New member..we are considering a move to Ireland

Hello we are a British couple who have been living permanently in France since October 2014. We are considering a big move and are attracted to Ireland for many reasons.

When we moved to France from the UK in 2014 we admittedly made many mistakes, despite several trips over to check out various areas and properties.

We ended up buying a renovation project in Charente in the south west of the country.  What we underestimated was the (for us) severe heat of the Charente summers with 40 plus degrees celsius not uncommon for days on end. We could not do the horticulture we wanted to do and so decided to finish our project and move again within France. Luckily we sold at a profit and decided to rent over in a different area. We moved over to Limousin and the north western edge of the Massif Central. This area in central France is much higher up (500 to 1000 metres asl) with more rain, greener; cooler summers and colder winters. Our thinking was that the altitude would help with the hot summers this far south in France.

Due to various circumstances we did not purchase a property here until summer 2020 and again a complete a massive renovation. Now are now wondering if we want to go ahead with such a huge project. I have always missed many elements of UK culture and the way of life.

In the UK myself and my partner Jacqueline lived in often remote and rugged places such as Snowdonia in Wales; Aberystwyth in Mid Wales and also for a time the Scottish Highlands. We were lucky to live close to vibrant and interesting communities.  Due to Brexit and other reasons we would not consider a move back to the UK now.

We have both visited Ireland and are particularly attracted to the rugged south west (Kerry/Cork). We love mountains, and wild scenery and also the coast.
We consider ourselves quite ecolocially minded and would love to find a small but hidden away property (to modernise/renovate) with a couple of acres were we can grow and create a garden. If there are like minded people in the area then all the better.

For us Ireland offers many attractions. We could remain living in an EU country with the same currency; having one shared language (English) as well as Gaelic would also make life easier especially for me as I have struggled with learning French. I think the climate would suit us much better as it is softer. Yes we know all about the rain having lived in Snowdonia and Scotland! I believe that Ireland would have less extremes than the Massif Central and would overall be easier for growing. We had frosts here in June this year and can have snow as early as October!

Where we live is extremely rural, which we are used to, but I think that extremely rural in France is very different to extremely rural in Wales, Scotland or Ireland. At least in our experience. We would like to live within a reasonable distance of a vibrant community.

We would like to know about your experiences of moving to Ireland. The property prices in Kerry seem comparable (maybe a bit higher) to our part of France. I have read that the cost of living is quite high and that the health service is pretty good with the need for private insurance (same as France).Which areas would you recommend given our desire to be in rugged and mountainous area. I have read some good comments about Leitrim in the north? Which areas are good for horticulture and gardens?

What is internet coverage like. We are in the depths of rural Correze yet for over a year have had access to fibre.

Anyway any advice you can give would be extremely helpful?

Kind regards Paul and Jacqueline, Correze, France.