Living Half-Time in Ireland Now

[Beaglemom3]

Beaglemom I have to ask, are you bringing dogs with you as you go back and forth? No quarantines bringing pets into Ireland?

Great question and we've struggled with this. At the moment, we have no dogs as ours have passed having lived long and loving lives. If we had dogs, I could not leave them for any length of time, nor could I fly them back & forth in the cargo hold of a plane. We investigated taking the Cunard crossing from New York to Southampton and then taking the train or ferry back to Ireland. This is lengthy and complicated, but workable. There is a nice kennel on Cunard.

Here's a good link: https://irelandmoveclub.com/alternatives-to-flying-your-dogcat-direct-to-ireland/

 

[mav]

Great question and we've struggled with this. At the moment, we have no dogs as ours have passed having lived long and loving lives. I could not leave my dogs for any length of time, nor could I fly them back & forth in the cargo hold of a plane. We investigated taking the Cunard crossing from New York to Southampton and then taking the train or ferry back to Ireland. This is lengthy and complicated, but workable. There is a nice kennel on Cunard.

Here's a good link: https://irelandmoveclub.com/alternatives-to-flying-your-dogcat-direct-to-ireland/

Beaglemom3 , I just saw your thread , and am SO HAPPY for you! I remember Ireland is your piece of Heaven, like Bavaria is mine! I wish you happiness, peace, and love! You r truly living your dream.

 

[Glynda]

Fabulous! Just what I wish we could do somewhere in Italy or Great Britain! But still have my mother and our pups with us. Ireland is beautiful. We rented a car, took our 18 year old daughter, and traveled throughout for three weeks staying in B&B's many years ago. Since hubby's family is from Northern Ireland, we spent a good deal of time there. Hubby is quite good at driving on the left hand side. He'll be doing it in England next fall. We, and another couple, will be in Cork for a cruise ship stop in August. Have been there before but our friends have not. Not sure what we will collectively decide to do. So glad you are getting to live your dream!

 

[bizaro86]

If it's not too personal (and if it is just don't answer and no offense taken!), is your significant other an Irish Citizen as well? If not, how does that process work for residency?

 

[Carol C]

Hope to visit Lisdoonvarna again next September...please think of joining me there (sans husbands) for some craic!

 

[geist1223]

I fell in love with Ireland when Patti and I stayed in a Self-Catering Cottage in Portmagee on the Western tip of the Ring of Kerry. Portmagre was so small it had 1 Restaurant with a Pub attached. The Grocery Store was about the size of a 7/11 in the USA and included the Post Office. There were 2 other small Pubs in town. The only "Hotel" were a few rooms above the Restaurant. Our first night while at the Restaurant the Owner came to our table to Welcome and Greet us. He knew we were the Yanks staying with Katherine. He invited us to Keglie (¿sp?) the next night in his Pub. We got there a little late the next night and the Kitchen was closed. But the waitress said she would see what the Kitchen could throw together. A Feast was delivered. Except for a day trip to Cork to visit the Jameson Distillery we spent the week in that small part of Ireland and had a wonderful time. The next week in Dublin most of the locals had never heard of Portmagee. Do we want to go back - yes but there are so many wonderful places in the World to visit.

 

[isisdave]

I looked into this too a few years ago. My dad's mom was the child of two Irish parents but unfortunately she was born in France, so I appear not to qualify. At the time I didn't pursue it, as the Irish retirement Stamp 0 requirement was pretty informal ("show us you can afford to live here").

Now they say:

For persons of independent means, the financial threshold is generally considered to be €50,000 per person per annum, plus the person must have access to a lump sum of money to cover any unforeseen major expenses. This should be equivalent to, for example, the price of a dwelling in the State.​

This doesn't seem to make sense, as it doesn't cost twice as much for two people to live as one, and outside of Dublin it surely doesn't cost €50,000 for two. Plus, if there were an emergency, we'd just leave and go home. I thought maybe they formalized this to get better control over immigration, and would waive it for retirees from "desirable" countries.

Any thoughts on this, Beaglemom?

 

[turkel]

Do you know where the pub is ?[/QUOTE]

Had to reach out to my mom. Unfortunately she does not know the name of the pub since it has been 19 years since her last visit. My mother's grandfather came to America while his brother stayed in Ireland. My mom is still in contact with the grandchild of that brother. He and his wife live in Dublin and his sister married a man that owned the pub. The pub was not in Dublin though According to mom.

Interestingly mom said her brother looked into getting dual citizenship but she doesn't know if he followed through. His last visit was just a few years ago.

 

[turkel]

Looks like my grandfather would have had to be an Irish citizen for me to qualify cousins don't qualify neither does a great grandparent. Bummer

 

[Patri]

What is the benefit of being an Irish citizen, other than it pays tribute to your roots?

 

[Beaglemom3]

Beaglemom3 , I just saw your thread , and am SO HAPPY for you! I remember Ireland is your piece of Heaven, like Bavaria is mine! I wish you happiness, peace, and love! You r truly living your dream.

Hi Mav,
Hope you are well. Yes, a piece of heaven it is. If I can do it, anyone can do it. I had an uncle who was born in Bavaria and his photos were incredible. I thought I'd end up in Bayeux, France for the longest time, but Ireland owns my heart now.
Thank you so much for the well-wishes.
All the very best to you !

 

[Beaglemom3]

Fabulous! Just what I wish we could do somewhere in Italy or Great Britain! But still have my mother and our pups with us. Ireland is beautiful. We rented a car, took our 18 year old daughter, and traveled throughout for three weeks staying in B&B's many years ago. Since hubby's family is from Northern Ireland, we spent a good deal of time there. Hubby is quite good at driving on the left hand side. He'll be doing it in England next fall. We, and another couple, will be in Cork for a cruise ship stop in August. Have been there before but our friends have not. Not sure what we will collectively decide to do. So glad you are getting to live your dream!

Come visit at some point. We're way off of the beaten path, but so worth it. If you Google Schull, Ireland, you'll see it waaaay down on the southwest coast.
If not, let's really try to get together on Cape Cod this year if you're coming back.
Many thanks for the good vibes.

 

[Beaglemom3]

I fell in love with Ireland when Patti and I stayed in a Self-Catering Cottage in Portmagee on the Western tip of the Ring of Kerry. Portmagre was so small it had 1 Restaurant with a Pub attached. The Grocery Store was about the size of a 7/11 in the USA and included the Post Office. There were 2 other small Pubs in town. The only "Hotel" were a few rooms above the Restaurant. Our first night while at the Restaurant the Owner came to our table to Welcome and Greet us. He knew we were the Yanks staying with Katherine. He invited us to Keglie (¿sp?) the next night in his Pub. We got there a little late the next night and the Kitchen was closed. But the waitress said she would see what the Kitchen could throw together. A Feast was delivered. Except for a day trip to Cork to visit the Jameson Distillery we spent the week in that small part of Ireland and had a wonderful time. The next week in Dublin most of the locals had never heard of Portmagee. Do we want to go back - yes but there are so many wonderful places in the World to visit.

Yes ! This is the heart of Ireland with a warm welcome which awaits all. It's a kinder and gentler place. I even know where Portmagee is from studying Bus Eireann bus routes and maps. The Ring of Kerry is amazingly beautiful. Schull and the Mizen are similar, but more spread out. Hope you'll return. We'll put the kettle on.

 

[Beaglemom3]

If it's not too personal (and if it is just don't answer and no offense taken!), is your significant other an Irish Citizen as well? If not, how does that process work for residency?

Great question and not too personal at all.

We work it this way, Doug comes over for a month or two a few times a year, thereby not overstaying the 3 month tourist visa. We have 2 houses over here (Boston 'burbs and Cape Cod) and they need one of us back to keep things humming along. If we married, he would be eligible for dual citizenship if he wanted it, but as a retired US Naval officer, he's not sure if this is something he would pursue. Since I'm the one who's hesitant to re-marry, it's not an issue right now. We haven't looked that far into the different scenarios at this point, but it's on the "Big To-Do List". We've been busy settling into our rental with buying a few sticks of furniture, bedding, pots/pans, etc, but will need to address his status at some point. Right now, I'm only starting to live in Ireland 6 about six months out of the year, but not all at in one block of time. I break it up.

 

[Beaglemom3]

I looked into this too a few years ago. My dad's mom was the child of two Irish parents but unfortunately she was born in France, so I appear not to qualify. At the time I didn't pursue it, as the Irish retirement Stamp 0 requirement was pretty informal ("show us you can afford to live here").

Now they say:

For persons of independent means, the financial threshold is generally considered to be €50,000 per person per annum, plus the person must have access to a lump sum of money to cover any unforeseen major expenses. This should be equivalent to, for example, the price of a dwelling in the State.​

This doesn't seem to make sense, as it doesn't cost twice as much for two people to live as one, and outside of Dublin it surely doesn't cost €50,000 for two. Plus, if there were an emergency, we'd just leave and go home. I thought maybe they formalized this to get better control over immigration, and would waive it for retirees from "desirable" countries.

Any thoughts on this, Beaglemom?

You are very informed. Right now, and especially with Brexit, things are changing. I haven't kept up with the latest as my citizenship exempts me from this (thankfully). I looked for an update on INIS (Irish INS), but couldn't find anything helpful. Much like Hawaii (I used to live there), Ireland is on "island time".
Here is the latest (2016) that I can find with updated financial requirements and a cautionary tale:
https://www.irishcentral.com/news/ireland-rejecting-american-retirees-under-new-rules

 

[Beaglemom3]

What is the benefit of being an Irish citizen, other than it pays tribute to your roots?

Besides more peace and quiet :

From: https://legalbeagle.com/5552361-benefits-citizenship-ireland-united-states.html

Highlights:

• You can take up residence not only in Ireland but in any other EU country without having to qualify for residence.
• You pay no special EU tariffs.
• You can obtain employment in any other EU country without special permission.
• You can travel freely from one EU country to another without obtaining a visa or being subject to passport controls.​

 

[mav]

Hi Mav,
Hope you are well. Yes, a piece of heaven it is. If I can do it, anyone can do it. I had an uncle who was born in Bavaria and his photos were incredible. I thought I'd end up in Bayeux, France for the longest time, but Ireland owns my heart now.
Thank you so much for the well-wishes.
All the very best to you !

Thank you Beaglemom for the well wishes. I have no connection in my lineage to Bavaria/Germany, but it continues to haunt my dreams and call me when I am not there. Sometimes I think it's the closest I'll ever see of heaven on earth. I have a feeling Ireland is your piece of heaven on earth. SO HAPPY you acted on this move. I see it as a win win!
I thank you for all your info on our Dublin trip. I LOVED it, and the Autograph Marriott was incredible . I was never in a unit that had a television in the corner of the bathroom mirror. LOVED how you could soak in the tub and see TV if you wanted to. The suite we were upgraded to was FANTASTIC! As was Dublin!
Wishing you years of happiness!

 

[Beaglemom3]

Thank you Beaglemom for the well wishes. I have no connection in my lineage to Bavaria/Germany, but it continues to haunt my dreams and call me when I am not there. Sometimes I think it's the closest I'll ever see of heaven on earth. I have a feeling Ireland is your piece of heaven on earth. SO HAPPY you acted on this move. I see it as a win win!
I thank you for all your info on our Dublin trip. I LOVED it, and the Autograph Marriott was incredible . I was never in a unit that had a television in the corner of the bathroom mirror. LOVED how you could soak in the tub and see TV if you wanted to. The suite we were upgraded to was FANTASTIC! As was Dublin!
Wishing you years of happiness!

I understand. When I'm away from Ireland, I find, in dreams, that I'm walking down through the village or along the cliff walks. No wonder that I'm so tired in the morning.

Question, did you stay at both the Shelbourne and Powerscourt ?

Thank you for the good wishes.

All the best.

 

[Nancy]

Very happy for you both.

 

[mav]

I understand. When I'm away from Ireland, I find, in dreams, that I'm walking down through the village or along the cliff walks. No wonder that I'm so tired in the morning.

Question, did you stay at both the Shelbourne and Powerscourt ?

Thank you for the good wishes.

All the best.

We stayed at Powerscourt and LOVED it! The fantastic hotel suite, the gorgeous grounds and the breakfast buffet! VERY friendly and welcoming staff , also.
That's too funny , tired in the morning from the walks in your dreams. I love that, LOL!
I can relate though. When we are flying into Munich, I swear, the mountains, villages, and fields are singing she's back.... and waiting for me with open arms. When we leave to head home they are saying , come back soon we will be waiting for you...

 

[Glynda]

Come visit at some point. We're way off of the beaten path, but so worth it. If you Google Schull, Ireland, you'll see it waaaay down on the southwest coast.
If not, let's really try to get together on Cape Cod this year if you're coming back.
Many thanks for the good vibes.

That would be great! Because of the three week trip to England, including the Ireland/Iceland cruise this summer, we won't be going to the Cape but are booked there for Sept 2019. I have Googled your area and it's lovely! It seems to have so much for such a small place. The colorful buildings of Main St remind me of our rainbow colors in Charleston though more and more people are repainting white (Grrrr...). The harbor with its moored boats reminds me of New England. Water views, mountain views, gorgeous lighthouses, the rock-walled green fields and even a beach! Except for the planetarium, quintessential Ireland! Too bad my hubby's Irish roots go back to great-great's and mine to fourth or fifth great!

 

[Beaglemom3]

We stayed at Powerscourt and LOVED it! The fantastic hotel suite, the gorgeous grounds and the breakfast buffet! VERY friendly and welcoming staff , also.
That's too funny , tired in the morning from the walks in your dreams. I love that, LOL!
I can relate though. When we are flying into Munich, I swear, the mountains, villages, and fields are singing she's back.... and waiting for me with open arms. When we leave to head home they are saying , come back soon we will be waiting for you...

A note on the Schull planetarium....... it's sweetly provincial, but not what one would call a "real" planetarium. If you read the reviews, you'll understand. Still, a I give the community college students (non-astronomers)
who run it, A for effort. Again, life in a small Irish village. Nice thing is that there is little ambient light on the coast.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...ws-Schull_Planetarium-Schull_County_Cork.html

 

[Beaglemom3]

Hey now! That is totally awesome. How exactly is it that you got dual citizenship? I think my grandmother was born in Ireland...

What is the cycling/mtb like? I can no longer go on vacation unless I can ride a bike.

We went to Scotland 2 years ago and Mr H’s comment was, “This is the least pain-in-the-ass place we’ve ever been.” People were just organized, efficient, pleasant and chill. We encountered zero drama or rudeness.

Congrats on making the move!

Saw this and thought of you. It's 10 great cycle routes in Ireland. We're on the Wild Atlantic Way route, it's a long route.

https://www.redbull.com/ie-en/irela...paign=smartphone&utm_medium=synacor-attportal

 

[heathpack]

Saw this and thought of you. It's 10 great cycle routes in Ireland. We're on the Wild Atlantic Way route, it's a long route.

https://www.redbull.com/ie-en/irela...paign=smartphone&utm_medium=synacor-attportal

Haha I love the article saying you could ride the whole of the Wild Atlantic Way in a week.

It’s 1500 miles. To ride it in a week would be 214 miles per day. I don’t think so!

However I totally love epic. I love scenic. I love travel. Right up my alley... but so little time!

 

[Beaglemom3]

Haha I love the article saying you could ride the whole of the Wild Atlantic Way in a week.

It’s 1500 miles. To ride it in a week would be 214 miles per day. I don’t think so!

However I totally love epic. I love scenic. I love travel. Right up my alley... but so little time!

There are die-hards who do it, but that's extreme. I've met some of these bike clubs who do just this and they are ultra-fit & determined (and fun) people. The article does state that it can be done in a week to a month in its entirety, but just a couple sections of the Wild Atlantic Way seem to be the norm. Scenic and challenging with a few real pubs along the way. Here are two of ours in Schull, http://www.westcorkpubs.ie/project/oregans-bar/ https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Restaura...Reviews-Hackett_s_Bar-Schull_County_Cork.html