Tell me about Galway and Cork

[kmamma]

My husband and I are thinking of possibly moving to Ireland and so far Cork and Galway look promising. I prefer the smaller of the two, but I have a few concerns, mainly about food and homeschooling.
I'm very, very picky about where my food comes from and how it's processed (no chemicals!). Here in the States I get my food from several large natural foods coops as well as directly from farms around the city (meat). Obviously neither Cork nor Galway is as big as the city that I'm currently in (3 million), but I know I'd go crazy if I did not have some access to organic foods and especially, pastured meats. I lived in Sweden (my home) for 6 months after I had lived in the states for several years and one reason I moved back to US was organic/natural food.
I could not find much googling organic food in ireland, so I'm hoping there are some mamas on the forum from Cork and Galway that can give me more detailed information. I did run across some mention of 'Eden Organics' in Cork, but no website.

Also, we're a homeschooling family and wonder if there are other homeschoolers in Cork and Galway.

Lastly, for a very alternative-minded family like ours, which town would suit us best? I'm also open to other towns, but we do have to consider availability of jobs for my husband so I'm guessing smaller towns are out of the question.

How is Dublin? Big cities sort of scare me, but if it has a more small-town (ish!) feel, I guess I might consider it. Especially if there are outlying suburbs/hamlets that are nice.

Thanks,
Josefina.

[bremen]

i lived in ireland for 2 years, but not in either of the cities you mentioned.
Ireland is so tiny, it is not a big deal to drive from one side of the country to the other in a day.
Dublin is a big city. it is nice to go for a day, but the urban sprawl means that 30 miles in any direction is still city. i wouldn't ever live in dublin.

i love cork, but it too is a city. it is beautiful, the people are very open and friendly, and it has a really great culture there. there are lots of tiny, unusual shops andit still has some of the small town feel.

galway is where i would want to be. the west of ireland is still very raw and rough. galway is a lot smaller than the other cities, and is sort of knwon as the hippie city in ireland. from what you said, i think you would fit in best in galway.

the food situation is weird in ireland.
organic is available, but often poor quality and imported.
pasture fed meats are readily available, but probably not organic.
produce that is local and from someone's garden is easy to get, but again, not always organic.

are you interested in waldorf? there is a large waldorf following in ireland. i know you mentioned homeschooling, but waldorf is about more than school.

what kind of work does your husband do? there are many, many fields that literally only happen in dublin.



when i lived in kilkenny, a man used to drive around our neighborhood and sell vegetables from the back of his truck. we still had a milkman too.
for staples, there is an awesome mail-order company to buy in bulk.
dry goods, nuts and nut butters, gluten-free everything, basically every organic thing you could imagine that's shelf-stable. the prices are quite good, and the quality is excellent.

i ate very well with the organic dry goods and local produce.
if you do dairy, getting raw milk from pasture-fed cattle is pretty easy, too.

if you somehow end up in kilkenny or waterford, i would have a lot more specifics. that is the area i lived in, and know best.

i am crazy about ireland, and would move back there in a heartbeat.
please feel free to ask me any other questions you may have.


oh, and one more thing. you will find very, very little about ireland on the internet.
highspeed internet is only available in 15% of the country. the rest still has dial-up.
about half of my friends around my age (25) have never used a computer, never sent an email. it is a different world

[kmamma]

Hello Bremen. Thanks for your response. Galway sounds like a great town.

What do you like about Ireland, and what do you find challenging? I've always dreamt of going there since I was a child. But since I've never been there, I don't really know that much. Internet can only do so much. Of course I've heard stories, and I love to hear more. What attracts me most is that, from what I hear, people are very friendly and welcoming. I don't find that mentality here in the states (at least here in MN). People seem so disinterested in what truly makes life (IMO community, food, family, fun) and their idea of a good time never includes their children. Will I find the same thing in Ireland, or is it different?

Here are some random questions:

Do kids play outside in Ireland?
What's the cost of living in Galway compared to average income?
Housing easy to come by?
Do people congregate in public spaces often? Is it a 'way of life'?
Do people care about community (truly)?

I have more questions, but for now I need to get myself off the computer...

Oh, my husband does not have a career, he works in group homes for developmentally disabled people, and enjoys doing that, but he's open to any, or most, other kind of work.

Josefina.

[wildflowermama]

The English Market in Cork city is chock full of organic goodies. There is also a great little cafe there called Joup. Yummmm.

[Runnerbean]

I am from Cork! The English Market is great in the city and there is also a farmers market in a nearby town called midleton every Saturday with fab food.
Re homeschooling, my dd is only 18mths but I have met with a group of about 20 in East Cork who homeschool and meet every Monday to do activities with the kids. I am considering homeschooling and am feeling very positive about it since meeting this group of moms.

Galway is a beautiful and smaller city too. I am sure you would be happy in either place but Cork is my hometown so I have to say its the best!

[Mrs.Burke]

Although I Have lived in Galway just for a year (currently we're in Southeast Asia) I have loved Galway a lot ( my husband is from Galway lol).

[aikigypsy]

This is probably too late for you, but I just found this thread!

I've lived in Galway for a year and a half, and have visited Cork for the weekend. We also had a roommate from Cork, and if food is a priority for you, Cork is much, much better. Galway has some great stuff -- good cheese at Sheridan's, a good seafood market, and a reasonable range of organic and local produce at the Saturday market, but if it's not Saturday... well, the big grocery stores have some stuff that's labeled organic but I think it's mostly from South America. I have been pretty frustrated by the lack of good food here, although you can get it if you know where to look and have deep pockets.

There's a small Steiner/Waldorf group here, but I only know of one person in the area who homeschools. It's more difficult to get permission to homeschool here than it is in the US -- it sounds like there's a bigger supportive community around Cork.

That said, Galway is a very nice town to live in. People do meet and congregate and socialize on Shop Street and other places outdoors, around town. Kids don't play outside much, from what I've seen (though again, I have pretty limited experience). Housing is easy to find (compared to the Boston area) and more expensive than other places in Ireland but not off the charts by my standards. Do people care about community? Gosh, I really don't know. I'd say, "kind of."

Good luck with your decision, and PM me if you have any more questions about Galway.