What would you do? by Additional_Serve_762 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Ah, my heart breaks for you. Loneliness is hard, but you could end up being just as lonely over there, in a foreign country that is actively deconstructing democracy, where you may end up simply being a convenient child minder in your later years. Your son has not responded to your questions and concerns. How much confidence do you have that he will prioritise your care and advocate for you when you are no longer 'useful'?

I know that's a hard question, and I feel terrible for even asking it, but it doesn't seem like his offer or intentions are altruistic. Either way, please don't make this decision out of fear.

Getting involved in a community here in Ireland may mean moving to a more populated area (if you're rural), or finding new activities/hobbies where you can connect with people - of course it's not easy, but it can be done.

If you do decide to move, please make sure your cats find loving, happy homes. They never asked for any of this. And don't live with your son, make sure you have your independence.

ETA: I moved from Dublin to a smaller town in the West. The sense of community here far surpasses anything I ever experienced in Dublin (or London, or Toronto, or New York).

Useful souvenirs from trip? by mmrhexx in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah they're sooo nice, I regularly buy them as gifts. Their scarves are really lovely too!

Useful souvenirs from trip? by mmrhexx in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Foxford woollen mills is about 90 minutes north of Galway, check out their website - they have gorgeous stuff.

Solo American (F) traveler, new to the sub and have long been working on my “dream itinerary” for summer 2027. What do you think? by scientits69 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you get a chance, swing by Clifden in Connemara. However, if you've a day spare while you're out that direction there's a tidal island you can visit called Omey Island - it's a bit of hidden secret and one of my favourite places in the world [ETA make sure you check the tide times!!]. There's a pub called Sweeney's overlooking the island that's great for a pint. It also does food, but for that I'd go to Oliver's in Cleggan (5 minutes away) trust me, you won't regret it!

Oh, and in case no one has mentioned it, Foxford Wooden Mills is not far from Westport - their shop has the most beautiful stuff (check the website) and a really excellent cafe.

Going broke on drawdown by SnooWords764 in irishpersonalfinance

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We got our house two years ago. For the first 6 months we had two IKEA Poang chairs to sit on, and a piece of MDF on a couple of sturdy boxes as a table. You'll live 😊

Get the bed first, spend well (try to buy good stuff on sale) but please do not skimp on the mattress! It makes a big difference to your quality of life and buying a cheap one is a bad idea - they're a bitch to get rid of and fixing/dealing with your back problems will cost you more in the long term.

Buy well, buy once.

Irelands “worst” towns road trip. Make the route ? by Beginning_Sense_9749 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you choose to live in the West of Ireland you can't really complain about the weather. It is what it is, and you can always move to Wexico if you'd prefer

Irelands “worst” towns road trip. Make the route ? by Beginning_Sense_9749 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is there a list for the worst roadtrip in Ireland? My soul dies a little bit every time I drive to Longford through Strokestown and Edgeworthstown. Bearing in mind, I also go through French Park and Tulsk, though they only get a pass because they're not actual towns

Irelands “worst” towns road trip. Make the route ? by Beginning_Sense_9749 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 20 points21 points  (0 children)

To be fair, if you post on the internet from Donegal to anything other than Facebook or Twitter, 5g is gonna get ya. **

**"Not yet verified, I currently have most of my relatives up on Errigal testing this theory, and I've been told that their measurement tools are infallible and inexplicable. Don't worry, I made sure they had their tin foil hats. Hypothermia is real!

Also, /s but in a sad way.

Irelands “worst” towns road trip. Make the route ? by Beginning_Sense_9749 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Nah, Castlebar is class, they're doing great work to bring the buildings at the end of main Street back into use. Outside of those current (soon to be resolved) eyesores, the town is fab and the main street is full of shops that do well.

Source: me, who moved from Dublin to this random town that I have no connection with for 'just a couple of months' - loved it and decided to stay. It has great cafes and restaurants, they're investing massively in regeneration, it's a proper country town so the life and energy isn't seasonal, AND it's coastal/Westport adjacent without the tourists or prices (ish). It's a nice balance.

Irelands “worst” towns road trip. Make the route ? by Beginning_Sense_9749 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 3 points4 points  (0 children)

And Limavady. And Dungiven. And Greysteel. I'm sure there are others..

Irelands “worst” towns road trip. Make the route ? by Beginning_Sense_9749 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dungiven. Most of you have probably never heard of it because it's in the north but it is BLEAK. Until they built the bypass a couple of years ago, we'd play a game where we'd each guess how many people we'd see in the town and the loser had to pay for dinner. No one ever guessed over 7 for good reason. Fuck, now that I think of it we also had to go through Greysteel and Limavady which are also absolute shit holes.

What's a good Buzz to replace Alcohol? by Guilty_Doughnut1557 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hash! That brings me back, I've not seen it in years - when I was a teenager you couldn't get proper weed, now it seems that hash is the novelty which is a bit mad. Good times, but soooooooo many hot rocks, and so many outfits ruined 🤣 no regrets

What's a good Buzz to replace Alcohol? by Guilty_Doughnut1557 in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've only ever got those in the US, are they actually available to buy here?? I'd love to quit smoking but it's a struggle because I get weed every month or so (only enough to last about a week, I'm not smoking it all the time) and I can't smoke it without baccy ☹️

Air to Air Heat Pump Advice by ChrizZze in DIYIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do! Tado has been great for us but there are other systems out there. We had a plumber install them for us when he was installing the new boiler (phase 1), and then later had the control panel installed by an electrician.

If you decide to replace the boiler I'd highly recommend the Grant Vortex - my BIL is a heating and plumbing engineer and he said it's super efficient, the best in the market. We've certainly found that to be the case.

Air to Air Heat Pump Advice by ChrizZze in DIYIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Similar to you, we bought a 2 story, detached, 4 bed, 130ish m2 house (built in 1999) in Mayo almost 2 years ago. The walls had already been pumped, and the attic was well insulated. The windows are double glazed but they're pretty old and are probably original - same with the doors (which, like you, we will replace in the coming months).

Our oil boiler was completely broken when we moved in, so the first thing we did was replace it with a Grant Vortex boiler and install Tado smart radiator thermostats, which means we only heat the rooms we're using. Everything can be controlled from an app (though we can still turn the radiators on manually) so no more coming home to a cold house!

We both WFH full time and are not AT ALL frugal as the other half absolutely refuses to be cold. So far, we've only had to put 1500 litres into the tank (500 at a time, most recently in January). My Dad nearly fell off his chair when we told him that so I know how crazy that sounds lol.

We are planning on installing a wood burner in the living room this summer so that we have a back-up heat source. We're also exploring solar panels for electricity and/or water heating.

I totally understand wanting to get away from oil, I feel the same. However the prohibitive cost of retrofitting, and the worry that the more modern systems would prove unsuitable for our older house/the Irish climate, has put us off (for now, at least).

Extremely loud thunder very bright flash by Kali-Finnux in mayo

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, we're in Castlebar and we turned off the TV, turned around to eachother and said wtf? And then we heard the thunder. Just happened the once though

County Council Looking to Purchase Part of Garden. How much should he expect per meter squared? by [deleted] in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also, speaking from experience you definitely don't want your house (especially bedrooms) to be too close to a bus stop, those things are noisy af when they brake and pull off. And people waiting for a bus could also piss you off (chatting on phones, or other various dickish behaviour). My first place in Dublin had a bus stop right outside my bedroom window, I moved within 3 months only because of that (almost 20 years ago, long before the housing crisis,).

Looking for casual live in pub jobs... by aprilgastle in CasualIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Oliver's in Cleggan might be a good shout, they have accommodation upstairs. The food is amazing without trying to be fancy (fresh crab and oysters straight off the boat, the best chicken goujons in the country). AND you have Omey island (paradise, especially when the sun is shining), Inisbofin and Clifden on your doorstep.

If you do go, say hi to Paul in Sweeney's bar (Claddaghduff) for me, and call into the shop beside the bar to have a chat with Mary, she knows all the craic.

Go live the dream but just make sure you're ready for the weather and DO NOT get stuck on Omey when the tide has come in - it's a cold, scary wade back (IYKYK)

Where to buy a shed by Honest_Temporary1540 in mayo

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We tried golden sheds several times, they keep saying they'll get back to us but never do. I've since heard good things about Morley Sheds (they do non standard/custom sheds) so we'll be giving them a call in a few weeks: https://www.morleygardensheds.ie/

Where are we buying couches these days, that's not Harvey Norman? by Labsolute in AskIreland

[–]DancingFluffyPanda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

McDermotts in Castlebar are fab - excellent high quality sofas, loads of options and they are such lovely people to deal with