Moving to Galway?

Question

I'm looking to move to Galway next year with my husband & 9 year old son from Scotland. Can anyone advise on where are the best areas to live and near schools etc. We both drive so we are willing to stay a half hour drive from the city centre.

Answer 1

Hi

My family and myself also moved from Scotland to Galway a few years ago.

We lived 15 miles outside of Galway in a small town called Headford.  It's a lovely town with a secondary school with a good reputation, primary schools, a supermarket, a hotel, video shop, a couple of take-aways, a few other shops and lots of pubs!

You're close enough to Galway to have that city feel, yet still out in the countryside enough to feel like you're no way near a city!  The road from Headford is mostly a good straight road that can be done in about 20 minutes.

Headford is close to Lough Corrib and it's beautiful there.  You're about 5 miles or so from County Mayo too and around 30 minutes from Castlebar - Mayo's big town.  So if you're not in the mood for shopping in Galway then you still have other options.

There's lots of new houses gone up in Headford centre but personally I like the big older bungalows you'll find on the outskirts.

At 9 your son will most likely have to learn Irish at school.  I forget the age they set when new people don't need to start to learn it but I think it's only if you move to Ireland in the final year at national school.  Our kids were 14 and 16 so didn't have to pick Irish up but still had to attend classes and got to sit at the back and do their own thing.

Presentation College is the secondary school in Headford and it's a good school.  My kids said they found it different to their old school back in Scotland.  At their new school everyone got on - the geeks got on with the bimbos, the bimbos were smart, the goth types mixed with pink fluffy types etc.  They said they didn't come across bullying at school at all and loved it there.  The kids at Presentation  enjoyed going to school and valued good marks.  

I don't know about the primary schools as ours were too old at the time but I never heard anything negative.

Galway is great.  You'll love it over there.

Answer 2

Salthill is really nice and only a few minutes from the city centre.

Barna is about 5 miles from town and is quaint.

I lived in Tudor lawn, Newcastle for 2 years near the University and the hospital and that is a lovely area of the town close to shops, schools etc.

Answer 3

A nice area of Galway where, middle/upper class people live is Bushy Park. It's near a school, (primary I think) where Tommy Tiernan sends his kid.

Other nice places would be Salthill or Moycullen. All the places are within a 10/15 min drive of the city and all close to school's.

Answer 4

I have relatives in Galway - they live in an area called Renmore and seem to like it.

Best wishes,

                       Joan.