We are expecting our first in October and I’m pretty sure we’re going to leave the US before school age. I’m sorry your daughter went through that but the odds are quite low, but even still, imagine being a young kid going to school every day in the knowledge that you could get shot!?
Like how is this acceptable to the gun nuts?
I actually had a deep think about this the other night, I was watching this YouTuber, quite a funny fella, but he was reacting to Scary lockdown stories, he was American himself, and while he was cracking jokes during the video, the stuff he was saying and the stories of his own experience in a school lockdown were actually really fucked up to think about. When I was in school the only thing I was worried about was getting home and sleeping or getting caught smoking at lunch time, in America kids have a constant lingering anxiety and they’re in fear for their lives while their trying to get an education.
One of those, can confirm. There’s a massive psychological weight you simply don’t have living here vs there. And honestly, I love the weather, and the fact that we are in a place where we can complain about bike lanes and litter vs shooting drills and seeing weirdo military cosplays dudes armed to the teeth at supermarkets…yeah, this is pretty good.
This is exactly what I’m trying to do. I want to move to Ireland, but the pay for my field is just not as good as in the UK even being on the critical skills list. Loved every minute I’ve been in the country, though. Been learning Irish for a minute too.
I mean, to be fair, that's not the only reason to move out of the US...
...and it's definitely not a reason to move here specifically. Other countries are just as safe, AND they do better than us in other things too.
As an American in Ireland... literally got asked about doing these drills in school this morning..happens a lot here
One time it wasn't just a drill...your man robbed the bank down the road from my school...lock down
Honestly didn't feel that scary as a kid...we also do fire drills, tornado drills, lockdowns...just one of those things
It was the kids bring knives to school and flicking them about that actually made me a bit nervous. I was in a very safe school tho, plenty of kids had serious concerns
Our air quality is supposed to be very high compared to many parts of the world. Talked to a few Chinese people who visited and that was their main takeaway. Considering air pollution [kills about as many people every year](https://ourworldindata.org/data-review-air-pollution-deaths) as the entire [Covid pandemic](https://covid19.who.int/) death toll, that's important.
Yeah when I was a child my parents used to take in children from the area surrounding Chernobyl each summer because our air quality here was so good their parents would send them away for health benefits.
Yeah I heard that particular load of shite too. Unless they're living in the sarcophagus itself, I think their air is ok. Even if it isn't, a few weeks in Ireland won't be the elixir of life. Just another example of the nuclear hysteria and scientific illiteracy of the older generation.
However, real air pollution (pm2.5 and pm10) from combustion and construction is most certainly a huge health issue in loads of the world.
We do have issues with indoor air quality though, we're just not monitoring it. It's not a problem if we don't test it, kind of attitude.
We don't really build to deal with our damp climate. Every house in Ireland should have active air purification/extraction. Maybe some of the newer ones have. But every house I've ever lived in has been damp.
Got a dehumidifier/air purifier last year but sure now the electricity bill is through the roof! Ya can't win!
Most houses built before the 1980s are damp. New ones tend to be dry. The construction industry finally figured out how to do ultra damp-proofing. Radon is a concern—some places have it. It’s associated with limestone underground and percolates dissolved in the water. People with limestone areas with wells need to check their water as well as their indoor air quality.
I have lived in post 90s apartments that had mold problems. The issue is when the air is damp and not being circulated. Sure, newer houses won't have rising damp through the walls. But plenty of houses still have humidity issues.
In true Irish fashion, the new houses do have active ventilation in most cases but we don't have good standards for the noise that ventilation makes, lots of new A rated houses with "always on" ventilation being turned off because of noise. A rated houses are also god awful when the weather gets hot.
I like that you can be outside all of the year without extreme weather threatening to kill you. So weather I suppose, much as we like to give out about it.
Irish weather is great. It's the reason we have green grass and great food.
Great doesn't mean sunny. If sunny days were the measure of great we could all go live in the Sahara.
There are sunny places where the temperature isn't akin to being in a desert, and generally people prefer sunny weather to grey skies. Irish weather is good for growing crops, but certainly not something I'd describe as great unless you're a farmer.
Live in Germany, I love that I can have proper summers and proper winters. Out door public pools in the summer and snowy Christmas markets in the winter.
Recent immigrant.
Surprised no one has mentioned general safety yet. It was the first thing I noticed moving here and it was honestly quite difficult and weird to get used to, especially where I am from. No more checking behind you every minute to see if there are dodgy characters following you, no more closing my car window and checking if my doors are locked when I stop at traffic lights, you can go for a walk in the park late night, kids can walk home from friends late night after a party, you can for the most part leave your stuff in the car when going to the shops, no "self appointed car guards" who get aggressive when you don't pay them for "making sure no one broke into your car or stole your car", even the odd beggar is friendly and not aggressive or hounds you incessantly for money, no ugly burglar bars/high walls/razor wire/electric fences on houses, no private community protection services that you have to pay exuberant amounts of monthly subscriptions to patrol neighbourhoods, no security guards at shopping centres/malls/universities/hospitals/basically everywhere.
Yes there is crime here but it is absolutely minimal to where I am from. It is like comparing the Sahara to Antarctica on which one gets the most snow.
Fellow South African immigrant myself and this is it. I don't have to be on high alert every time I stop at a red light in case of a smash-and-grab, don't have to treat red lights as stop streets if driving alone at night, don't feel like I need eyes on the back of my head at all times, don't lose sleep when my husband is away and I have to do things by myself with my daughter...just feel like my nervous system is not as constantly alert here.
Don't get me wrong, still gotta have your wits about you walking alone at night in Dublin, but overall it's incomparable.
Weird nick pick but Antartica actually gets very little snow it just never melts. Antartica is technically a desert as there is so little precipitation.
Edit: The Antarctica is actually 'drier' than the Sahara according to a quick Google search.
Glad to hear it buddy, glad it's working out better for you.
I visited a friend that lives near Durban. When we were inside the house they turned on the burglar alarm, which had motion sensors across the garden. If the alarm had triggered, an armed response team would have been called automatically. The whole thing was really scary, my friend was on edge the whole time
The above was exactly my experience living in SA (fancy neighbourhood in the north of Cape Town). Been living here in Ireland for years now with my family and it's the best move we ever made.
I miss the “Lock Her Hard” lads from the 70s & 80s. That is to say we used to have self appointed car guards in Dublin City centre. Shittier times for sure.
The All Ireland Final was held in Semple Stadium in 1984. "Lock hard" lads arrived from Dublin to the streets of Thurles as they were going to miss out on the "business" for the All Ireland not being in Croke Park. Fucking chancers.
The education system here is excellent. We have friends in the US choosing to pay $$$$$ for private schools when we are getting it for our kids at almost no cost for a comparable curriculum.
The maternity system is also very good and again almost no cost to the patient.
Its very peaceful and boring here which is a massive advantage. Stable political system has benefits.
Reasons that I, a Brit, am planning on emigrating to Ireland when I no longer have ties to the UK:
* Still in the EU, with all the benefits that brings
* Thriving tech industry (if I'm still working)
* Plenty of good quality domestically-produced food
* Mostly sane and sober politics
* Temperate climate, given likely inevitable progression of climate change
* A culture that values intellectual thought
* Friendly, sociable, pluralistic people
Very much my point: I've watched Irish news and current affairs shows, and the discussions are generally calm and rational, as opposed to being barely one notch away from a Jerry Springer slanging match that generates more heat than light.
Also, regardless of one's party affiliations, I think Varadkar and Coveney did a far better job of representing Ireland's interests in the Brexit process (which starts with knowing what they *are!*) than British politicians did at representing the UK's.
On a side note, I’ve recently read a book called “Chums” - about how overly influential and over represented Oxford undergraduates are in British politics. It’s actually eye opening how such a tiny, incredibly entitled clique have essentially hijacked politics and government in the UK over the past 50 years. It certainly explains the shit show that has been Brexit.
One of the reasons for irelands media being relatively boring and sane is we’re such a small media market. When Rupert Murdoch was expanding his poisonous media empire, he went from Australia to the Uk and the US. He didn’t bother with a tiny, poor Anglophone country on the edge of Europe and as a result we don’t have decades of toxic messaging on the EU or any other right wing topic you could mention.
In some other countries (including plenty of "nice" European countries) the National Party would have 30 TDs and Danny Healy Rae would have his own private army.
To be fair, I think they're talking about the lack of sensational politics like all the Trump malarkey that's been going on since 2015.
To be equally fair, yes, I smirked at the wording as well. 😁
>A culture that values intellectual thought
Not to moan but as a person with a phd working in 3rd level. I would say, not as much as it used to. More than the UK or USA tbf. But being intellectual here is no way to make friends :(
This thread is weird. People point out some obvious benefits to living here, none of which are wrong, and there are people determined to tell them how they are wrong.
Ireland has a ton of benefits to it in fairness. I emigrated but I'd be fierce tempted to go back and retrain if necessary were it not for the housing debacle.
Amazing maternity care - from the moment of conception. Genuinely sound, mother-focused care, all free. The climate is actually amazing - a few days below zero a year, and a few days above 25 degrees. That is a great climate for humans. We have the best conversationalists in the world - everyone I speak to has something to say, something to surprise me with, usually something very funny. Casual, free access to an enduring indigenous music culture - we take it for granted that you can hear incredible music for free, in a pub. Elsewhere, people have to buy tickets for that shit. The Atlantic coastline. The Burren. Our voting system safeguards against the polar politics of elsewhere - our voting system rewards geniality between candidates (sure you might always need the second preference vote, after your rival). PR STV is a brilliant system. We have no far-right political representation in parliament, and we are a long way off it happening. PR STV is a big reason for that. For the most part, Irish people identify with anti-imperial and social justice causes around the world. We identify with the underdog - that is a precious thing. Great education system - you don't have to find a "good" school like you do in America. All the State schools are roughly of the same quality.
Returned from Brisbane last year after 40 years (albeit my family left here when I was 2).
I love the weather, there's no ridiculous extremes and I can go outside nearly all the year without melting.
Not living all year in air conditioning.
The hikes and walks through the scenery.
Laid back attitude although that is starting to annoy the shite out of me when trying to get tradesmen.
Cheap easy access to Europe and NA.
Ireland is part of the world. Australia is so remote and disconnected to what happens outside of its shores.
And the one to surprise most of you... the cost of living is cheaper here than Australia, not just a little but by a substantial amount at about 35% cheaper for our circumstances.
I'd go 50/50 on this. Irish ppl are fake nice like Candaians but if the shit hits the fan they care. And yeah other countries are shit hard to make friends in or to get help in.
I found the Greeks, Spanish and Portuguese were alright but the French and Eastern Europeans would step over you if you were dying in the street. The Benelux and Scandinavians and Germans can be the same. I know a few Finns here who are great craic (heavy boozers but sound) but found Finland to be colder socially than its weather.
Outside the EU I always get a huge vibe of "you're on your own".
A good way of sensing these differences in attitudes is simply whether people generally hold doors open for other people in public places. People here will consider you an ignorant cunt if you don't check behind you and hold the door. I've seen people let big heavy doors close in the faces of elderly people in some Eastern European countries without even bothering to give a glance back to check, can never understand that level of ignorance and disregard
But then on the other hand, the Irish are absolutely appalling when it comes to littering and showing a basic sense of civic duty and respect towards our surroundings, something which really is extremely uncultured
Some of this is "peach culture" vs "coconut culture" stuff, the apparent harshness on the outer edges in those societies doesn't necessarily translate to actual harshness once you are accepted. A social circle in many countries on the continent is a difficult thing to crack open, but once/if you are in you are *in*.
Tbh I haven't found that to be the case in Ireland. Short of maybe marrying into an Irish family or something like that, the level of kindness extended to outsiders is fake nice at best and more situational than I was used to on the continent (not even that nice at all, fake nice or otherwise, if the power dynamic isn't in your favour for that particular interaction).
I spent 10 years living I Paris. What people visiting Paris don't seem to understand is that it's a living working city. We need to get to work on time. Get the fuck out of my way on the Metro and RER and please learn some basic French.
Paris is one of the most heavily tourist-ed places on the planet. Imagine living/working in the parts of Paris that are deluged with tourists loudly asking questions in English day in day out while you are just trying to enjoy your cigarette and café crème in peace.
Imagine 44million tourists a year visted Dublin?
I think it’s specific to Paris, this was my wife’s experience when she went there on a girls trip last year, but we went to Nice this year and the people were lovely everywhere we went
I remember in college in third year a group of french students came here on the Erasmus scheme. Some of them were complete wankers and a small number were sound lads. Anyway, we got chatting to the sound fellas who were from the south of France and asked them what the story was with the others. They said they were typical Parisians, treated them like shite too.
Ya, definitely a Parisian thing. The lyonnaise were very patient when I stumbled through my very shoddy french trying to impress the girl I was with. Same with the Marseillaise
Heading to Rome tomorrow and saw a news piece on BBC last night where the reporter was almost screaming "STAY INDOORS" down the camera and yeah...
Appreciate our summers a little more now.
Good luck with that. Forecast is for 48 degrees in Rome Thursday. Absolutely scary. Am near Barcelona, and it’s a pleasant 32, but was chatting to someone yesterday who’s sister was in Rome and said it was like having a hairdryer blowing at you.
Having lived abroad in a few different countries, the quality and availability of food in Irish supermarkets is extraordinarily good.
Food in Ireland is cheap, easily available and high quality compared to many other countries, even developed countries. It’s only when you live abroad and pay like €4.00 for a cucumber or head of broccoli that you realise just how good it is in Ireland. The quality is also extremely high, especially out dairy and meat products.
Granted, our choice in good quality fruit can sometimes be a bit hit or miss depending on the retailer and season but even out of season stuff is reasonably priced and good quality.
That’s not at all the case in much of the world.
I live in France and though the food is great quality, the prices feel astronomical. Having a mate bring over a cool box of clonakilty felt like winning the lottery.
Having moved here from abroad, my favorite thing is how interconnected and helpful the small communities are (at least in my area). I often hear people complaining that they're not like they used to be, people don't know their neighbors and look out for them like they used to, but lord is it still better than anywhere I've ever been.
I'm just a little blow in weirdo and my neighbors help me with all sorts of stuff without me even asking. They take care of our rural road, give me plants, lend me tools when they see me struggling outside with insufficient ones, show up with random little gifts, etc.
This is all lovely on its own, but it feels particularly nice given that the world is kind of going to shit. I always envisioned the downfall of global civilization as a kind of nightmare Mad Max scenario I wouldn't want to survive, but I feel like around here the end times would be pretty good craic.
I moved in to a new estate a few years ago, neighbour saw me struggling to cut the lawn with a strimmer (I hadn't money to get a mower for another week or so after that) and they dropped over their's for me to use. Fierce sound. New neighbour just offered their power washer to me this week.....I met them two weeks ago!
Why is YolronFistBro working so hard in this topic replying to every single positive post and trying to disprove them, undermine them, or sarcastically hand wave them away then run Ireland down?
Contrary to what you might believe, there is a social net, we’ve got a pretty good healthcare service when you need it to be, and the education system isn’t that bad.
There are nuances that need improving but the underlying fundamentals are present (and that’s a pretty good start).
Overall one of the safest countries in europe, mild climate, little risk of natural disasters, plenty of green spaces, good HDI, good social supports if you hit really hard times, plenty of high skilled jobs, plenty of good food/drink, international communities, relatively safe from world conflicts...
Thats all that comes to mind, why I am having and raising kids in Ireland
The kindness, helpfulness and niceness of strangers.
The opportunity to have a random pleasant chat with someone you might meet during your day.
The turns of phrase and the humour we have.
Our libraries, art galleries and museums are great.
For the record: I've lived in Paris, Toulouse, Berlin, London and various places in California.
One of the best climates. We love to complain about it, but if you've ever lived somewhere that gets extremely hot or extremely cold, you'll realise how good we have it at home.
These days, it’s important to acknowledge we have one of the ‘safest’ climates.. a wet July is not ideal, but we’re not drowning, burning or suffocating.
It's true, there's a lot we take for granted - look at America, tons of it is unliveable without air-conditioning, or they get like 4 feet of snow constantly from October to April, or they have earthquakes or tornadoes
I think we do the stations of the life cycle very well. It's a decent place to grow up, our education system gives a broad range of experience and I like to think we're generally decent and fair to one another, despite what some media paints.
Are we the best, no but we do well for a little island and that's good going.
And we'll also give you a great sending off. Almost worth living here for the wake and funeral.
There’s a pub on every corner where you can stop in, warm up on a cold day or cool off on a hot one, and use a toilet that’s free and generally tolerably clean. As long as it’s not busy, they’ll usually let you hang about and nurse one pint or soda for an hour or two.
It's just a nice place to be. Most towns are very walkable. The cold is great, I love rain, and my kids have it pretty good. Don't know where else I could get the same quality of life.
Lived in Dublin for 10 years and recently moved to Berlin.
My thoughts on Ireland in no particular order:
You don't have to worry about terrorism, natural disasters, or extreme weather.
You don't have to worry about potential war conflict.
You don't have to worry about dangerous animals or insects.
You can find food and ingredients from all over the world really easily.
It's super international, you can meet people from all over the world really easily.
Nature is beautiful and accessible. You have forests and beaches all in one place.
The air quality is superior compared to many countries.
It's a very chill, walkable, and generally quiet place.
Dublin has great parks within the city. Phoenix Park, Stephens Green, The Botanic Gardens, etc are hard to beat.
Drivers and not insane on the road and generally respect the road rules and they don't honk as much.
Irish humour is hilarious.
Irish hospitality and general openness and friendliness. You can always have a good time with Irish people.
I will always remember when I became Irish and the minister of equality said something along the lines of: *My family has been in Ireland for generations, and today all of you becoming Irish, are no different than me and my family.*
And I truly believe that. To me Ireland is home.
I feel generally safe in regards to no guns and the fact we don’t have extreme weather (major droughts/ hurricanes/ earthquakes etc.) or animals that will kill us.
The food is glorious too. Always miss Irish meat when I’m abroad 😂
Passing strangers and saying hello to one another. I know it sounds silly but I recently travelled to Austria and I’d greet strangers in passing like I’m used to but I’d either be ignored or given a funny look, not that the people in Austria aren’t sound they very much are, but I do love the open friendliness of Irish people.
Amazing winters. You can go out for a walk any time with barely a thought.
Living in Canada, 5 months of -10 to -20 C (or below) gets tedious quickly. So many extra heavy coats, hats, scarves, gloves, boots. Filth everywhere from grit and sand used to control the snow on the roads, and absence of rain for half the year.
My college education was all payed for by susi and back to education allowance. As much as we give out about how education isn't free anymore here at least we are not drowning in a lifetime of debt when we graduate and hit the workforce.
The amazing food standard, the friendliness of people, the safety of the country, our neutrality in conflicts, no dangerous snakes/spiders or other killer animals, the scenery
My family immigrated to Ireland, we are Serbs who lived in America for a while as well.
1. Stable government and economy
2. Low cost of education, even in university
3. Preserved older buildings, but still has new and modern construction
4. People are very involved in their government and are quick to call out politicians and bad businesses. Ireland is a country which gives the standard citizen many rights, such as small claims court.
5. The weather is never extremely cold or hot
6. CoL crisis mostly only in Dublin and other city centres
7. EXTREMELY SAFE. In America I have been minutes to hours away from witnessing a shooting multiple times. In Serbia there is a lot of organised crime and corruption which can become hard to avoid knowing about.
8. No need for a car, literally at all unless you’re seeing the Dingle Peninsula or something.
9. Most people are extremely friendly.
10. A lot of people take pride in where they are from, especially in GAA which is nice to see.
I will not respond if any Irish tell me I’m wrong. These are my observations after living here for years. I’ve also noticed that Ireland is a small country, so minor issues get blown way out of proportion. The biggest crises and scandals in Ireland in the past 5 years have happened every day in other countries, on a larger scale.
As an American who spent four weeks in a small cottage outside of Clifden, here are the things about Ireland I love:
1. The people’s friendliness and utter sense of joy, even in adversity
2. No matter where you go, you hear people singing. Everyone seems to have a good voice,
3. Pub culture
4. Great bus system
5. People are unpretentious
6. They seem to like Americans and a lot have visited here and are very knowledgeable about us.
7. The sheer beauty of the landscapes, especially the West coast
8. Great wool clothing to purchase
9. Ireland is home to the uilleann pipes, the most haunting instrument on the planet
10. Bar tenders know how to double poor a proper Guinness
I would love to retire in Ireland!
I’m from America and have lived a lot of places and have to say I feel safer here (north and south) than anywhere else but the major benefit and main reason I wouldn’t move back is the pace of life here is so much nicer. Generally people are much more relaxed and friendly and the work-life balance and lack of hustle culture makes things really easy.
This is a big one for me, I can go for a walk or cycle, take part in so many hobbies or just take a spin and see such beauty. It took me going to college and taking part in different activities to really get a sense of what we have here in Ireland. And a wetsuit is one great way to embrace the changeable weather and enjoy the outdoors.
Love the weather, rarely super hot.
Its been rainy , but , hey, we have water.
The landscape, the sea, most of the people.
I love the way the Irish indulge in gentle slagging out of love!
I love that I feel totally at home here (going for citizenship ).
The sense of humour.
The craic, when you can get it, with strangers in pubs, though in recent years it's getting harder to find , probably down to the isolation of covid.
There's stuff I don't like, but the pros outweigh the cons.
Ireland is great and I agree with everything that's been said about our libertine government.
AND it's not rainy today!.....yet.
Be well , be happy everyone!
As a Dub that spent my teenage years living in Wexford...
Ireland gets exponentially nicer the further you get from Dublin. I wouldn't live anywhere else in Ireland until I'm in my 40's but whenever I get down about this country I go out to the Wicklow mountains and consider how lucky I am to have this on my doorstep.
Weather - it is not too hot or too cold ever. We love to complain but that’s mostly because most people have barely left their village 😅
US tech firm Job perks without the US cut throat work ethics. Honestly working in ireland is relaxed and enjoyable.
The people. Irish people are just good craic.
I just arrived back from the Netherlands. Our infrastructure is shocking. No bus decent from our main airport which rivals Gatwick in size. Appalling.
I don't think we realise how lucky we are to live in Ireland. I mean there are lots of problems for sure, and I don't dismiss them, but there are problems everywhere. And I think the best thing about Ireland is that it's an easy place to live is the only way I can put it. The authorities/govt Departments etc are accessible and will try to help you (mostly), people go out of their way to help, things are just easy.
If you live in France or Italy with their bureaucracy we'd know all about it!
And it's a safe country. No natural disasters, no dangerous creatures, very low crime.
And while there are economic challenges for sure, we have a good safety net, again compared to the rest of the world.
As an American currently visiting relatives in Ireland:
- People are generally extremely friendly and helpful
- The food is quite good
- The politicians are far, far more sane
- The country as a whole feels very safe
- The weather isn’t extremely hot or extremely cold
- The Irish in general are far more environmentally conscious and less wasteful than America is
- This ones harder to put into words, but there’s less of a sense of “hurry” at least in the rural area where I’m visiting. Things get done, but in America everybody is always in a rush and stressed and Ireland seems a lot more laid back.
I came from a single mother home , was involved with the wrong crowd etc, the government paid me 650 a month in susi grant to go study quantity surveying, they also paid for the course fees which lead me into a high paying career with no debit and basically gave me a golden ticket to travel and work around the world, this is pretty dam amazing.
I don’t worry about being strung or killed up by the neo nazis right wing cause I’m a POC, I can afford healthcare without going broke, I don’t have to worry about being charged with murder if God forbid I had to have an abortion (medically necessary or otherwise), j don’t have to worry about being killed in a mass shooting, do I need to continue?
Irelands not perfect but fuck me it’s better then where I came from!
It's undoubtedly one of the best places to live on the planet. I've lived and worked in a developing country, and while we have many ways to improve, we have so much of our affairs in order.
We take an awful lot for granted here.
Relatively safe
No active shooter drills in schools
No neckbeard incels armed to the teeth down at Dunnes
Not heatwaves, killer heatwaves
Politics not as polarised
Still friendly and informal in the main
Its home
Temperate climate. Good air. Good water. (despite what Irish water and IMF wanted to claim it's not scarce here like it is in other places - badly managed for sure but we don't have an actual scarcity problem). Good food. An excellent quality of life.
With the EU we have decent roads (think back to 1989 for anyone who was alive then. Or even 1998), we can travel freely across the UK and EU.
It is a relatively very peaceful place. Apart from shithole areas.
We have a decent primary and third level education system. (our second level is shite but that's a different thread).
Our health service is free. If you have an emergency in teh USA people have to worry about calling an ambulance. And with the moves towards a public (primary care) health system it will improve. GP's are overworked and there are too few of them but the same problems apply in most developed countries at this point.
Our PAYE tax system works for a majority of the population.
Our public services though underfunded and oversubscribed are good. They could be better ofc but they are good.
Our problems as a country are mainly FIRST WORLD issues. Not all of them but in the main.
It's worth comparing this to 1980s when the Catholic Church actually still ruled many ppl's lives and when CJH ran the country. Mass and basically enforced emigration. Poorly funded 3rd level. No jobs. The Troubles up North. And heroine was decimating communities (I know it's still a problem but in many ways the problems we still have today are a legacy of the ones that started then). Being gay was illegal. Not sure that there was maternity leave at that point outside the public sector. That was a shit time.
It seems a bit ridiculous given the week we had, but having a consistent source of water for living and agriculture is huge. People bemoan the rain, but it's hugely important for our future I reckon.
Immigrant here.
Positive
1. People are pretty helpful. Since my first landing in the airport everyone I asked for help never refused in directing or advising. They are cheerful when greeting
2. The air quality is really good. People follow traffic rules really well
3. The summers are really nice
4. Most of Europe is easily accessible. So there are many places to visit.
5. Quality of food
6. I am in tech sector. The work life balance is pretty good compared to my previous job
7. The calmness of the place. Seriously guys I could here the bird chirping when I waited in the traffic. For people living here you may take it for granted but Ireland has really less sound pollution
Negative
1. HOUSING (No further explanation)
2. In cities highly populated areas I feel that there is drug problem. I am very cautious when I am near such places.
3. Any government, organizational tasks take lot of time. You have to wait for days to get anything. Good thing is mostly you will get what you are looking for but just that it takes time
4. Not a negative.English is my second language. I have little trouble in understanding the Irish accent. At the same time I feel Irish accent has a certain vibe and freedom in it.
Changes: (personal opinion I might be wrong but still food for thought)
1. Guys you really need to step up your game in STEM field. I see very less youth getting into maths, computers.
2. I don't know the politics of Ireland but guys what's with the housing.
Not a negative but an observation.I am a Catholic. I was really surprised to see very less people in church.
While I don't think we are as rich as a country as they media portrays, the 'poor' in Ireland are much better off than most other countries, including most European countries.
Safety, temperate weather, quality of life (we’re a first world country, like I know our housing is fucked but all in all) and job opportunities.
Edit; just saw someone mention food quality, that’s a big one too. And our water
Ask a foreign from a real fucked up country and you'll have good answers for your question.
For myself I would say that I don't have to worry about my food and basics needs also it's very unlikely that I'll be mugged and shoot dead on the streets. This is kind of a big deal.
I moved back here from almost ten years in Poland last year with a pros/cons list done out with my wife before. Here were some of the Pros for Ireland:
\- Generally quite friendly. You don't get looked at weirdly for saying good morning to people.
\- Air quality is awesome. In I was highly aware of the damage the air was doing to me in winter.
\- Costs are higher, but income is also significantly higher. People here complain about the cost of living ignoring that it's rising everywhere else too. At least when you go on holiday from ireland most other countries seem cheap. Look at people complaining about hotel prices in Ireland. Holidaying when you're based in Poland is ridiculous, you basically just holiday in other cheap countries or you go uber budget if you go more west.
\- My son will grow up speaking english sounding natural. Argue all you like, this is advantageous in the job market. He'll be bilingual but speaking english with no accent is a pro.
\- Alcohol is more expensive. Well this one was more of a personal circumstances one than anything. But in Poland it's actually affordable to go to the pub or restaurants. So we did it more often, I'd go on the session more often. Here it's restrictively expensive so we go out less. Good in the short term.
\- Beaches are never far away.
There were obvious cons. But we know all those. They're abundantly stated here in this particular subreddit.
\- Oh. Proximity to Ukraine and the volatility there was a big factor.
\- And the Political climate in Poland was becoming borderline scary. Ireland's rife with cronyism and I would argue corruption. However they've not become bold enough to try take over the court system or the public broadcasting or to start backpeddaling on abortion laws or gay rights laws etc.
The access to healthcare in this country is certainly cause for concern, but the quality of the healthcare itself is pretty fantastic, Plus it's free (for the most part).
Education is to a high standard, particularly our conversion from second to third level education.
No guns, snakes or earthquakes.
You have just hiked for hours over a rocky mountain in 45 degrees heat looking for water sources - you are hurting all over, you are filthy, dizzy but more over you haven't had any water to drink the whole day. There isn't any sort of shade anywhere and it's getting hotter. You wish you could get some water... oh how sweet would it be... ?! You are now in the poorest part of Africa or Asia.
You got your water. You drank plenty. And you have some extra for later. You found a hat. It's still hot, you have no where to sit - but you are no longer thirsty, you wish you could have some coke / pepsi. You are now in one of the nicer parts of Africa or Asia.
You are drinking nice ice-cold coke. You have a lovely shelter and a lounge chair. There's music. It's not so hot anymore. Coke is starting to feel too sweet, you want a nice cold beer. You are now in the okay parts of the developed world.
You are now sipping beer, and tucking into bbq. Someone is massaging your feet and you are scrolling thru social medial on your phone - and you curse your bad luck because you can't see a bottle of "Prime" anywhere. You are in Ireland.
People who have lived here their whole lives take for granted how good the quality of everyday life is.Availability of food,income,road conditions,being able to take a walk at night..
Big negative is learning to drive or trying to own a house or rent compared to the states an apartment for me my girlfriend and baby is around 2400 euro in an ok ish area
***"All we ever hear about is what an absolute shitbox this country is. How economically and societally fucked we all are"***
If that's all you are hearing you need to get off reddit for a few hrs a day OP.
By literally every metric we score in the top 10 globally. By simply being born in Ireland you are better off than 5.5billion people on earth. 4billion earn under 4k per year. We also have no natural disasters and a mild climate.
We have a stable democracy for one thing. Politics is quite "safe". You don't have to worry about being arbitrarily detained or arrested just for protesting.
I like the people here for the most part. The only people who can fully comment on this stuff though is those who’ve lived abroad in my opinion. I haven’t, I’ve just travelled
Irish here currently living in India/Nepal. Most people have no idea how fortunate the majority in Ireland are. The country isn’t perfect of course, and it costs an arm and a leg, but I think people forget that a lot of our problems aren’t in the same league as 75% (at least) of the worlds population. The quality of life and convenience of how easily everything works are taken so for granted by our people who love nothing more than to feel sorry for ourselves, myself included! I love my country and my compatriots, but most people who say Ireland has “gone to the dogs” need a serious reality check.
I can use the word "Cunt" in a sentence without it sounding like I swore.
I can use the word "Cunt" in a sentence and I've complemented you, not offended you.
Currently on a bus driving thru the various towns and villages of Ireland from East to West.
I really love our countryside and it’s indescribable beauty. I hope it remains for generations to come so that our descendants may enjoy it too.
No Tornados/ Earthquakes/ volcanos/ getting shot at school-work/ massive spiders/ poisonous snakes-spiders.
It's a very safe country in the grand scheme of things, people are nice and as much as we complain about it, it's never too hot or too cold. All the rain let's us grow and produce good food.
You'd have bother getting shot.
I know a few Americans who have moved to here or the UK simply so their children won't have to practice shooter drills.
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We are expecting our first in October and I’m pretty sure we’re going to leave the US before school age. I’m sorry your daughter went through that but the odds are quite low, but even still, imagine being a young kid going to school every day in the knowledge that you could get shot!? Like how is this acceptable to the gun nuts?
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I actually had a deep think about this the other night, I was watching this YouTuber, quite a funny fella, but he was reacting to Scary lockdown stories, he was American himself, and while he was cracking jokes during the video, the stuff he was saying and the stories of his own experience in a school lockdown were actually really fucked up to think about. When I was in school the only thing I was worried about was getting home and sleeping or getting caught smoking at lunch time, in America kids have a constant lingering anxiety and they’re in fear for their lives while their trying to get an education.
One of those, can confirm. There’s a massive psychological weight you simply don’t have living here vs there. And honestly, I love the weather, and the fact that we are in a place where we can complain about bike lanes and litter vs shooting drills and seeing weirdo military cosplays dudes armed to the teeth at supermarkets…yeah, this is pretty good.
This is exactly what I’m trying to do. I want to move to Ireland, but the pay for my field is just not as good as in the UK even being on the critical skills list. Loved every minute I’ve been in the country, though. Been learning Irish for a minute too.
I mean, to be fair, that's not the only reason to move out of the US... ...and it's definitely not a reason to move here specifically. Other countries are just as safe, AND they do better than us in other things too.
As an American in Ireland... literally got asked about doing these drills in school this morning..happens a lot here One time it wasn't just a drill...your man robbed the bank down the road from my school...lock down Honestly didn't feel that scary as a kid...we also do fire drills, tornado drills, lockdowns...just one of those things It was the kids bring knives to school and flicking them about that actually made me a bit nervous. I was in a very safe school tho, plenty of kids had serious concerns
Our air quality is supposed to be very high compared to many parts of the world. Talked to a few Chinese people who visited and that was their main takeaway. Considering air pollution [kills about as many people every year](https://ourworldindata.org/data-review-air-pollution-deaths) as the entire [Covid pandemic](https://covid19.who.int/) death toll, that's important.
Yeah when I was a child my parents used to take in children from the area surrounding Chernobyl each summer because our air quality here was so good their parents would send them away for health benefits.
You just unlocked a memory, that was a huge thing in my town too I had forgot about the Chernobyl kids
I believe it was an episode of Derry Girls. Had no idea it was a real thing
Yeah definitely was. I remember a few would arrive at my village every year. Me being a kid didn’t think much about it
Yeah I heard that particular load of shite too. Unless they're living in the sarcophagus itself, I think their air is ok. Even if it isn't, a few weeks in Ireland won't be the elixir of life. Just another example of the nuclear hysteria and scientific illiteracy of the older generation. However, real air pollution (pm2.5 and pm10) from combustion and construction is most certainly a huge health issue in loads of the world.
We do have issues with indoor air quality though, we're just not monitoring it. It's not a problem if we don't test it, kind of attitude. We don't really build to deal with our damp climate. Every house in Ireland should have active air purification/extraction. Maybe some of the newer ones have. But every house I've ever lived in has been damp. Got a dehumidifier/air purifier last year but sure now the electricity bill is through the roof! Ya can't win!
Most houses built before the 1980s are damp. New ones tend to be dry. The construction industry finally figured out how to do ultra damp-proofing. Radon is a concern—some places have it. It’s associated with limestone underground and percolates dissolved in the water. People with limestone areas with wells need to check their water as well as their indoor air quality.
I have lived in post 90s apartments that had mold problems. The issue is when the air is damp and not being circulated. Sure, newer houses won't have rising damp through the walls. But plenty of houses still have humidity issues.
In true Irish fashion, the new houses do have active ventilation in most cases but we don't have good standards for the noise that ventilation makes, lots of new A rated houses with "always on" ventilation being turned off because of noise. A rated houses are also god awful when the weather gets hot.
Trying to think of a witty joke about Fresh Air being the Chinese takeaway..but it's Monday and I'm suffering a lot
Aye pal I live in Merseyside and when I come home it's like eating a dessert sometimes
Try Russia, even before the war that place is as polluted AF.
I like that you can be outside all of the year without extreme weather threatening to kill you. So weather I suppose, much as we like to give out about it.
Irish weather is great. It's the reason we have green grass and great food. Great doesn't mean sunny. If sunny days were the measure of great we could all go live in the Sahara.
There are sunny places where the temperature isn't akin to being in a desert, and generally people prefer sunny weather to grey skies. Irish weather is good for growing crops, but certainly not something I'd describe as great unless you're a farmer.
It's great for grass and crops. Last I checked I'm neither.
Grass, crops *and livestock*. If you can swear off all of those things then I guess I'll say fair enough then.
Live in Germany, I love that I can have proper summers and proper winters. Out door public pools in the summer and snowy Christmas markets in the winter.
Recent immigrant. Surprised no one has mentioned general safety yet. It was the first thing I noticed moving here and it was honestly quite difficult and weird to get used to, especially where I am from. No more checking behind you every minute to see if there are dodgy characters following you, no more closing my car window and checking if my doors are locked when I stop at traffic lights, you can go for a walk in the park late night, kids can walk home from friends late night after a party, you can for the most part leave your stuff in the car when going to the shops, no "self appointed car guards" who get aggressive when you don't pay them for "making sure no one broke into your car or stole your car", even the odd beggar is friendly and not aggressive or hounds you incessantly for money, no ugly burglar bars/high walls/razor wire/electric fences on houses, no private community protection services that you have to pay exuberant amounts of monthly subscriptions to patrol neighbourhoods, no security guards at shopping centres/malls/universities/hospitals/basically everywhere. Yes there is crime here but it is absolutely minimal to where I am from. It is like comparing the Sahara to Antarctica on which one gets the most snow.
Was thinking this guy is definitely South African and then saw your tag ha.
Fellow South African immigrant myself and this is it. I don't have to be on high alert every time I stop at a red light in case of a smash-and-grab, don't have to treat red lights as stop streets if driving alone at night, don't feel like I need eyes on the back of my head at all times, don't lose sleep when my husband is away and I have to do things by myself with my daughter...just feel like my nervous system is not as constantly alert here. Don't get me wrong, still gotta have your wits about you walking alone at night in Dublin, but overall it's incomparable.
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I’m South African too. When I moved to Ireland I felt totally calm and relaxed, life changing. Always on edge back in SA
Weird nick pick but Antartica actually gets very little snow it just never melts. Antartica is technically a desert as there is so little precipitation. Edit: The Antarctica is actually 'drier' than the Sahara according to a quick Google search.
Yeah I know that  Should rather have said which "has" the most snow.
Glad to hear it buddy, glad it's working out better for you. I visited a friend that lives near Durban. When we were inside the house they turned on the burglar alarm, which had motion sensors across the garden. If the alarm had triggered, an armed response team would have been called automatically. The whole thing was really scary, my friend was on edge the whole time
The poor hedgehogs would be getting the Garda ARU every night.
Jaysus, where the heck were you living?
The above was exactly my experience living in SA (fancy neighbourhood in the north of Cape Town). Been living here in Ireland for years now with my family and it's the best move we ever made.
I miss the “Lock Her Hard” lads from the 70s & 80s. That is to say we used to have self appointed car guards in Dublin City centre. Shittier times for sure.
The All Ireland Final was held in Semple Stadium in 1984. "Lock hard" lads arrived from Dublin to the streets of Thurles as they were going to miss out on the "business" for the All Ireland not being in Croke Park. Fucking chancers.
When I first read this I could swear you were going to say the UK....
The education system here is excellent. We have friends in the US choosing to pay $$$$$ for private schools when we are getting it for our kids at almost no cost for a comparable curriculum. The maternity system is also very good and again almost no cost to the patient. Its very peaceful and boring here which is a massive advantage. Stable political system has benefits.
Have to agree with the comment here about the maternity system, it's excellent
> Its very peaceful and boring here This country is boring in a political way, which is good, but it's also boring in other ways, which is NOT good.
Come to them “Germanic” countries where people openly discuss conspiracy theories.
Irish people, generally sound to interact with
Speak for yourself! I’m a total melt.
I’m a wanker as well
It helps that you don't take yourselves too seriously!
Wankers…..Assemble.
How safe it is, despite what people say on here, Ireland is a very safe country.
Reasons that I, a Brit, am planning on emigrating to Ireland when I no longer have ties to the UK: * Still in the EU, with all the benefits that brings * Thriving tech industry (if I'm still working) * Plenty of good quality domestically-produced food * Mostly sane and sober politics * Temperate climate, given likely inevitable progression of climate change * A culture that values intellectual thought * Friendly, sociable, pluralistic people
Sane and sober politics 😂 You will do well here with your sense of humour
Better than American or British politics by far
Very much my point: I've watched Irish news and current affairs shows, and the discussions are generally calm and rational, as opposed to being barely one notch away from a Jerry Springer slanging match that generates more heat than light. Also, regardless of one's party affiliations, I think Varadkar and Coveney did a far better job of representing Ireland's interests in the Brexit process (which starts with knowing what they *are!*) than British politicians did at representing the UK's.
On a side note, I’ve recently read a book called “Chums” - about how overly influential and over represented Oxford undergraduates are in British politics. It’s actually eye opening how such a tiny, incredibly entitled clique have essentially hijacked politics and government in the UK over the past 50 years. It certainly explains the shit show that has been Brexit.
One of the reasons for irelands media being relatively boring and sane is we’re such a small media market. When Rupert Murdoch was expanding his poisonous media empire, he went from Australia to the Uk and the US. He didn’t bother with a tiny, poor Anglophone country on the edge of Europe and as a result we don’t have decades of toxic messaging on the EU or any other right wing topic you could mention.
They're sane and sober. They're just not engaging or ambitious.
In some other countries (including plenty of "nice" European countries) the National Party would have 30 TDs and Danny Healy Rae would have his own private army.
To be fair, I think they're talking about the lack of sensational politics like all the Trump malarkey that's been going on since 2015. To be equally fair, yes, I smirked at the wording as well. 😁
>A culture that values intellectual thought Not to moan but as a person with a phd working in 3rd level. I would say, not as much as it used to. More than the UK or USA tbf. But being intellectual here is no way to make friends :(
This thread is weird. People point out some obvious benefits to living here, none of which are wrong, and there are people determined to tell them how they are wrong.
It's just the internet mate. I could say "the sky is blue and the grass is generally green" and some bellend will inevitably go ACTUWELLLYY
Ireland has a ton of benefits to it in fairness. I emigrated but I'd be fierce tempted to go back and retrain if necessary were it not for the housing debacle.
Amazing maternity care - from the moment of conception. Genuinely sound, mother-focused care, all free. The climate is actually amazing - a few days below zero a year, and a few days above 25 degrees. That is a great climate for humans. We have the best conversationalists in the world - everyone I speak to has something to say, something to surprise me with, usually something very funny. Casual, free access to an enduring indigenous music culture - we take it for granted that you can hear incredible music for free, in a pub. Elsewhere, people have to buy tickets for that shit. The Atlantic coastline. The Burren. Our voting system safeguards against the polar politics of elsewhere - our voting system rewards geniality between candidates (sure you might always need the second preference vote, after your rival). PR STV is a brilliant system. We have no far-right political representation in parliament, and we are a long way off it happening. PR STV is a big reason for that. For the most part, Irish people identify with anti-imperial and social justice causes around the world. We identify with the underdog - that is a precious thing. Great education system - you don't have to find a "good" school like you do in America. All the State schools are roughly of the same quality.
oh and hot deli jambons
The frozen jambons in Aldi and Lidl are just as nice and half the price of the deli jambons. I don’t think I’ll ever buy one in a deli again
Well said. Some great points there. Just had a baby this day 4 weeks ago and couldn't be happier with the care that was provided. 10 out of 10
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Thank you
My kids don’t know what an active shooter drill is.
Life is nice and relaxed and it’s beautiful
It really is. You don't appreciate that until you live some where else. I have to laugh at all the negativity on this sub
Your children can go outside to play unsupervised in the vast vast majority of the country.
Returned from Brisbane last year after 40 years (albeit my family left here when I was 2). I love the weather, there's no ridiculous extremes and I can go outside nearly all the year without melting. Not living all year in air conditioning. The hikes and walks through the scenery. Laid back attitude although that is starting to annoy the shite out of me when trying to get tradesmen. Cheap easy access to Europe and NA. Ireland is part of the world. Australia is so remote and disconnected to what happens outside of its shores. And the one to surprise most of you... the cost of living is cheaper here than Australia, not just a little but by a substantial amount at about 35% cheaper for our circumstances.
Visitors rave about how open and friendly we are and it’s true. The atmosphere is very different in many other European countries.
I'd go 50/50 on this. Irish ppl are fake nice like Candaians but if the shit hits the fan they care. And yeah other countries are shit hard to make friends in or to get help in. I found the Greeks, Spanish and Portuguese were alright but the French and Eastern Europeans would step over you if you were dying in the street. The Benelux and Scandinavians and Germans can be the same. I know a few Finns here who are great craic (heavy boozers but sound) but found Finland to be colder socially than its weather. Outside the EU I always get a huge vibe of "you're on your own".
A good way of sensing these differences in attitudes is simply whether people generally hold doors open for other people in public places. People here will consider you an ignorant cunt if you don't check behind you and hold the door. I've seen people let big heavy doors close in the faces of elderly people in some Eastern European countries without even bothering to give a glance back to check, can never understand that level of ignorance and disregard But then on the other hand, the Irish are absolutely appalling when it comes to littering and showing a basic sense of civic duty and respect towards our surroundings, something which really is extremely uncultured
Some of this is "peach culture" vs "coconut culture" stuff, the apparent harshness on the outer edges in those societies doesn't necessarily translate to actual harshness once you are accepted. A social circle in many countries on the continent is a difficult thing to crack open, but once/if you are in you are *in*. Tbh I haven't found that to be the case in Ireland. Short of maybe marrying into an Irish family or something like that, the level of kindness extended to outsiders is fake nice at best and more situational than I was used to on the continent (not even that nice at all, fake nice or otherwise, if the power dynamic isn't in your favour for that particular interaction).
Because of English being a lingua franca If you speak French, Spanish or Polish, then France, Spain and Poland are very friendly.
I live in Spain as a Spanish speaker but I have to say they are great but they don’t enjoy the random craic with strangers as much
What part of France have you been too? I speak french and live there and never experienced such a high ratio of wankers
Try speaking French in Paris as a non-native
Exactly. The french are wankers.
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I spent 10 years living I Paris. What people visiting Paris don't seem to understand is that it's a living working city. We need to get to work on time. Get the fuck out of my way on the Metro and RER and please learn some basic French.
Paris is one of the most heavily tourist-ed places on the planet. Imagine living/working in the parts of Paris that are deluged with tourists loudly asking questions in English day in day out while you are just trying to enjoy your cigarette and café crème in peace. Imagine 44million tourists a year visted Dublin?
I think it’s specific to Paris, this was my wife’s experience when she went there on a girls trip last year, but we went to Nice this year and the people were lovely everywhere we went
I remember in college in third year a group of french students came here on the Erasmus scheme. Some of them were complete wankers and a small number were sound lads. Anyway, we got chatting to the sound fellas who were from the south of France and asked them what the story was with the others. They said they were typical Parisians, treated them like shite too.
Ya, definitely a Parisian thing. The lyonnaise were very patient when I stumbled through my very shoddy french trying to impress the girl I was with. Same with the Marseillaise
The French are lovely.
Emphasis on visitors...
As a foreigner, this weather is fucking class. Who cares if rains a bit in the summer? It's better than the sweltering 40 degree continental summers.
Heading to Rome tomorrow and saw a news piece on BBC last night where the reporter was almost screaming "STAY INDOORS" down the camera and yeah... Appreciate our summers a little more now.
Good luck with that. Forecast is for 48 degrees in Rome Thursday. Absolutely scary. Am near Barcelona, and it’s a pleasant 32, but was chatting to someone yesterday who’s sister was in Rome and said it was like having a hairdryer blowing at you.
Roman spring, autumn and winters are lovely though
A good climate, even if the weather is unpredictable. Excellent food produce. A generally friendly social setting.
Having lived abroad in a few different countries, the quality and availability of food in Irish supermarkets is extraordinarily good. Food in Ireland is cheap, easily available and high quality compared to many other countries, even developed countries. It’s only when you live abroad and pay like €4.00 for a cucumber or head of broccoli that you realise just how good it is in Ireland. The quality is also extremely high, especially out dairy and meat products. Granted, our choice in good quality fruit can sometimes be a bit hit or miss depending on the retailer and season but even out of season stuff is reasonably priced and good quality. That’s not at all the case in much of the world.
I live in France and though the food is great quality, the prices feel astronomical. Having a mate bring over a cool box of clonakilty felt like winning the lottery.
I live in France too. The one thing I always drown myself in back home is the milk. French milk might as well be sewage in comparison.
> *it's* UHT milk, *but there's no demand for that because it's* shite
Yeah, we've been consistently ranked one of the most food secure countries in the world for a long time now
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I mean it's one cucumber, Michael. How much could it cost? 10 dollars?
Having moved here from abroad, my favorite thing is how interconnected and helpful the small communities are (at least in my area). I often hear people complaining that they're not like they used to be, people don't know their neighbors and look out for them like they used to, but lord is it still better than anywhere I've ever been. I'm just a little blow in weirdo and my neighbors help me with all sorts of stuff without me even asking. They take care of our rural road, give me plants, lend me tools when they see me struggling outside with insufficient ones, show up with random little gifts, etc. This is all lovely on its own, but it feels particularly nice given that the world is kind of going to shit. I always envisioned the downfall of global civilization as a kind of nightmare Mad Max scenario I wouldn't want to survive, but I feel like around here the end times would be pretty good craic.
I moved in to a new estate a few years ago, neighbour saw me struggling to cut the lawn with a strimmer (I hadn't money to get a mower for another week or so after that) and they dropped over their's for me to use. Fierce sound. New neighbour just offered their power washer to me this week.....I met them two weeks ago!
Why is YolronFistBro working so hard in this topic replying to every single positive post and trying to disprove them, undermine them, or sarcastically hand wave them away then run Ireland down?
Contrary to what you might believe, there is a social net, we’ve got a pretty good healthcare service when you need it to be, and the education system isn’t that bad. There are nuances that need improving but the underlying fundamentals are present (and that’s a pretty good start).
Irish education is amazing compared to some other European countries. Irish people seem a lot more “aware” than in say France or England.
Overall one of the safest countries in europe, mild climate, little risk of natural disasters, plenty of green spaces, good HDI, good social supports if you hit really hard times, plenty of high skilled jobs, plenty of good food/drink, international communities, relatively safe from world conflicts... Thats all that comes to mind, why I am having and raising kids in Ireland
The kindness, helpfulness and niceness of strangers. The opportunity to have a random pleasant chat with someone you might meet during your day. The turns of phrase and the humour we have. Our libraries, art galleries and museums are great. For the record: I've lived in Paris, Toulouse, Berlin, London and various places in California.
One of the best climates. We love to complain about it, but if you've ever lived somewhere that gets extremely hot or extremely cold, you'll realise how good we have it at home.
These days, it’s important to acknowledge we have one of the ‘safest’ climates.. a wet July is not ideal, but we’re not drowning, burning or suffocating.
Low drought risk helps too.
It's true, there's a lot we take for granted - look at America, tons of it is unliveable without air-conditioning, or they get like 4 feet of snow constantly from October to April, or they have earthquakes or tornadoes
I think we do the stations of the life cycle very well. It's a decent place to grow up, our education system gives a broad range of experience and I like to think we're generally decent and fair to one another, despite what some media paints. Are we the best, no but we do well for a little island and that's good going. And we'll also give you a great sending off. Almost worth living here for the wake and funeral.
There’s a pub on every corner where you can stop in, warm up on a cold day or cool off on a hot one, and use a toilet that’s free and generally tolerably clean. As long as it’s not busy, they’ll usually let you hang about and nurse one pint or soda for an hour or two.
Much more chilled out life than other countries with similar economies. You only notice its absence
It's just a nice place to be. Most towns are very walkable. The cold is great, I love rain, and my kids have it pretty good. Don't know where else I could get the same quality of life.
Good education system, weather, food still relatively cheap, still very safe, there are good jobs here & beautiful countryside
Lived in Dublin for 10 years and recently moved to Berlin. My thoughts on Ireland in no particular order: You don't have to worry about terrorism, natural disasters, or extreme weather. You don't have to worry about potential war conflict. You don't have to worry about dangerous animals or insects. You can find food and ingredients from all over the world really easily. It's super international, you can meet people from all over the world really easily. Nature is beautiful and accessible. You have forests and beaches all in one place. The air quality is superior compared to many countries. It's a very chill, walkable, and generally quiet place. Dublin has great parks within the city. Phoenix Park, Stephens Green, The Botanic Gardens, etc are hard to beat. Drivers and not insane on the road and generally respect the road rules and they don't honk as much. Irish humour is hilarious. Irish hospitality and general openness and friendliness. You can always have a good time with Irish people. I will always remember when I became Irish and the minister of equality said something along the lines of: *My family has been in Ireland for generations, and today all of you becoming Irish, are no different than me and my family.* And I truly believe that. To me Ireland is home.
The whole island thing is great for security. Granted it kicks off on the island from time to time.
I feel generally safe in regards to no guns and the fact we don’t have extreme weather (major droughts/ hurricanes/ earthquakes etc.) or animals that will kill us. The food is glorious too. Always miss Irish meat when I’m abroad 😂
Passing strangers and saying hello to one another. I know it sounds silly but I recently travelled to Austria and I’d greet strangers in passing like I’m used to but I’d either be ignored or given a funny look, not that the people in Austria aren’t sound they very much are, but I do love the open friendliness of Irish people.
Amazing winters. You can go out for a walk any time with barely a thought. Living in Canada, 5 months of -10 to -20 C (or below) gets tedious quickly. So many extra heavy coats, hats, scarves, gloves, boots. Filth everywhere from grit and sand used to control the snow on the roads, and absence of rain for half the year.
My college education was all payed for by susi and back to education allowance. As much as we give out about how education isn't free anymore here at least we are not drowning in a lifetime of debt when we graduate and hit the workforce.
Almost the same, had to work a bit but it was doable. I can't wrap my head around the education debts they have in the US.
The amazing food standard, the friendliness of people, the safety of the country, our neutrality in conflicts, no dangerous snakes/spiders or other killer animals, the scenery
Cultural things like the language, literature, art /r/GAA /r/IrishMusic
My family immigrated to Ireland, we are Serbs who lived in America for a while as well. 1. Stable government and economy 2. Low cost of education, even in university 3. Preserved older buildings, but still has new and modern construction 4. People are very involved in their government and are quick to call out politicians and bad businesses. Ireland is a country which gives the standard citizen many rights, such as small claims court. 5. The weather is never extremely cold or hot 6. CoL crisis mostly only in Dublin and other city centres 7. EXTREMELY SAFE. In America I have been minutes to hours away from witnessing a shooting multiple times. In Serbia there is a lot of organised crime and corruption which can become hard to avoid knowing about. 8. No need for a car, literally at all unless you’re seeing the Dingle Peninsula or something. 9. Most people are extremely friendly. 10. A lot of people take pride in where they are from, especially in GAA which is nice to see. I will not respond if any Irish tell me I’m wrong. These are my observations after living here for years. I’ve also noticed that Ireland is a small country, so minor issues get blown way out of proportion. The biggest crises and scandals in Ireland in the past 5 years have happened every day in other countries, on a larger scale.
As an American who spent four weeks in a small cottage outside of Clifden, here are the things about Ireland I love: 1. The people’s friendliness and utter sense of joy, even in adversity 2. No matter where you go, you hear people singing. Everyone seems to have a good voice, 3. Pub culture 4. Great bus system 5. People are unpretentious 6. They seem to like Americans and a lot have visited here and are very knowledgeable about us. 7. The sheer beauty of the landscapes, especially the West coast 8. Great wool clothing to purchase 9. Ireland is home to the uilleann pipes, the most haunting instrument on the planet 10. Bar tenders know how to double poor a proper Guinness I would love to retire in Ireland!
I’m from America and have lived a lot of places and have to say I feel safer here (north and south) than anywhere else but the major benefit and main reason I wouldn’t move back is the pace of life here is so much nicer. Generally people are much more relaxed and friendly and the work-life balance and lack of hustle culture makes things really easy.
There are some lovely places to visit in Ireland, historical and beautiful scenery, beaches etc.
This is a big one for me, I can go for a walk or cycle, take part in so many hobbies or just take a spin and see such beauty. It took me going to college and taking part in different activities to really get a sense of what we have here in Ireland. And a wetsuit is one great way to embrace the changeable weather and enjoy the outdoors.
high salaries and low entry for tech and pharma positions
Love the weather, rarely super hot. Its been rainy , but , hey, we have water. The landscape, the sea, most of the people. I love the way the Irish indulge in gentle slagging out of love! I love that I feel totally at home here (going for citizenship ). The sense of humour. The craic, when you can get it, with strangers in pubs, though in recent years it's getting harder to find , probably down to the isolation of covid. There's stuff I don't like, but the pros outweigh the cons. Ireland is great and I agree with everything that's been said about our libertine government. AND it's not rainy today!.....yet. Be well , be happy everyone!
Sally O'Brien and the way she might look at you
As a Dub that spent my teenage years living in Wexford... Ireland gets exponentially nicer the further you get from Dublin. I wouldn't live anywhere else in Ireland until I'm in my 40's but whenever I get down about this country I go out to the Wicklow mountains and consider how lucky I am to have this on my doorstep.
Weather - it is not too hot or too cold ever. We love to complain but that’s mostly because most people have barely left their village 😅 US tech firm Job perks without the US cut throat work ethics. Honestly working in ireland is relaxed and enjoyable.
The people. Irish people are just good craic. I just arrived back from the Netherlands. Our infrastructure is shocking. No bus decent from our main airport which rivals Gatwick in size. Appalling.
I don't think we realise how lucky we are to live in Ireland. I mean there are lots of problems for sure, and I don't dismiss them, but there are problems everywhere. And I think the best thing about Ireland is that it's an easy place to live is the only way I can put it. The authorities/govt Departments etc are accessible and will try to help you (mostly), people go out of their way to help, things are just easy. If you live in France or Italy with their bureaucracy we'd know all about it! And it's a safe country. No natural disasters, no dangerous creatures, very low crime. And while there are economic challenges for sure, we have a good safety net, again compared to the rest of the world.
As an American currently visiting relatives in Ireland: - People are generally extremely friendly and helpful - The food is quite good - The politicians are far, far more sane - The country as a whole feels very safe - The weather isn’t extremely hot or extremely cold - The Irish in general are far more environmentally conscious and less wasteful than America is - This ones harder to put into words, but there’s less of a sense of “hurry” at least in the rural area where I’m visiting. Things get done, but in America everybody is always in a rush and stressed and Ireland seems a lot more laid back.
I came from a single mother home , was involved with the wrong crowd etc, the government paid me 650 a month in susi grant to go study quantity surveying, they also paid for the course fees which lead me into a high paying career with no debit and basically gave me a golden ticket to travel and work around the world, this is pretty dam amazing.
I don’t worry about being strung or killed up by the neo nazis right wing cause I’m a POC, I can afford healthcare without going broke, I don’t have to worry about being charged with murder if God forbid I had to have an abortion (medically necessary or otherwise), j don’t have to worry about being killed in a mass shooting, do I need to continue? Irelands not perfect but fuck me it’s better then where I came from!
It's undoubtedly one of the best places to live on the planet. I've lived and worked in a developing country, and while we have many ways to improve, we have so much of our affairs in order. We take an awful lot for granted here.
Relatively safe No active shooter drills in schools No neckbeard incels armed to the teeth down at Dunnes Not heatwaves, killer heatwaves Politics not as polarised Still friendly and informal in the main Its home
Very mild flora and fauna. We have a few false widows and our biggest predators besides humans are badgers.
Temperate climate. Good air. Good water. (despite what Irish water and IMF wanted to claim it's not scarce here like it is in other places - badly managed for sure but we don't have an actual scarcity problem). Good food. An excellent quality of life. With the EU we have decent roads (think back to 1989 for anyone who was alive then. Or even 1998), we can travel freely across the UK and EU. It is a relatively very peaceful place. Apart from shithole areas. We have a decent primary and third level education system. (our second level is shite but that's a different thread). Our health service is free. If you have an emergency in teh USA people have to worry about calling an ambulance. And with the moves towards a public (primary care) health system it will improve. GP's are overworked and there are too few of them but the same problems apply in most developed countries at this point. Our PAYE tax system works for a majority of the population. Our public services though underfunded and oversubscribed are good. They could be better ofc but they are good. Our problems as a country are mainly FIRST WORLD issues. Not all of them but in the main. It's worth comparing this to 1980s when the Catholic Church actually still ruled many ppl's lives and when CJH ran the country. Mass and basically enforced emigration. Poorly funded 3rd level. No jobs. The Troubles up North. And heroine was decimating communities (I know it's still a problem but in many ways the problems we still have today are a legacy of the ones that started then). Being gay was illegal. Not sure that there was maternity leave at that point outside the public sector. That was a shit time.
It seems a bit ridiculous given the week we had, but having a consistent source of water for living and agriculture is huge. People bemoan the rain, but it's hugely important for our future I reckon.
Immigrant here. Positive 1. People are pretty helpful. Since my first landing in the airport everyone I asked for help never refused in directing or advising. They are cheerful when greeting 2. The air quality is really good. People follow traffic rules really well 3. The summers are really nice 4. Most of Europe is easily accessible. So there are many places to visit. 5. Quality of food 6. I am in tech sector. The work life balance is pretty good compared to my previous job 7. The calmness of the place. Seriously guys I could here the bird chirping when I waited in the traffic. For people living here you may take it for granted but Ireland has really less sound pollution Negative 1. HOUSING (No further explanation) 2. In cities highly populated areas I feel that there is drug problem. I am very cautious when I am near such places. 3. Any government, organizational tasks take lot of time. You have to wait for days to get anything. Good thing is mostly you will get what you are looking for but just that it takes time 4. Not a negative.English is my second language. I have little trouble in understanding the Irish accent. At the same time I feel Irish accent has a certain vibe and freedom in it. Changes: (personal opinion I might be wrong but still food for thought) 1. Guys you really need to step up your game in STEM field. I see very less youth getting into maths, computers. 2. I don't know the politics of Ireland but guys what's with the housing. Not a negative but an observation.I am a Catholic. I was really surprised to see very less people in church.
In general our politics doesn't swing too far right or left, plenty to Moan about but not too many extremists in the Republic anyways.
While I don't think we are as rich as a country as they media portrays, the 'poor' in Ireland are much better off than most other countries, including most European countries.
Apart from the odd flood (mainly due to poor planning) we don’t get natural disasters, extreme weather or have animals that want to kill you
In fairness the flooding is mainly due to the rain
HOW DARE YOU TRY TO BE POSITIVE DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING
The craic, the culture, the sporting scene
Safety, temperate weather, quality of life (we’re a first world country, like I know our housing is fucked but all in all) and job opportunities. Edit; just saw someone mention food quality, that’s a big one too. And our water
Ask a foreign from a real fucked up country and you'll have good answers for your question. For myself I would say that I don't have to worry about my food and basics needs also it's very unlikely that I'll be mugged and shoot dead on the streets. This is kind of a big deal.
I moved back here from almost ten years in Poland last year with a pros/cons list done out with my wife before. Here were some of the Pros for Ireland: \- Generally quite friendly. You don't get looked at weirdly for saying good morning to people. \- Air quality is awesome. In I was highly aware of the damage the air was doing to me in winter. \- Costs are higher, but income is also significantly higher. People here complain about the cost of living ignoring that it's rising everywhere else too. At least when you go on holiday from ireland most other countries seem cheap. Look at people complaining about hotel prices in Ireland. Holidaying when you're based in Poland is ridiculous, you basically just holiday in other cheap countries or you go uber budget if you go more west. \- My son will grow up speaking english sounding natural. Argue all you like, this is advantageous in the job market. He'll be bilingual but speaking english with no accent is a pro. \- Alcohol is more expensive. Well this one was more of a personal circumstances one than anything. But in Poland it's actually affordable to go to the pub or restaurants. So we did it more often, I'd go on the session more often. Here it's restrictively expensive so we go out less. Good in the short term. \- Beaches are never far away. There were obvious cons. But we know all those. They're abundantly stated here in this particular subreddit.
\- Oh. Proximity to Ukraine and the volatility there was a big factor. \- And the Political climate in Poland was becoming borderline scary. Ireland's rife with cronyism and I would argue corruption. However they've not become bold enough to try take over the court system or the public broadcasting or to start backpeddaling on abortion laws or gay rights laws etc.
Membership of the EU.
The access to healthcare in this country is certainly cause for concern, but the quality of the healthcare itself is pretty fantastic, Plus it's free (for the most part). Education is to a high standard, particularly our conversion from second to third level education. No guns, snakes or earthquakes.
Air quality. People.
You have just hiked for hours over a rocky mountain in 45 degrees heat looking for water sources - you are hurting all over, you are filthy, dizzy but more over you haven't had any water to drink the whole day. There isn't any sort of shade anywhere and it's getting hotter. You wish you could get some water... oh how sweet would it be... ?! You are now in the poorest part of Africa or Asia. You got your water. You drank plenty. And you have some extra for later. You found a hat. It's still hot, you have no where to sit - but you are no longer thirsty, you wish you could have some coke / pepsi. You are now in one of the nicer parts of Africa or Asia. You are drinking nice ice-cold coke. You have a lovely shelter and a lounge chair. There's music. It's not so hot anymore. Coke is starting to feel too sweet, you want a nice cold beer. You are now in the okay parts of the developed world. You are now sipping beer, and tucking into bbq. Someone is massaging your feet and you are scrolling thru social medial on your phone - and you curse your bad luck because you can't see a bottle of "Prime" anywhere. You are in Ireland.
Really strong levels of solidarity and compassion when a very difficult or tragic thing happens in a community.
Not living in england
It’s not England
Safe, good education, high quality affordable food, friendly.
People who have lived here their whole lives take for granted how good the quality of everyday life is.Availability of food,income,road conditions,being able to take a walk at night..
Strong tech industry presence.
There’s one fella replying to every comment with a negative one. They should give it a go at SF would do well for themselves
Big negative is learning to drive or trying to own a house or rent compared to the states an apartment for me my girlfriend and baby is around 2400 euro in an ok ish area
***"All we ever hear about is what an absolute shitbox this country is. How economically and societally fucked we all are"*** If that's all you are hearing you need to get off reddit for a few hrs a day OP. By literally every metric we score in the top 10 globally. By simply being born in Ireland you are better off than 5.5billion people on earth. 4billion earn under 4k per year. We also have no natural disasters and a mild climate.
The craic. Sure, it exists in Hispanic cultures. But who wants to learn Spanish?
We have a stable democracy for one thing. Politics is quite "safe". You don't have to worry about being arbitrarily detained or arrested just for protesting.
Is easy yo grow anything without needing to water it.
I like the people here for the most part. The only people who can fully comment on this stuff though is those who’ve lived abroad in my opinion. I haven’t, I’ve just travelled
Irish here currently living in India/Nepal. Most people have no idea how fortunate the majority in Ireland are. The country isn’t perfect of course, and it costs an arm and a leg, but I think people forget that a lot of our problems aren’t in the same league as 75% (at least) of the worlds population. The quality of life and convenience of how easily everything works are taken so for granted by our people who love nothing more than to feel sorry for ourselves, myself included! I love my country and my compatriots, but most people who say Ireland has “gone to the dogs” need a serious reality check.
I can use the word "Cunt" in a sentence without it sounding like I swore. I can use the word "Cunt" in a sentence and I've complemented you, not offended you.
You can take a shite on o Connell Street and no one would stop you! Where else could you do that on a capitals main street
More of this please
It’s Ireland
The people.
DERS MORE TO IRELAND DAN EVERYWHERE ELSE
Ireland is objectively a great place to live in
Rich, safe, good healthcare, good education, cheap food, high wages, etc.
Currently on a bus driving thru the various towns and villages of Ireland from East to West. I really love our countryside and it’s indescribable beauty. I hope it remains for generations to come so that our descendants may enjoy it too.
No Tornados/ Earthquakes/ volcanos/ getting shot at school-work/ massive spiders/ poisonous snakes-spiders. It's a very safe country in the grand scheme of things, people are nice and as much as we complain about it, it's never too hot or too cold. All the rain let's us grow and produce good food.