Dublin

Children start Irish school (national school) at 4 or 5 in junior infants, state schools are free and you apply directly to each school, which publishes its admissions policy. The AEFE-accredited Lycée français international Samuel-Beckett charges fees, from nursery to final year, with 30 to 40 places a year: applications from 1 October for the following September. Our Schools and School fees pages detail both systems: /en/cities/dublin/school-fees/.

There is no catchment area: each school publishes an admissions notice and an admissions policy on its website, and applications for the following September open on 1 October. Almost all schools have a patron (most often Catholic, or multi-denominational like Educate Together), which affects the criteria when oversubscribed. Visit, apply to several schools and ask for a mid-year place as soon as you have an address.

Not necessarily: as soon as you live in Ireland, public hospitals are free and every child under 8 is entitled to a free GP visit card, with no means test. Adults pay for GP visits unless they hold a medical card, and specialist waiting times push many families towards private insurance, often provided by the employer. It is all explained on our Health page: /en/cities/dublin/health/.

In Ireland there is no community paediatrician: the GP follows children and refers them to hospital, with the public health nurse for the little ones' check-ups. The embassy publishes a list of French-speaking practitioners (GPs, a dentist, a speech therapist, psychologists) with no paediatrician; we list the Dublin ones on our Health page: /en/cities/dublin/health/.

112 or 999 only for a life-threatening emergency. For everything else, your area's GP out-of-hours service answers in the evening, at night and at weekends, sees the child and directs you if needed to one of the Children's Health Ireland emergency departments (Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght), open 24/7 up to age 16. Without a GP letter, the emergency visit is charged.

French families follow the two campuses of the Lycée français: Foxrock, Cabinteely and Blackrock around the primary school, Clonskeagh, Donnybrook and Ranelagh around the secondary Eurocampus, and more broadly the south coast by DART down to Dún Laoghaire. Even-numbered postcodes south of the Liffey are the most sought after and the dearest; the north coast (Clontarf, Raheny, Malahide) offers more space. Our Settling in page reviews the neighbourhoods: /en/cities/dublin/settling-in/.

In order: an address, then a PPS number application for each family member on MyWelfare (ID, proof of address, reason), a bank account, choosing a GP and registering under-8s for their free card, registering the job on Revenue's myAccount to avoid emergency tax, a Leap Card, and the consulate's French register, online and free. Details on /en/cities/dublin/settling-in/.

Not until age 9: under-5s travel free without a card, and the Child Leap Card 5-8 gives free travel until the 9th birthday across the whole Transport for Ireland network. From 9 to 18, the Child Leap Card (5-15 then 16-18, with photo) unlocks reduced child fares. For you, the Leap Card with its 90 Minute fare and daily caps is far cheaper than single tickets.

Crèche fees are one of the heaviest lines in an Irish budget, but two schemes lighten the bill: ECCE preschool, free for 3 hours a day over 38 weeks from age 2 years and 8 months, and the National Childcare Scheme, an hourly subsidy paid to the crèche, universal or income-assessed, from 6 months to 15 years. Au pairs and childminders complete the picture; the embassy publishes a guide to au pair status in Ireland.

Very well, and faster than you: Irish schools have language support teachers for newly arrived children. The real challenge then becomes keeping French: FLAM Dublin and French Minded workshops, Alliance française classes and camps at every holiday, the médiathèque and Mass in French. Our addresses are on /en/cities/dublin/family-outings/.

Yes for two items: housing, which the embassy describes as dearer than Paris, and childcare for little ones. The rest balances out: free state schools with textbooks provided, free national museums, free transport until age 9, free GP before 8 and public hospitals with no bill. Groceries and restaurants remain dearer than in France. Our Settling in page details the budget line by line: /en/cities/dublin/settling-in/.

Dublin Accueil runs a monthly welcome coffee at a member's home, a Friday morning hike, mum-and-baby meetups and back-to-school drinks in October. FLAM workshops, the Alliance française children's classes, the Lycée français school gates and Facebook groups of French parents in Ireland do the rest; lepetitjournal.com Dublin lists the community's events.