The best places in Ireland to move to from America

Whether you're retiring or moving to live with family, these are some of the most desirable places to live in Ireland. 

The best place to live in Ireland will, of course, change from individual to individual and from family to family but we've compiled this best places in Ireland to move t,o list by looking at some of the most desirable places in the country for those moving to Ireland from the US or Canada. 

Best places in Ireland to move to and live 

Galway, Co Galway

Galway City. (Getty Images)

The most wonderful city in the west. A college town with a wonderful arts festival in June, then the Galway races festival in July/August. Lively, cultural, and still an intimate small town in many ways.

Dingle, Co Kerry

Dingle, County Kerry.

Wild, isolated, wonderful. The festivals in the summer are mighty craic, but the scenery and sense of an ancient world are incredible. There’s Fungie the Dolphin too.

Dunmore East, Co Waterford

Dunmore East, Waterford.

Quaint little fishing village on the Waterford Coast, beautiful at sunset or anytime, great restaurants, and nightlife in an intimate setting.

Kinsale, Co Cork

Kinsale, County Cork.

Marvelous Cork seaside town with the best restaurants in Ireland, wonderful fishing, and cobblestone streets that give you that centuries-old feeling.

Belfast, Co Antrim

Belfast is a great place to move to in Ireland. Image: Getty.

Yes, the former capital of The Troubles is now a wonderful growing city with culture, craic and prices are half what you find in Dublin down the road. The people are pretty interesting too and the escape North to the Ulster Highlands is breathtaking.

Clogherhead, Co Louth

A little seaside village in County Louth just 40 miles or so from Dublin but a lifetime away. Beautiful scenery with the Cooley Mountains in the backdrop.

Westport, Co Mayo

Westport, County Mayo.

Beautiful Mayo town that is a magnet during the summer for tourists with its cute painted shops and homes and fabulous downtown. The center of artistic life in Mayo and a wonderful backdrop of mountains and seas. 

Skerries, Co Dublin

This seaside town is just 15 miles from Dublin but it feels like 150 miles from the capital. Beautiful beaches and long coastal walks as well as a great community feeling, despite proximity to the big smoke.

Warrenpoint, Co Down

The beautiful Northern seaside town where Dublin and Belfast are almost equidistant. Unspoiled and beautiful with Carlingford Lough And the Mountains of Mourne towering overhead.

New Ross, Co Wexford

Tucked in on the Wexford coast, the ancestral home of the Kennedys and the Irish America Hall of Fame Museum, the American festival every July 4th is wonderful, but there is a lot going on year-round. Americans are especially welcome here.

*Originally published in 2015, updated in July 2022.