US disable veteran moving to Ireland questions?

hi there! i'm a filipina nurse working and living w/ my family here in wilton,cork for 6 years running,i hope you won't mind me saying but i must say you really chose a faraway place to spend your retirement years in, there are a lot of i'll just say physically challenged people here in cork or in ireland particularly,as a foreigner here and coming from the philippines i can say that the irish do look particularly well after disabled and elderly people really well,which is the right thing to do, most of them who are living on their own hire home carers who look after their needs some part time carers while others have full time carers,now some people who have no family usually opts for stay in carers,maybe for security reasons as you never know these days,there are a lot of home carers agencies here that can be contacted others hire carers that do not come from any agency or sometimes just cleaners to look after their home or walk their dogs like what my husband does now to his lovely elderly ward, transport wise now this is just based on the area where  i live but i can say all of ireland except the rural part would be disable friendly the shops are big enough to maneuver whellchairs in, some disabled shoppers shop on their own w/ electric chairs and specially modified cars , now i might be mistaken or not updated enough but i understand that the irish government used to give or still gives carers allowance to those people who hire carers be it their relatives or from any agencies, the house prices can vary from area to area but lately because of the recession most of the prices have gone down considerably, well, i hope i have answered some of your question sir and didn't get you more confused ,lol,do let me know if you want to ask anymore questions,now if you don't mind me asking where exactly in cork do you plan to live in to? there are a lot of friendly people here who would help you settle in if in case you need a hand,the husband and myself will help you as much as we can no problem, best of luck and good health to you!

Hi there, Mike,

I'm an expat from Chicago who has been here 21 years living in Co. Clare. I love the people. Hate the weather. And find living in rural Ireland is less interesting to me now that my son is grown & gone.

I continually toy with the idea of moving to Dublin, which is a terrific city. And easier to get around for physically challenged folks. I know as I have a wheelchair bound brother so I'm more aware.

Also, 25% of the population of the Republic live within a 50k radius of Dublin city centre, so socially there's a larger pool.
It is also the cultural hub and the weather seems to be consistently better on the southeast side of the country.

Another bonus is that people over 65 & disabled people are entitled to a free travel pass which allows the bearer & a companion to travel free on all train/bus/rapid transit in the country. So one could live in Dublin with all its amenities and travel freely to visit & explore other areas at will.

Residency is easy enough. You must provide evidence that you are financially independent (your $3k/€2330 should do it) and that you have independent medical insurance. I assume you have insurance now. You'd want to ensure that you can travel abroad with that because medical insurance here is expensive and there is a 5 or 10 year non cover on pre-existing conditions dependent on your age. That said, Ireland (like much of Europe) has public medical care for emergency services. And you'll want to register with the US Embassy in Dublin because, in addition to simply being a good idea, the Garda (police) will use them to run a background check before giving you a residency card.

Beyond that I can add that everything is expensive--fuel (currently about a breathtaking $5.20 a gal (aren't you glad about that free travel))--food (it's a big import country) -- clothes (ditto on the import) -- a pint (€4.30) Here's a handy link for you to give you a better idea: numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Ireland  And, bear in mind we're an island so to get here(for your family(unless you can get them military hops)) is also expensive. There are cheap flights to the rest of Europe on discount airlines if you don't travel during school holidays and book in advance.

Also suggest you keep abreast of the 'bankster' situation going on here as the outcome (payments to the govt for VAT/services/etc) may sky rocket in order to come up with the money Ireland now owes the Central Bank for bailing out the now defunct AIB bank. There has been an introduction of property tax and water/sewage is on its way. So even if your renting your rent will reflect those charges when they come in 2014. Property is currently cheap (relative to the ridiculous prices in the heady days of the Celtic Tiger),so if you were able, buying a multi-unit property where you could rent out (a duplex or apt bldg) would be a good move if you could swing it. If you're considering that ping me an email and I'll fill you in on desirable neighbourhoods.

Hope I didn't put you off. The people are worth the hassles of living here. They really are great 'craic'.

Slán,
Susanne