Where is the best place to raise children in the UK, Eire, N.Eire?

Question

My lover & I have both lived in different parts of England and have visited bits of the north,south, and Ireland.
I know 'the best' is all in ones opinion, however we would like to relocate (we're in the states at the moment) I'm curious to see what the majority's opinion is on this. We have one daughter who we would hate to see go to a public (or even private) school in the States. And for us we would like some where not too big but not too country either, with plenty of culture and things happening. So tell me, where is 'the best'? :)

Answer 1

I am an American that has lived in many places around the world, including Doonbeg in County Clare, Ireland, for close to 3 years. I've only visited UK briefly, so I am not of much help there.

In Ireland, West Clare is gorgeous and the people are amazingly friendly, but there is little to do outside the cities especially during the long winter nights. Ennis, Galway, and Limerick were the two closest "big" cities, and they were tiny by American standards. I thought Ennis would be a nice place to live. There is culture and people around outside the tourist season, yet it isn't an endless queue of cars. Galway is also a nice city, somewhat bigger with plenty of action. Limerick has plenty of city life, but I don't know if I'd want to live there; seems a bit dangerous to me, but there is a major University there and plenty of young people. I only visited Cork a few times, but it was rated the "Cultural Capital of Europe", if I'm not mistaken. Dublin was too crowded and expensive for my taste.

On a general note, you can usually find some welcoming village close-by to any of bigger cities that could offer you the best of both worlds... depending on your tastes.

Best of luck in your travels!

Answer 2

As you admit, it's an opinion:

The UK is a really fun place, but the air quality is horrible... everywhere.

Northern Ireland has its obvious social problems, although a strong family can easily rise above it all.

In my opinion, the south of Ireland is fantastic. It gets clean air from the prevailing westerly winds, and the lush green countryside practically makes me weep when I go there.

You can take your pick for the actual town. Anywhere around Cork should be fine. Personally, I really like Kinsale.

Answer 3

cheshire