or the area east of that yet. Not sure how much difference there is in length of daylight from the north to south, but it would be nice to have more daylight, especially in winter. Rainfall: Sunny days: Edited April 29 by EdamAnchorman 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iococoi Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 changing/tipping of the gulf stream would be a big problem for ireland. this is no science fiction ... https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/1anew81/atlantic_ocean_circulation_nearing_devastating/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droid Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 It would be a big problem for the whole of Northern Europe, not to mention the rest of the planet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droid Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 (edited) But in answer to the original questions. Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, all good. I wouldn't get too close to the coast. Johnstown in Wexford gets the most sunshine. Kerry does get a lot of rain, but it also milder all year round and gets the best of the sun, there's some strange little microclimates down there as well. General rule of thumb is that the west tends to be more barren and wild, with more unpredictable weather, the south and south east are lusher. One thing to bear in mind is that property is extremely expensive due to lack of supply and foreign investors buying up all the new houses. Even small regional towns have experienced insane price rises. The best advice would really be to take an extended trip and take a good look around in person. Edited April 29 by droid 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdamAnchorman Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 2 hours ago, droid said: But in answer to the original questions. Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, all good. I wouldn't get too close to the coast. Johnstown in Wexford gets the most sunshine. Kerry does get a lot of rain, but it also milder all year round and gets the best of the sun, there's some strange little microclimates down there as well. General rule of thumb is that the west tends to be more barren and wild, with more unpredictable weather, the south and south east are lusher. One thing to bear in mind is that property is extremely expensive due to lack of supply and foreign investors buying up all the new houses. Even small regional towns have experienced insane price rises. The best advice would really be to take an extended trip and take a good look around in person. Thanks for the info, it's very helpful. I guess I'm just looking for the kind of idiosyncratic advice that only comes from people who have lived there they're whole lives. We have taken a few trips, last time we drove from Dublin over to Roscommon (stayed a little) then up to Bushmills (stayed a few days), then down through Londonderry, Sligo, and Westport (stayed there a little). Then we went down to Valentia island and spent some time there. We did experience the most rain in the southwest, but it was the type of rain I can deal with (not the downpours we get in the states). We do want to be on the coast as the whole point of retiring there would be to have something really nice to look at and/or do each day, and we both like the coast. We'll have to deal with the property values but hopefully it won't be an issue as we're already living in one of the most expensive places in the northeast so selling our home here should cover a nice house over there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droid Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 Sure, Im just suggesting that you don't wanna get too close to the coast. Sea level rise is already affecting the south east quite badly. There's a lot of beautiful lakes in the north midlands if thats something you're into, it'll be a lot cheaper there as well. Wherever you go in Ireland its gonna be wet and dark half the year, and wet and sunny the other half. I heard recently of normal 3 bed houses in Kenmare going for €6-700,000 due to massive overbidding by foreigners looking for holiday homes, but if you stay away from the most well known tourist spots you should be able to find something reasonably priced. There's thousands of dilapidated cottages down hidden boreens if you wanted to refurbish as well. 1 hour ago, EdamAnchorman said: Londonderry Ahem. Derry, just Derry. Theres a good subreddit on this topic: moving to Ireland - might be worth checking out. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdamAnchorman Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 (edited) 1 hour ago, droid said: Sure, Im just suggesting that you don't wanna get too close to the coast. Sea level rise is already affecting the south east quite badly. There's a lot of beautiful lakes in the north midlands if thats something you're into, it'll be a lot cheaper there as well. Wherever you go in Ireland its gonna be wet and dark half the year, and wet and sunny the other half. I heard recently of normal 3 bed houses in Kenmare going for €6-700,000 due to massive overbidding by foreigners looking for holiday homes, but if you stay away from the most well known tourist spots you should be able to find something reasonably priced. There's thousands of dilapidated cottages down hidden boreens if you wanted to refurbish as well. Ahem. Derry, just Derry. Theres a good subreddit on this topic: moving to Ireland - might be worth checking out. Lol sorry. That's just the kind of info I was looking for, thanks. I'll check out the subreddit. We did see that the government is offering incentives for refurbishing dilapidated cottages / houses and we have explored that as well. Most move-in-ready places we've been seeing in areas we're searching have been between €3 - 500,000. These places have been far from tourist areas and the houses near the coast have all been relatively high on cliffs and far enough back where there's still an ocean view but the risk is lower. Here's a few that caught our eye, this is what we're looking for roughly https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-knockaveelish-dunmore-east-co-waterford/5667900 https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-cloona-westport-co-mayo/5650084 https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-kilkerrin-connemara/5360967 Edited April 29 by EdamAnchorman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobDobalina Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 lol, I remember daft.ie!! Mrs Dob and I are american by birth and lived/worked/studied in Dublin for 2 years (this was over a decade ago now and before kids arrived). Great experience that I look back on fondly. Like your wife I have Irish citizenship by ancestry, which made the whole arrive and stay process work. My only piece of advice would be to get started on the passport process asap, it can really take some time especially if she has to get her foreign births registration first. 1 hour ago, droid said: Wherever you go in Ireland its gonna be wet and dark half the year, and wet and sunny the other half. QFT! 1 hour ago, droid said: Ahem. Derry, just Derry. Lovely town, when I was over there I worked on a cross-border transportation study in the northwest, and I also fondly remember having to tiptoe around this shite! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droid Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 36 minutes ago, EdamAnchorman said: Lol sorry. That's just the kind of info I was looking for, thanks. I'll check out the subreddit. We did see that the government is offering incentives for refurbishing dilapidated cottages / houses and we have explored that as well. Most move-in-ready places we've been seeing in areas we're searching have been between €3 - 500,000. These places have been far from tourist areas and the houses near the coast have all been relatively high on cliffs and far enough back where there's still an ocean view but the risk is lower. Here's a few that caught our eye, this is what we're looking for roughly https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-knockaveelish-dunmore-east-co-waterford/5667900 https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-cloona-westport-co-mayo/5650084 https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-kilkerrin-connemara/5360967 Dunmore is a nice spot, nice house as well, shame about the pine interior. Im a big fan of Westport, its a lovely town and there's some gorgeous scenery both north and south, but it will be pretty wet and wild. Connemara would be the most isolated of those options. If I was in your position id be putting aside an extra 50-100,000 to add solar panels, batteries and a heat pump, and enjoy (mostly) free heat and electricity for the duration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud capture Posted April 29 Share Posted April 29 43 minutes ago, EdamAnchorman said: Lol sorry. That's just the kind of info I was looking for, thanks. I'll check out the subreddit. We did see that the government is offering incentives for refurbishing dilapidated cottages / houses and we have explored that as well. Most move-in-ready places we've been seeing in areas we're searching have been between €3 - 500,000. These places have been far from tourist areas and the houses near the coast have all been relatively high on cliffs and far enough back where there's still an ocean view but the risk is lower. Here's a few that caught our eye, this is what we're looking for roughly https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-knockaveelish-dunmore-east-co-waterford/5667900 https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-cloona-westport-co-mayo/5650084 https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-kilkerrin-connemara/5360967 all three are beautiful, but that 2nd one, wow. The views, every window looks like a painting. Best of luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdamAnchorman Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 (edited) Thanks, everyone, all great advice. This is maybe the nicest one we've seen yet. That's about as close to the coast as I'd wanna get. The view from that dining room and deck is exactly what I want when I retire. https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/bungalow-dreenagh-ballyheigue-co-kerry/5608983 And yeah Westport was great, we spent about 4 days there. It was the perfect kind of town for us. It was the first time my brother and his family got to experience a true Irish pub with the music and crowds and everything, was a lot of fun. Edited April 29 by EdamAnchorman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Sumbitches Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 (edited) On 4/29/2024 at 4:35 PM, droid said: Wherever you go in Ireland its gonna be wet and dark half the year, and wet and sunny the other half. Yeah, this. Don't rule out Northern Ireland, OP- the cost of living is lower than the rest of the UK and you get many of the benefits of living in the Republic- gorgeous scenery, friendly people, never really being more than half an hour's drive from deep countryside. Lots of interesting historical sites to explore (and the fascinating, grim, murky history of the Troubles, too). It has its quirks, frustrations and idiosyncracies (and a shamefully inept/embarrassing government), but speaking as someone who's lived here my whole life, it's a beautiful place. Some of the scenery on the North Coast is world-class, and we tend to just take it for granted. Another thing we take for granted here- the food. It may not apply if you're veggie/vegan, but with most of the country being so rural, really high quality meat, dairy, and seafood are on your doorstep, whenever you want them, and they're generally from within, like, a 40-mile radius. The flipside of being a small, largely rural, tight-knit country is that it can be incredibly provincial at times. Things are getting better though. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when it'll happen but a united Ireland feels inevitable (although we're looking at a 'within my lifetime' rather than 'immediate future' timescale), so sooner or later NI will be part of 'proper Ireland' anyway. Property prices in NI are creeping up but aren't quite at London/Dublin levels of insanity yet; not sure what things are like outside Belfast/Derry. It's definitely worth considering as you scope out your options; good luck! On 4/29/2024 at 4:35 PM, droid said: Ahem. Derry, just Derry. Also this Edited April 30 by Leon Sumbitches 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdamAnchorman Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 3 hours ago, Leon Sumbitches said: Yeah, this. Don't rule out Northern Ireland, OP- the cost of living is lower than the rest of the UK and you get many of the benefits of living in the Republic- gorgeous scenery, friendly people, never really being more than half an hour's drive from deep countryside. Lots of interesting historical sites to explore (and the fascinating, grim, murky history of the Troubles, too). It has its quirks, frustrations and idiosyncracies (and a shamefully inept/embarrassing government), but speaking as someone who's lived here my whole life, it's a beautiful place. Some of the scenery on the North Coast is world-class, and we tend to just take it for granted. Another thing we take for granted here- the food. It may not apply if you're veggie/vegan, but with most of the country being so rural, really high quality meat, dairy, and seafood are on your doorstep, whenever you want them, and they're generally from within, like, a 40-mile radius. The flipside of being a small, largely rural, tight-knit country is that it can be incredibly provincial at times. Things are getting better though. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when it'll happen but a united Ireland feels inevitable (although we're looking at a 'within my lifetime' rather than 'immediate future' timescale), so sooner or later NI will be part of 'proper Ireland' anyway. Property prices in NI are creeping up but aren't quite at London/Dublin levels of insanity yet; not sure what things are like outside Belfast/Derry. It's definitely worth considering as you scope out your options; good luck! Also this Thanks for your insight! My wife (and then me by extension) can only get an Irish passport, so I'm not sure how NI would work but I did notice that the border was essentially non-existent when we crossed it. I only knew we crossed it because I paid for something in euro and received change in pounds. We did get to see giant's causeway, which was beautiful. And the food was great all over the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droid Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Quote There are separate arrangements for Irish citizens, who will continue to benefit from the Common Travel Area. If you hold Irish citizenship (including dual British and Irish citizenship) you do not need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. Your family members who are not Irish citizens or British citizens will need to apply to the scheme and can do so regardless of whether you apply. https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/staying-northern-ireland-if-youre-eu-citizen ofc, there's loads of beauty in the North, Im particularly fond of the Drumlins of Monaghan and Fermanagh, and I was very taken with the Sperrins when I walked there a few years back. Donegal is amazing as well - weatherwise, not so great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdamAnchorman Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 So much thanks and cheers to everyone for providing thoughts and insights! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usagi Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 (edited) On 4/30/2024 at 1:35 AM, droid said: Wherever you go in Ireland its gonna be wet and dark half the year, and wet and sunny the other half. so, not ideal for motorcyclists. I was thinking about doing a trip at some point but rain is my mortal enemy. Edited May 1 by usagi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droid Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 8 minutes ago, usagi said: so, not ideal for motorcyclists. I was thinking about doing a trip at some point but rain is my mortal enemy. Ah, Ive cycled around half the country. Its fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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