Have You Been to Sion Mills, near Strabane, Co.Tyrone...?

I have driven through Sion Mills several times.
It seems a nice place.
I have a couple of questions for you:
Have you been to Northern Ireland before?
What impression do you have of the towns/cities there?
 
I wouldn't know if Sion Mills is 'sectarian' or not, but I do seem to recall flags flying there before. (I pass through Sion Mills on my way to the Hills 5/6 times a year).
 
I wouldn't worry too much about whether certain towns up north are festooned with bunting, flags etc in July. Even nationalist towns like Lisnaskea and upper-middle class suburbs like Dunmurry were fully decked out this Summer. Neither of these areas could be cited in any way as an example of sectarian difficulty or conflict. In fact one could argue that the presence of flags or bunting in a particular area (representing either side of the divide) could be a much stronger sign of mutual respect & tolerance among the two traditions in that area, than would be indicated by the absence of same. If community relations in particular areas are at a point that both traditions can hang out flags or bunting without fear of unrest from the other side that is surely a very good sign. I would be a lot more worried about the areas where people would be afraid to do so.
 
No the whole village isn't festooned or plastered or anything like that. I don't really know a lot about the place to be honest. Any particular reason why you would live there over and above, say, Omagh? Strabane wouldn't have a great rep, and Lifford isn't a very nice town either.

Sion Mills is on the main Derry/Letterkenny/Dublin road, and as such, volumes of traffic passing through the main street would be quite heavy. As far as I know, there are no plans to bypass the village. That would be the most unattractive aspect of Sion Mills for me. It doesn't appear too 'sleepy', but like I say, all my impressions have been formed on the basis of passing through, I've never stopped there or met anyone who has lived there.
 
And why not live in Donegal??????????????

Loads of accomodation in my own Letterkenny. Not everyone's cup of tea I know, but a decent road to Derry.
 
Sorry Buttercup, I have been misunderstood.
I was checking if you were familiar with Northern Ireland.
I visit Northern ireland every couple of weeks, ranging from Derry to Tyrone to Fermanagh. I have spent a couple of years in Belfast too!

If you will be working in Derry City, have you checked out the distance that you will have to commute each day, from Sion Mills?
You will have to drive through New buildings which is not a nice area in times of heightened tension. Which hopefully will become a thing of the past.
I am sure that you could get sound financial advice here regarding being resident in Donegal as suggested and working in the north. Many people do it!
THe NHS is a great advantage but it also has problems. You can always visit a doctor in northern ireland and not pay as much as it costs in Donegal.

I would advise writing down a list of pros and cons of each area. Once it is in black and white it is easier to make a judgment.
Good luck
 
my only recollection of Sion Mills is driving through it and seeing the Nestle Factory and the fact that its just a long speed limit part of the road. Like cc would only pass through it going to Donegal to visit the old birthplace. would you consider living in Burnfoot if you are going to work in Derry?
 
Buttercup

I live quite near Sion and have never considered it as an attractive place to even stop never mind live! I have always felt that it is definitely of the "red, white & blue" flavour rather than neutral although to be fair, I have not heard of much tension there. There is a police station on the street and some very quaint brick barns/buildings which should be preserved. Not worth the rent you will save. Derry is a fine place to live and play in and worth the few bob extra. Also the road from Sion to Derry will wear you down after a while. Come live in Donegal and travel over the river to work.

Slim
 
I think if you are considering living there, you really should visit the place before you commit to live there.
Walk around the town, visit the local shops, and speak to the shopkeepers, ask the locals directions, to see the response to your Mayo accent.
You will then have a personal opinion of the place.

While the internet is great for getting info for holidays etc, it is quite different to living in an area.
If you have never lived in Northern Ireland, you may not like it.
When i lived there, i learned quickly that people were working out my religion by asking a few simple questions: surname, what school I went to, Derry or Londonderry, did i follow rugby or GAA (strange I know)?
If it is important to live in a 'Catholic' area, Derry city is regarded as a 'Catholic' city. The Waterside of the city and around the Fountain would be the main 'Protestant' areas, if i can remember correctly.
In my opinion, if you are so concerned about this, you really should consider living in Donegal.
The locals might just enjoy the banter about the GAA. e.g. Mayo's and Donegal's recent performances in the championships !!!
Finally, Donegal people are very chatty overall, you would have no problems settling in!
 
Having being brought up in Donegal, I know Sion Mills quite well. It is a quiet town but has suffered a bit throughout the troubles, its not so long ago that the RIRA mortared the PSNi station. The people are

Strabane, the main town, 1 mile away from Sion Mills is a kip, voted the 2nd or 3rd worst place to live in the UK, so bear in mind Sion Mills is like a suburb of Strabane. (Great for grocery shopping though)

If your hung up on the catholic prodestant thing, then the North is not the place to be, they have enough people to do that. If your like me an couldn't care, then get a house outside the town and mingle.

In regard to derry, one rely above mentioned it is important to live in a 'catholic area', thats nonsense. The bogside or city side is mainly a catholic but is also replublican. Part of the waterside are loyalist (new Buildings), but the rest of the waterside is mixed. Again, i would reckon you don't plan to get a house in an estate on either side of the fence.


If you are going to be working in Derry/L-Derry, then sion mills is a long comute. There are plenty of nice nicer towns closer to Derry e.g. claudy. Sion Mills is a good 30 minute drive to derry.

Letterkenny is about 30-40 mins as well, and although you will be living in the south, its a large vibrant lively town. plenty of house to choose from etc

If however, on a friday evening or saturday morning you want to come down home, then sion mills is on the main dublin road.
 
Smokeygirl said:
The locals might just enjoy the banter about the GAA.
Click to expand...

eh?


Would agree with nearly everything that has been said, especially about "you won't know until you go". If you're only renting, the risk of "getting it wrong" is relatively small vs. buying.

If you are going to be commuting, the quality of the road network is important. I've never driven from Sion Mills/Strabane, but I can't imagine it would be great, given my experience with other Northern Ireland roads. There isn't a lot to sing and dance about off the main roads in Doengal (Lifford to Letterkenny is dangerous), but Letterkenny to Derry (via Bridgend) is a good road.

Letterkenny has grown a lot in recent years, and is finally getting the facilities a town of its size needs. A lot of other Donegal heads will call it a 'hole', which is fair enough, but it beats most towns I can think of in the NW hands down. Traffic through the town has become a bit of a problem, but this could be avoided by living in a convenient location to the dual carriageway. I don't know the place, but Buncrana would also be fairly handy for Derry.

Anyway, I'm not employed by Donegal County Council or Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce, so that's the end of my Donegal/Letterkenny promotion.

Live in Donegal. We're different up there. God's country. Cheap pints and parking. Exciting climate .
 

Just to clarify, I did not say that it is important to live in a 'catholic' area.
It does appear to be a consideration of the original poster however.
I would agree with CCOVICH, renting in letterkenny might be more suitable. It has a busy town with a good nightlife. Direct road from Letterkenny into Derry which is ideal for commuting.

Anyway, Buttercup, best of luck.
Good luck in the new job!
 
I know this is an old post. Soon mills is my home town. It has a great 50/50 of religion and a mixed primary school. The houses are so beatiful all in rows. It's not got a great comunity spirit but every one knows everyone. I would take soon mills over strabane or Omagh cause if you have kids at primary school they are taught good morals and it's a great wee school and the get money for cross border trips because they are a mixed school.and soon milks is only 30 mins from Derry and only 20 from Omagh. Someone above said Claudy. Mmmm
 
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