Chademma
3/31/2016 20:28 EST
Hi,
I was after some positive opinions on moving to Ireland from Australia. My wife was born over there and we visit on average every 18 months. We had a little test a couple of years ago and stayed for 5 months. The kids went to school and loved it. We were always going back home at that time but it got us thinking. Everytime we go over we like to go and see another country because everything is so close and that is part of the reason we would like to move over there. Australia is so far away from everything. A lot of people think we are mad, moving from Queensland to Ireland. Australia is beautiful but so are other places. Australia is so expensive and not the same as it used to be. A trip to Sydney for week would be 3 times the price of going to another country in Europe for a week. I just want some families opinions on their lives. I know Australia seems attract but it's not all about the big houses and sunshine that can make for a happy life.
Cheers, Chad
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FlowerFairy
4/1/2016 03:34 EST
Hello, I had a long message drafted but then it disappeared, I will do my best to redo! We are in our 60s and sold up in Australia (Magnetic Island) and came to Ireland in February 2015 for the very same reasons you are contemplating. We have travelled to Israel, Cuba, Barcelona, Altea, Prague and Puglia since being here. BUT there are two dirty great flies in the ointment. ONE the Irish real estate is dysfunctional. We have travelled more than 32,000kms seeking 'our' home from Co. Kilkenny to Co. Kerry, made 5 offers and spent money on 4 building surveys and are still without a home. TWO the weather. I can honestly say out of the 14 months we have been here, it has rained for a good 11 months. The locals assure us that 2015 was the worst year for weather but 2016 looks as if it is heading the same way. Don't ignore the importance of sun. We expected rain and were not looking for summer days in the high 20s, 18degC would have been nice but these are very thin on the ground. Summer is a fleeting moment. We are based in West Cork (Sheeps Head Peninsula) where the scenery is stunning and when the sun does shine it is glorious. I did two years of research and was in contact with real estate agents while still in Australia but it is not what is shown in listings, it is what is not shown that proves problematic (I am sure you will be able to find some of my comments within this forum). My mother was Irish and my husband is Northern Irish and we lived in Northern Ireland before going to Australia in 1971.. We are in the process of returning to Australia. I am gutted as it was my dream to base ourselves in Ireland to enable us to travel to Europe and beyond. We have agonised and argued but in the end the decision has been made to return. (Also the current situation in Europe the influx of 100,000s of illegals, threat of terrorism etc also went into the decision making). I do not regret the journey, at least we will not live the rest of our days asking "What if?" but it has been a very costly exercise - renting, heating and day-t0-day costs are expensive (though food is roughly the same but toiletries are very expensive). Rentals too are expensive, thin on the ground and I would not commit to a rental 'sight unseen'. I understand everyone's experience is different, we too were warned, even the locals think we are mad to have left Australia - half of Ireland would decamp to Australia if they had a chance but there too life is not perfect. We hated the obsession with consumerism in Australia. I have waffled on enough and I am sure you will make your own decision. Whatever that is "Good Luck" and often one has to experience things/places themselves as every person is looking for their own 'ideal' and one man's meat is another man's poison. "Good Luck".
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FlowerFairy
4/1/2016 03:42 EST
Hi again Chad. Just reread your post and you were looking for other families' opinions not a couple of OAPs (though young at heart). You also have been to Ireland on a regular basis and know about costs etc. Sorry to have waffled on in your 'ear'!
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DebAckley
4/1/2016 18:13 EST
We just moved over from NY. I have Irish citizenship thru my grandfather...we sold our house, gave away a ton of stuff, and went for it. We've visited a dozen or so times....like you...we wanted to see Europe, check into family history, etc. Go for it...you can always go home!
Cheers!
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FlowerFairy
4/2/2016 03:09 EST
Exactly you can always return and at least you will have experienced it and not keep thinking "What if?" Also, it will be a good learning curve, education for your children.
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Chademma
4/2/2016 22:29 EST
No need to apologise ?? It's great that people take the time to comment and it's a shame that your experience wasn't a better one for you. I hope it all goes well with the move back to Australia.
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Chademma
4/2/2016 22:36 EST
Thanks ?? My wife is a British citizen so is moving there is no problem ( with visas etc we've looked into what we need ) but we would prefer to live in the south rather than the north of Ireland.
I hope it's working out well for you ??
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FlowerFairy
4/3/2016 01:38 EST
Thanks. I still have mixed feelings about returning but the die is cast and we gave it a fair go. At our age one cannot just keep floating aimlessly, for one it costs too much money. Hopefully once back Downunder we will still be able to manage a trip or two to the northern hemisphere, there is so much of the world yet to see. All the best,
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KevinfromKinsaleviaNYC
4/4/2016 14:24 EST
Deb. I am also from New York currently living in Manhattan. Where in Ireland did you settle?
I bought an apartment in Kinsale, County Cork but will rent it until I am ready to retire in a few years. I know there is a strong Irish-America network in New York. Do you know of any other New Yorkers that might share a similar interest in living in Ireland? I would love to share thoughts with them.
Best of luck with your new life in Ireland,
Kevin Callaghan
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Mellis5910
4/4/2016 14:30 EST
Kevin, I've just sent you an invitation to a group which I help moderate, There are many people in comparable situations and we are discussing everyone's experiences in light of the new 50,000K a year policy. The policy is currently under review and I for one am hopeful that a more reasonable policy will replace it in the near future.
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clam
4/4/2016 16:34 EST
I am one of those newyorkers trying to relocate to ireland .. in dublin now about to send my application to INIS... after paying an irish accountant €1000 to tabulate & certify docs from US banks, etc showing I meet the min of 50,000 per yr income ( plus apparently a min of 180,000 immediately accessible cash ) another necessary step in the new system for obtaining residency as a Non EU retiree ... which I understand is only good for 12 months, , Needing to reapply each yr for at least 5 yrs... In short , a lot of work and expense to relocate, with no guarantee application will be approved. as have been told there are reviewed on case by case basis .. Would be grand to learn there will be some changes in the system to make this application process less challenging and costly .
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DebAckley
4/4/2016 22:40 EST
Hi Kevin...We are not too far...in Co Kerry near Caherdaniel. By the way Pete and I are originally from LI Cheers
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KevinfromKinsaleviaNYC
4/4/2016 23:40 EST
Small world - literally. I got as far as Sneem in my house search. Caherdaniel must be beautiful. If you find an amazing building site near you, please let me know. Best of luck.
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DebAckley
4/4/2016 23:51 EST
Hi....we won't be building. We are renting a home that overlooks the water...the owners built it about 12 years ago...it took them I think 7 years to get approved by the planning council ( I think that's what they call it). We would like to buy a small place, but the mortgage rules here are a lot different than the US. The weather has been beautiful here...compared to where we left ( outside of Syracuse) where there was snow yesterday..lol!
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KevinfromKinsaleviaNYC
7/12/2016 14:54 EST
clam,
May I ask how things are working out for you? Has your permission to stay been granted
You mentioned needing to reapply each year for at least 5 years. Do you think you can qualify for permanent residency or citizenship? I thought that was no longer an option under Stamp 0.
Hope you are enjoying a beautiful summer in Ireland.
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FlowerFairy
7/12/2016 18:42 EST
Hi folks
In reverse: returning to Australia from Ireland. We have ended up in Metung, East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.
Must be some kind of record: flew in 12 June, signed contract 27 June and collect keys 12 August.
https://goo.gl/photos/6Phwzwjr7xF42L268
Morning walk along the Boardwalk:
https://goo.gl/photos/EeX8tbSGXBc7WFQJ7
Loving Metung.
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DonieHoran
7/13/2016 15:07 EST
Greetings Fairy Flower from the old Country,the Emerald Isle. Personally delighted that things have worked out well for you guys & that you appear to have property heaven back in Australia.
Thanks for sharing your post - wishing you all the very best for the future - I hope that you have a great life ahead & that you get great enjoyment from your newly acquired property.
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FlowerFairy
7/13/2016 18:23 EST
Many thanks Donie and keep up the good work of being 'Font of all Knowledge' to the newbies!
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thetyrrells
8/1/2016 10:55 EST
Hi Chad, we are a family of 5 (kids are 5, 3 & 1) who moved from Perth 6 months ago. We are in south Dublin and we really do like it here. The weather surely is depressing at times and it still baffles me that you can go days without seeing a bit of blue sky. But as you've been here before I'm sure you know what you're in for weather wise. We had a couple of "teething" problems when we first arrived such as car insurance, don't buy a car unless you have your no claim bonus you can transfer over from oz. This was something we didn't know about until we had already bought a car and if we couldn't provide the letter our insurance would have been over €7k! Instead it was 2k as I did not have an Irish drivers licence. Also, depending on where you are looking at living rent is rather expensive. We love where we are in Dublin, it's the perfect location for us. So many walks and rides for the kids, we go days without using the car and shop at our local villages after walking my daughter school. It's a lovely change from having to drive everywhere like back in Perth, which I imagine qld is similar.
Our kids have adjusted well. We were worried about schooling here. Schools are much different here and don't seem to have progressed in their ways for many years. My daughter is in the equivalent to kindy and they sit at a desk 90% of the time. They haven't seemed to have adopted the play based learning, however that is probably moreso because of the class sizes and funding. Luckily my daughter is super confident and slotted in brilliantly mid year. She did struggle with the lack of play, sports, art/craft etc but she can read and write on par with a year 1 back in Oz. We were going to change schools to a private school, but we will keep her in for this next year and see how things go. But this may not be of much concern to you depending on your kids ages.
I think overall we have settled in well and it is a great experience for the kids. If there's anything else you're questioning pleas let me know ????
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