Relocating to Ireland as a retired person

I am a Noob here, I am interested in relocating to Ireland as a retired person (1-3 years) I am interested in opinions regarding areas to settle. since I wont be working still I don't have to care about proximity to anything specific. I would buy a home (I will not pay rent) would want to be less than three hours from the Dublin airport, Coastal towns are beautiful, but always premium cost, Country areas seem like a better value. We would want to be on the warmer/drier (supposedly) side of the Island (southeast) we are from very dry Utah. I was thinking county Carlow or Wexford. I would love opinions. Are small villages accepting of outsiders? Are there places Americans tend to gravitate to for whatever reasons? What are those reasons? What is the prevailing opinion of property crime? Where do others choose to live given their own preferences? (I know there are infinite answers) I don't have any need to live behind gates or in high prestige developments (I have a pathological hate for suburbs) We are home bodies, I have an antique car to work on so I need a garage or space for one. My son lives/works in greater Dublin and I route occasional business travel through there. I can get to look around plenty before I need to do anything.
Additionally, I will do a ton of reading the posts already here.
-@Nev1Impaler

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

A good start would be to read the Citizens Information Ireland website on this subject; this link will take you to it. In particular, if you do not have an EU passport, check on visa requirements; your son being a resident does not give you the right to live there, and as a US citizen you will almost certainly need a visa.

Another very useful website is Numbeo, this link will take you straight to it. It defaults to the Cost section, but at the top of the site are links to other sections that talk about property and quality of life, these are further subdivided into other things that may be useful to you. The financial data tends to be about 6 months behind the curve, but as your son is there, you can use him to sense-check what it tells you.

I smiled at your comment on the "warm/dry side"; Ireland is called the Green isles for a reason - I've lived in the North and worked in the South, and it never seems to stop raining there, rain coming in off the Atlantic Ocean or Irish Sea is probably best not described as warm; if you want warm - then Spain or Portugal is probably worth checking out.

Crime - Ireland has its fair share of nasty people; ignore them and don't do things to attract these people and you'll be fine.

Healthcare is free to residents. That said, it does come under some criticism for the time it takes to see a doctor. If you have any medical conditions that may need urgent care, then I would be very careful to choose to live somewhere near to a centre of healthcare as opposed to a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. If you have any US medical insurance, then enquire which places will accept it, it's not universal.

Somebody has commented on gated communities; they do exist, I lived in an apartment in Dublin that was behind a fence; the only real benefit was nobody could steal my parking slot.

I hope this helps.

Cynic

Expat Team