I have posted here before, but infrequently and probably not in a while. I obtained my dual citizenship with Ireland in 2016. My wife, who is American and cannot get Irish Citizenship would also be affected by what ever will hit us. I am weighing costs. What does it cost to live in Dublin, or Cork, or out West near Sligo? I understand it would be a broad picture of what reality costs, but I have no idea. I would have to get a full time job and rent a 1 bedroom apt. Living in the USA is becoming very expensive, healthcare, housing, insurance (killing me). We will not be eligible for USA retirement until 2023 (age 63) at the earliest. So we would live and work in Ireland. Where do I start? If we move it would be in summer of 2018 when our 1 and only goes to college, probably here in the USA. My options would be to move in with my 85 year old mother (lives in San Jose, USA), who I like and really enjoys my and my wife company, move to Ireland and start fresh or figure something out in between. I know I would have to get a rental, get proof of renting to get healthcare, get a job and then there is my wife. What does she need to do? Lost and without answers. I read on the internets etc, seems like I will have to be "boots on the ground" and do research from Ireland. And it seems until you get to Ireland, all is up in the air until you visit the local Garda and state your intentions, and have a house and a job etc. Catch 22? Anyway, I appreciate any input and experiential help. Bob Elliott

I have a really stupid question! im looking at the West coast as a possible home. all the areas we found and like are in Gaeltacht areas. We spoke to an estate agent who told us not worry as english WAs spoken as well. I'm from Ireland and studied Gaelic in school (a lot forgotten, too much vino over the years), but my wife is English. Im hoping to return and learn Irish, but my fear is being left out of local society, irrational i know. Has anybody else moved to a Gaeltacht? and if you have, any advise please?

Hello there, My name is Bernie and thank you for letting me join this most informative group. Myself and my wife Brenda are moving back to Ireland in a month or so from the UK, we haven't decided as to where yet, but we are looking towards the West. I'm originally from WAterford and have lived in the Uk for nearly 30yrs, and my wife is Aylesbury born and bred. All advice most graciously accepted. many thanks Bernie

Hi there! We are in the (very drawn out) process of buying a house in the West of Ireland and were scheduled to move mid July. We were under the impression that to move our 2 dogs and 5 cats, we could book directly with Aer Lingus cargo. Is this possible? I have so many questions and hope someone can help as we have been ripping our hair out for months! Thanks in advance! Do we still need to use a pet relocator? Is it still required by Ireland to bring pets into the country from the US? Can we only fly pets via Aer Lingus Cargo from specific airports (JFK for example) or can we fly them from somewhere closer to us? We are in Arizona. We already have all their shots, microchips and paperwork and the vet is on alert to get the health certificate within the 10-day window prior to whenever we fly out. Additionally, we already have their airline approved carriers. Anything else? This has got to be the most confusing part about moving abroad! Help! 🙂

My wife and I have been planning for some time to move from the UK to the West of Ireland, initially renting and then purchasing a property.However, we have a young dog, a lurcher, who is very much part of the family, and she travels everywhere with us.Recently, I have read that dogs seem to be very restricted in Ireland, in that they are not allowed on beaches unless on a lead, not allowed in pubs, etc. If this is the case, it could mean a significant change in our plans, as we are looking at Ireland for more freedom, not less.Could any Irish dog owners advise how difficult or otherwise it is to have a dog there?Thanks

Hey everyone. Name is Jackie and myself (American) and my fiance (Irish) are planning a fall move to West coast (Co. Clare) Ireland to be closer to his mother. Looking forward to chatting with you all and mining this site for all the information I didn't even realized I needed!

hi everyone! My name is Leigh and my husband and I are interested in moving to the West coast of Ireland. We've been multiple times and have found a few areas that we love, but are unsure about real estate agents? Are they like the ones here in the US, where you talk to someone, you tell them what you are looking for and they will send you homes via e-mail? Or do you just go on daft and talk to multiple people? What's the best WAy?

I WAs born in Ireland, but have lived most of my life in the UK. Now that I have retired, my wife and I would like to move back to live in Ireland. Before we purchase a property, however, we would like to rent for perhaps 6-9 months to enable us to get a feel for different areas.We plan to concentrate our property search in Cork and Kerry, and would like to be as close as possible to the West coast.We need to find a property to rent (two of us plus a dog) from August of this year, but most of the rentals on the major websites (daft, myhome, etc) are outside ...

I received a reply from Damien Shields at Schumacher Cargo Logistics. Here's what he had to say. "From the West coast, an average sized car in a shared container will run approx $1600 or so from LA to Dublin. From the east coast, $1400 or so. These rates include all the US origin charges such as customs clearance/ loading and port fees. Do not include any destination fees in Ireland- they are usually around €500 per car to get it out of the port. Then there is the usual tax and excise for importing the car, this depends on the nature of the import, and the age of the car." In response to a couple of followup questions, Damien added this: "We usually ship motorbikes, classic cars etc, but we do move some newer models too. The left hand thing is still allowed in Ireland but insurance may be higher etc"

Liam. I am new to forum. I'm not moving back but I need to send about 6-8 large boxes from San Francisco bay area to West if Ireland. Even port to port would work. Does anyone in forum have any recommendations and advice. I am getting quotes ranging from 600 to 6000! Sea shipment is OK but I WAnt a decent ship company who will include all costs on both ends. Also any idea of customs issues in Dublin? Or tips? Thanks so much in advance for any help! John