Move from urban to rural (or vice versa)

C

Caveat

Registered User
Messages
4,007
Hi

Just wondering if many other posters, like me, have made the move from an urban to a rural area?

I guess for Dubliners different rules apply - let's say rural for a Dubliner should be less than 10000 population. For everyone else I'm talking small village or less.

What have your experiences been? 8 months on, obvious minor disadvantages aside (like commuting, proximity to shops etc) I can honestly say I'm only sorry I didn't do it earlier.

Peace & quiet, privacy, lovely scenery, low crime rate, more house for your money, nice people...it's all good.

I have to say, I also find 'country' people in general to be more genuine and less pretentious than urbanites.

Anyone else made the move?
 
Hi Caveat,
We've done a similar thing here (from Zurich city out to a farming village in the Kanton of Zurich), though I know your post really only applies to Irish locations. Its been a great move for us all around, the only negative is the increase in creepy crawlies :) spiders the size of my hands and grasshopers bigger than bananas.
 
Having done the same move, (lived in small rural town for 2.5 years) I would agree with you in the main. However, while country people are more genuine, there is still some snobbery or social divide in the country, e.g. I wouldn't want to be a townie! Also, I find certain country people more xenophobic than dubliners.
 
Well, I've come a long way from Europe's largest housing estate (it was at the time anyway) in Glasgow, albeit via a small town in the Highlands for a number of years, and I couldn't be much happier.

I'd agree with all of Caveat's plusses, although to be fair I'd also agree with YOBR's point about xenophobia. Not with me personally - I've been made incredibly welcome here, but just a general feeling. My impression is certainly that it's more of an issue outwith the cities, although I'd say it's more xenophobia towards immigrants than Irish "blow-ins".

One other thing I do miss from city life is the sense of humour. It's much more robust in towns, I find the humour out in the sticks to be funny, but very gentle, bordering on PC. Maybe that's a national trait to a degree, but when I'm in Dublin I find the craic to be much more like it was in Scotland.
Overall, I'm still very glad that I live where I do, though. Wouldn't change it.
 
I moved from a smallish town to a village and while there are plus factors, like I love the house and garden, I like being surrounded nature and having bike-friendly roads on my doorstep, there are some major down sides that I didn't realise would affect me so much.

A. The winter is MUCH WORSE in the countryside. It's darker, bleaker and much muckier than in town and makes for a very long, depressing winters (which I never cared about in town). Spring/Summer is fab though (even with the rain) so it nearly makes up for it.

B. Country people are not snobbish really but my village are very clique-ish. They are friendly etc but we are still not really 'one of them'. My OH is Romanian and they don't mean to be xenophobic but it can be good fun watching them trying not to stick their foot in it around us.

C. It's GAA, Mass and mad drinking til all-hours or nothing. Those are the pass-times that would get you involved with the locals and if you're not into them, you just won't have that many opportunities to meet/mix.

D. Your old friends won't drop by that much and after a while you don't drive back to town so much either and start to loose touch.

E. It's obvious but things are not on your doorstep anymore. I miss walking to the library, round to a friend's house, the shop, 26 (instead of 2) pubs etc. It's all only ten minutes drive away now but I still miss the idea of it all being close-by.

All-in-all, I'd prefer the town but it's not really a reflection on the village, just my own realisation of what I prefer.

Rebecca
 
Moved from Dublin to the outskirts of Tullamore a couple of years ago. After six months in a housing estate in Tullamore while our house was being built, I thought I was mad to do so. Then we moved into the new house and I've never been happier. I think the 'more house for your money' has a lot to do with it (sarry (sic) to all the people who hate one-off housing), but I also can't imagine trying to bring up two kids in a two bed apartment in a city.
 
Jock04 said:
although to be fair I'd also agree with YOBR's point about xenophobia. Not with me personally - I've been made incredibly welcome here, but just a general feeling. My impression is certainly that it's more of an issue outwith the cities, although I'd say it's more xenophobia towards immigrants than Irish "blow-ins".
Click to expand...

Exactly my point more towards immigrants, especially eastern europeans that Irish "blow ins". I was told recently in wexford that there were 500,000 poles in Ireland, along with 250,000 Latvians, some people are badly informed.
 
YOBR said:
Exactly my point more towards immigrants, especially eastern europeans that Irish "blow ins". I was told recently in wexford that there were 500,000 poles in Ireland, along with 250,000 Latvians, some people are badly informed.
Click to expand...
Yes, but talk to many Dubs and you'll hear about the yellow peril or Pearse Street being the new Soweto and how it's all going to end in social disorder!
 
MissRibena said:
I moved from a smallish town to a village and while there are plus factors, like I love the house and garden, I like being surrounded nature and having bike-friendly roads on my doorstep, there are some major down sides that I didn't realise would affect me so much.

A. The winter is MUCH WORSE in the countryside. It's darker, bleaker and much muckier than in town and makes for a very long, depressing winters (which I never cared about in town). Spring/Summer is fab though (even with the rain) so it nearly makes up for it.

B. Country people are not snobbish really but my village are very clique-ish. They are friendly etc but we are still not really 'one of them'. My OH is Romanian and they don't mean to be xenophobic but it can be good fun watching them trying not to stick their foot in it around us.

C. It's GAA, Mass and mad drinking til all-hours or nothing. Those are the pass-times that would get you involved with the locals and if you're not into them, you just won't have that many opportunities to meet/mix.

D. Your old friends won't drop by that much and after a while you don't drive back to town so much either and start to loose touch.

E. It's obvious but things are not on your doorstep anymore. I miss walking to the library, round to a friend's house, the shop, 26 (instead of 2) pubs etc. It's all only ten minutes drive away now but I still miss the idea of it all being close-by.

All-in-all, I'd prefer the town but it's not really a reflection on the village, just my own realisation of what I prefer.

Rebecca
Click to expand...

God that sounds depressing! Not having a go at you or anything just reinforces my opinion that I couldnt move to the country being a city person all my life. Clique-ishness or whatever the word is, is that not the same as snobbery more or less or certainly as bad. God I cant take snobs!! :)
 
As the last poster just said, being a city person all their life they don't think they could be happy in the country and that's fair enough. It's huge change. I am a country person all my life and lived in Dublin for 7 years for work but never settled. I moved back to the country last year and have never been happier.
 
Country born and bred, 5 years in Dub, now in diff country area.

Only thing I find a bit uncomfortable in country areas is that everyone expects you to know everyone and their business. I'd be a quiter type, wouldnt go to pubs unless meeting mates etc., so I dont feel the need to know everyone and what they do. I'm not overly private about my own affairs - dont mind people calling to the house or being involved in community stuff etc.

So I constantly find myself shrugging my shoulders when people are referring to such and such a person. Urban areas have anonymity going for them - you're not expected to know or care about every joe soap in the community.

Tis a small price to pay though
 
MissRibena said:
C. It's GAA, Mass and mad drinking til all-hours or nothing. Those are the pass-times that would get you involved with the locals and if you're not into them, you just won't have that many opportunities to meet/mix.

Rebecca
Click to expand...

I can understand this. But what did you do in the town exactly that you can't do in the village? Besides being able to walk as opposed to drive to things?

I live in a very rural community and as I said I can understand that when you first move into an area you might feel the only thing to do is go to the pub. But having lived in this area for 7 years now I can see there's a whole lot more to do if you want to get involved. There's the local hunt ( dry runs), local drama, book club, toddler groups, golf, walks, and all sorts of events that go on- I haven't counted but I'm guessing it averages out at at least two a month. Like the local races, halloween parties, markets, concerts, mobile cinema, plays etc etc. The good thing about this community is that when you make the effort to go to these events the mix of people is great. Young and old, local and visitors, foreigners etc All are welcome and more importantly made to feel welcome. My husband is also 'foreign' and I can say that we have never felt anything but welcome from the locals. Maybe I live in an exceptional area?

The other thing is that if there is something in particular that is missing from your area, a pasttime that you love and miss, then could you be the one to introduce it?
 
Jock04 said:
That you'll hear it, or with the sentiment itself?
Click to expand...

That you hear it. I think Conor Lenihan made some noises recently about the percentages/distribution of non Irish nationals in certain areas in Dublin. Sorry, I can't be more specific but I don't tend to take much notice of him since his "kebab" remark in the Dail and then they make him Minister for Immigration/Integration, unbelievable!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top