theggs

Wanted to see if I could get some information from anyone who has moved from the States to Dublin or anyone living in Dublin that can give me a feel for the city. My husband is getting transferred in the next 3-6 months and we would like to find an area that we can walk to cafes, restaurants, grocery stores, etc. We have a 10 month baby and would like a community that is kid friendly. Ideally, I'd like to be car free. So, if you could suggests area that have great public transport, kid friendly, walking community, and the homes/flats that have decent finishes. It would be great if you could tell me about good groceries stores, baby stores for diapers, baby items, etc, discount stores such as Ross/TJ Maxx/Marshalls. Any recommendations for buying meat? Are the farmer markets worth it? Furniture stores, anything similar to Pottery Barn?? Where can you buy appliances such as immersions, kitchenaid mixer, etc. Is the city friendly for bikes (cycling)? Any work-out gyms that you recommendation specifically with the Les Mills Program such as Body Pump, Body Combat, etc. Also, day care. I'd be taking care of my little one but would like to put her in day care part-time. have any suggestions. Anywhere focus on music and art for kids? Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

theggs

Forgot to add, that we'd be moving with our dog. Is the city dog friendly? This was a big thing to forget!

Ackislander

Ummmm. The answers to this are going to be very interesting. I think you are looking for something like Seattle or Wicker Park or Brooklyn. I am not sure how much of it you are going to find. If you do, I'm ready to move too!

spaarne

Do a google search for *american womens club dublin* and for *moving to europe*. There is loads of free info out there.

Padraig

As a Dublin native, albeit not now living in the city, I am at a loss for a way to address this challenge. That is because theggs seems to presume that Dublin will be like an American city or town, or at least wants Dublin interpreted for her in such a way. I can't do that and, if I could, I don't think it would be helpful. Dublin is itself: a touch of Bristish/Irish, a touch of Europe, but mostly it is Dublin.

Give me some clues, theggs, something to work on. Has your husband got a work location? How long might you be staying? Do you propose to rent or to buy a home?

You could get a first impression of the property market (purchase or rental) by browsing through http://www.daft.ie/ or http://www.myhome.ie/ .

flanneruk

Are you really sure you're moving with your dog in 3-6 months' time?

Unless you've already started the testing process needed to get a pet passport (www.agriculture.gov.ie/pets/) you can't.

Forget about trying to recreate your world in a foreign country (you can't do that either). Sort the dog out - or better yet, postpone your posting till you have - right this minute.

Then get your head round rule number one of living abroad. Learn to live in Dublin. Seeking the equivalent of foreign brands no-one's ever heard of will merely frustrate you.

hetismij

I hope you have already started the procedures for your dog to move with you! The same rules apply to the Republic as apply to the UK. You need your dog chipped, then rabies vaccinated, then a blood test to check the titer. If that is good enough it takes another six months of waiting before your dog is (nearly) good to go. $8-24 hours before departure the dog must be de-flead and de-wormed by a vet.

You can read the rules here: http://tinyurl.com/2wcwwty

I'm sure you'll have a great time in Ireland.

theggs

Thank you everyone. It does appear I'd like to re-create my life in Dublin as I live in the US. Your honesty has confirmed that this is not going to be the case, which means, I won't have as bad as a culture shock when we move.

Padraig - My husband will be taking a CEO position located in the City Centre. We are asked to stay 2 years + 1 more. We will not be buying but rather renting. Probably our rental rate would be 2500Euros or less.

Flanne & Hets - My pet is microchipped, titer him yesterday (it will take a month for the results). If we have to leave before 6 months, he will be staying with my mom and I'll come back for him. I'm on it

Padraig - I've done quite a bit of looking on daft.ie before posting. The thing is, I'm not sure what area would allow me the best location for walking to the grocery store, cafes, kids, pets, public transport, etc.

Padraig - It would be great if you could explain Dublin in your perspective. As much as I love my American lifestyle, I'm open to experiencing others too.

Acks - Yeah, Seattle could be great

spaar - thanks for the american women club advice, good start.

Thanks everyone. the ggs

nytraveler

This may be an obvious question - but how many times have you been to Dublin? It would seem foolhardy to commit yourself to any long-term living arrangements without visiting the city at least a couple of times to get a flavor for it overall, various areas - and some idea of the property market. (I would make this your first step - as a reality check.)

Also, I'm not sure where you're from - but the last time I was there rental prices didn't seem much different from NYC - and $2500 a month doesn't get you much at all - certainly not the type of place a CEO with a family would live. (You need to be sure that your husband's company has given him an appropriate cost of living adjustment.)

Just took a quick look at one real estate site and a basic 3 bedroom 2 bath house in Dublin seems to have about US$2500 per month as a minimum rent. Also, much more of the housing seems to be townhouses versus private houses with their own grounds which are the standard in the US. Additionally you might look into the appliance situation - since, again, they're not what you would typically find in a house in the US in many places (seem more like apartment mini-appliances). (I have a client in Switzerland and the US employees who moved there mentioned some of the same things - including the differences in appliances.) And you also need to look into cost of taxes, utilities etc - I'm not sure what is usually included when you rent a property long-term in Ireland.

theggs

Hi NY Traveler,

Thank you for the rental rate reality check. The 2500 Euro budget is a number I threw out there. Next week, he will meet with the HR to determine all the figures. His company has always been good to him. They relocated him to the States 5 years ago and gave him very good terms so I'm assuming they will provide him with reasonably terms this time around. Although, it is good to know that rental rates can be similar to NYC rates.

Yeah, next week, once we know the fiscal package, we will analyze the cost of taxes which seems to be exceptionally high in Ireland. First, 45,400 at 20% and then remainder at 41%. This will definitely be a driving force since we have some good write offs in the states.

In dart.ie, I've seen some of the appliances that look like US appliances but it could be deceiving. I'm familiar with smaller appliances as my husband's family still lives in Europe. 4 people in less than 900 sq.ft.

My preference is to lock into a rental agreement for 1 year with the option to renew the following year. I'm a real estate broker in the states and have read up on Irish real estate, it appears to be very similar to the states approach other than the requirements of being a realtor in Ireland. 1st month's rent, 1 year lease agreement being typical, etc.

Thank you for your points. -the ggs

Roisin1

Do a search here on Fodor's for "Living in Ireland" and you will see a few postings from Jumper22 whose husband was tranferred to Dublin for 3-4 months in 2007. She writes of her experiences of moving and living there with an infant son.

Also she has a post in 2009 about moving to Australia for a year. I have not read this but you may find it helpful as to what to look for and what questions to ask when moving to another country.

Good luck! Would love to read about your experiences, too.

gablues

Hi theeggs, I can give you a few sites that I found helpful (and still use) when I was making my move over here in 2007.

http://www.newtotown.ie/forum/
http://www.movetoireland.com/
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories

There is an American meet-up group in Dublin that is quite active..

http://www.meetup.com/dublin-expats/

Best of luck with your move.

hetismij

Hi Theggs, glad you have the dog thing under control, and have a good temporary home if needed. I didn't want you to find out too late and have to make a tough decision!

As I said I'm sure you'll have a great time in Ireland.

ter2000

Just off the top of my head - if you want to live in a nice area near the city centre I'd start looking at places like Ranelagh (on tram line, about 2 miles out, good shops and schools but v. expensive), Dun Laoghaire (on DART line, beside the sea) or Clontarf (again within two miles of city centre, beside the sea, good restaurants, shops, parks) or Sutton (a bit further north, again by the sea).

In Dublin there is a big north/south divide - the northside is seen as more downmarket than the southside (the southside is considered more upper-class). I'm not going to get into that here, but there are plenty of nice places to live on the northside (like Clontarf or Glasnevin) that are considerably cheaper to rent than their equivalents on the southside. I'm from the northside so I'm a bit biaised - you'll meet people from either side of the Liffey who say that they NEVER set foot on the other side!

If you're open to moving further outside the city then you could consider Howth or Malahide in the North (good DART connections and nice communities - good shops, restaurants and schools). Howth has a good farmers' market on Sundays.

As I said, my area of expertise is the northside and if I had your budget I'd be looking at either Clontarf or Sutton. Just my preference - because I know both well and they're nice places to live.

Every good luck with your move - I hope you enjoy it here.

travelgourmet

I'd wait until you see the compensation package. That €2500 may balloon if your husband's company is generous to ex-pats.

I would also think that they will have a local relocation expert available to you. If they are good, they may offer far more information than you can get here. When we moved abroad, we had a local agent that did all the legroom in finding available apartments, gave us the lowdown on areas, showed us the shopping areas, provided cultural training, expedited the residency permit process, etc. Honestly, it couldn't have been a more hassle-free move.

As to one specific question:

<i>discount stores such as Ross/TJ Maxx/Marshalls.</i>

You will be happy to know that TJX (owner of TJ Maxx and Marshalls) has TK Maxx and HomeSense (HomeGoods analog) in Ireland. My understanding is that they are of a similar concept to their US counterparts.

littlejane

theggs, be careful on the tax side. our top tax rate here is now 55% (you are correct, 41% tax but there are all sorts of levies on top of that).

on the plus side we have tax breaks for foreigners coming to ireland, and a special tax break for high earners coming to work in ireland if they continue to be paid by an overseas employer (may not be possible for all of your husband's income but could be possible for some?)

The best area to live - you've got some good suggestions above. I think it really depends on exactly where your husband's work will be - if you could tell us the street or area we will know what transport connections you will have available and can give better suggestions. Playgroups will follow from that - the city centre creches are almost all full time so if you just want a part time creche / playgroup you will find one in your local area. One place that puts on good activities for kids is the Ark, the childrens cultural centre in Temple Bar - have a google and you will find their schedule for activities over the next few months.

Best of luck with the move! hope you have a ball

Padraig

Commuting by car in Dublin is a PITA -- more so from some places than from others, as it depends on the capacity of different roads. It might be a better idea to choose a location that makes for easy access by public transport using either the DART (suburban rail service) or LUAS (tram). So your husband's work location might be a major determinant of where you can conveniently live. Rentals close to good transport links are a bit higher.

It is normal in Ireland that rented accommodation is fully furnished and equipped. Whether it is to your taste or not is a matter of luck. Let's be realistic: most landlords will go for stuff that is as cheap as they can get away with. I don't mean really bad stuff, but it is likely to be the minimum quality that fits into the appropriate market segment.

Dublin is generally a good place for walking in your neighbourhood, and you will probably find at least a few shops withing strolling distance. More serious shopping tends to happen in shopping centres (we haven't, to any great extent, adopted the word "mall") in retail parks (for hardware, electrical goods, carpets, stuff like that) or in the city centre (we generally don't call it "downtown", but some of us speak of going "into town").

I go along with littlejane: learn where your husband's work location will be, and we can develop ideas from there. I also think nytraveler makes a good point: if you can manage a short reconnaissance visit, it would be very useful.

Padhraicin

I would agree with the person who suggested Ranelagh. I live elsewhere in the city now, but I used live there. It is in walking distance of south side of town, has the restaurants, shops, etc.
is a nice residential area. I think it might suit what you seem to be looking for.
Other areas, maybe on the north side Clontarf - good bus transport system to city and by the sea.

Check out IKEA for household furniture etc., or places like Clerys, Arnotts, Power City, DID, etc for household electrical stuff.

CasaDelCipresso

ok - not Dublin specific at all, but I lived in Ireland (a bit over an hour north of Dublin) for a while when my son was a baby, so I'll chime in (I am married to an Irishman and we go "home" fairly often)

Firstly, this is going to sound really weird, I know, but I was in Dublin about two weeks ago and, for Ireland, I do not find it kid-friendly AT ALL - at least in the city center. What I mean by that is that I saw no other children besides my own!!! take that back - I think I saw one local woman with a stroller the entire couple of days. We actually were laughing about it most of the trip how odd it was. I am sure in the residential "estates" it would be totally different though or in the nicer neighborhoods right outside the center. I can't even think of one playground in the center of Dublin! (as opposed to NYC, or Paris for example..or even Rome or Naples where I see children playing all the time.)

Do you live in a city now? If so, I think Dublin is pretty much (generally anyway - aside from the lack of playgrounds in the center I was noticing) like any major city and I'm sure you'll adjust fine. I might look into a more suburban or countryside existence (with a car!)with a family.

Dublin is pretty bike-friendly (and even has rentals located at various points around town)and they seem to be encouraging it. It's not the most chaotic city - really very calm and sleepy and quiet compared to other major cities (they don't think so though, so don't say it - they tend to think they're all go,) so not an issue.

Tons of restaurants/cafe/coffee shops (huge difference than when I lived there 9 years ago - seems you can get a cappuccino anywhere now! yeah! even Starbucks now)

there are gyms - I know my husband belonged to one even many years ago..can't tell you specifically. They're not as popular as in the US, but not odd either. Most Irish mommies I know "walk" for daily exercise.

Discount stores...yes... "TKMaxx" is what it's called in Ireland (yes, there's one in Dublin) instead of TJMAxx - same company, just a different name. I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Dunnes Stores ;-) just as my Irish sisters-in-law love Target - same idea. (they think I'm terribly scummy to shop there probably) Penny's is another discount place (I don't think it's as nice as Dunnes - cheaper stuff - like wal-mart) Baby/children's stuff is VERY cheap, IMHO in Ireland - much less expensive then in NYC...clothes, strollers, everything -I used to stock up. Day care and children's classes are also VERY inexpensive, IMHO. You won't have a problem. Diaper brands, etc. are the same and everything is easy to get - I had an issue because my baby was on Enfamil low-iron formula...but found I could even get that at the chemist (rather than grocery store.)

I find meat and groceries fairly expensive in Ireland....but they seem to have come down a bit with the economic woes - checked the meat prices in Dublin and they were on par with NYC mostly (chicken always seems expensive there...lamb and fish, obviously, seem cheap to me ;-) )

I think there is an America Women's club I in Dublin - I'd make sure to join that or the Newcomers Club or something - I find Irish women difficult to befriend in general (as an outsider)and it's always helpful to know other people in your same boat. Irish women (and I do know I am generalizing a lot here) tend to have friends they have known their entire lives and family nearby, etc, and just don't move around as much as Americans or as far away and don't have as much need to meet new friends. I also don't know a lot of SAHM's in Ireland - actually, I don't know any my age (30-something) - they all seem to work outside the home. (I'm sure they are out there, I just don't know them)

The tax bracket you mentioned tells me you will have no problems at all...salaries are VERY low in Ireland right no and your husband will be making WAY above the average. I believe it was in the Independent (?) the other day that Ireland was now the cheapest place to hire employees (or one of the cheapest cost for employees - just remember it because I was SO shocked that they were making less, on average, than in Italy.) Seriously, the economy is BAD over there right now and there are plenty of people just outside Dublin working for 300-500E/week (!) Things are getting more and more affordable by the day. I was shocked at the amount of vacant office space and closed shops - really upsetting and depressing actually.

The US Embassy was WONDERFUL to me when I needed help/advice (my son was sick and needed to be hospitalized) and were the ones who told me where to get the correct baby formula ;-) and the IRS office was helpful at one point as well - so don't hesitate to use any resources!

Have a wonderful time - I'm sure it will be a wonderfully enriching experience for you and your family!