Things you HATE and LIKE about life in Ireland

[archigabe]

Since there seems to be a lot of people moving to Ireland, I invite anyone who is in Ireland to post things they hate and like about life in Ireland. Anyone who is considering to move here can make up their own minds if life in Ireland is worth it or not...personal stories or anecdotes welcome.

Let me start with

Dislikes:
1. Immigration bureau and legislation from the Medieval ages.
2. Fascistic and unsympathetic Bureaucrats
3. Public Drunkenness/Puke all over City Center on Weekends
4.Ineffective Government who have had a monopoly over the last 10 years and have failed to plan for adequate schools,hospitals and have completely abdicated responsibility to the catholic church to provide essential services to the public.
5.Have to take atleast 2 buses and change buses at city center to get anywhere.
6.Insane rents and real estate prices.
7.High prices for just about anything including food.


Likes:
1. Friendly and simple locals.
2.Stunning and green countryside when it's sunny
3. Amazing heritage and culture with Celtic influence
4.Compact and pedestrianised City
5.Polyglot city with many nationalities represented
6.Real passion for theater and the performing arts amongst the Irish

[Ark]

Dislikes:
1. Immigration bureau and legislation from the Medieval ages.
2. Fascistic and unsympathetic Bureaucrats
3. Public Drunkenness/Puke all over City Center on Weekends
4.Ineffective Government who have had a monopoly over the last 10 years and have failed to plan for adequate schools,hospitals and have completely abdicated responsibility to the catholic church to provide essential services to the public.
5.Have to take atleast 2 buses and change buses at city center to get anywhere.

Likes:
1.Simple and Friendly locals.
2. Exteremely pretty and green country when it's sunny
3. Amazing heritage and Celtic culture

I think you pretty much nailed every one of my own points, I could go on a long essay about each of those likes and dislikes.

To add one Like to the list:
4- Job Market

[yankeegirl]

I don't live there, so my observations are based on frequent visits to Dublin to visit the in-laws. Mine are probably very similar to archigabe's.

Dislikes:
1. Out-dated laws/rules/procedures and trying to navigate anything bureaucratic (from immigration to getting married there) is incredibly confusing and just makes no sense. I had a good laugh when my husband and I were planning on getting married in Donegal (we ended up going to New York). We had our appointment with the registrar and she asked us about our local parish. Neither of us go to church and were thrown by the question; apparently it dates back to the days before passports and such and they've never bothered to update the forms.
2. The weather. It sucks. I hate all the rain, and the greyness.
3. The drinking culture. I wish people here would realize that it is entirely possible to go out and have a pint or two and have a good time without getting falling-down drunk.
4. Politics (in Northern Ireland). I've tried and tried to learn more about how things are done here and it all just does my head in.
5. I agree with archigabe about the bus thing. My husband's parents live in Killiney and if we want to see other family in Firhouse, it's a bus into Dun Laoghaire and then another from there to Firhouse. All told, it takes us almost 2 hours to get there. If we had a car we could be almost to Belfast in the amount of time it takes us to get across town by bus.
6. House prices. They're outrageous.

Likes:
1. The scenery. There are a lot of places that are breathtaking, and it almost makes all the rain bearable to see lush greeen scenery year round.
2. The friendliness of the Irish people (well, most of them anyways).
3. The sense of family and community here. I didn't have that where I used to live and really love that aspect of Irish life.
4. Irish heritage and culture. Simply put, I find it fascinating.
5. The accents. I think they're cute lol.
6. Dublin city center. As long as it's not a Friday or Saturday night, I think the city center is beautiful and I love the atmosphere; the business of a big city with the friendliness of a smaller town.

[Ben]

I think archigabe hit the nail on the head there with most of mine. But to add:

Likes:

No council tax,
No water rates,
Generally friendly and genuine people,
The Garda Síochána station - the unique one stop shop for most things,
The community spirit,
The ease of traveling to the North in order to access UK services.

Dislikes:

The price of anything motor related,
The anti-English mindset that remains among a sizable number,
Flying outside of Europe usually means transiting in the UK or other,
The "laid back" attitude of most things (including government processes and procedures) can be, shall we say, a little too laid back.

[BigAppleWoodenShoe]

With the people in Ireland its like this, the older are very friendly, warm and nice people while the younger are all spoiled brads with no respect for any living person or property.

@ TS, I wouldn't call people 'simple' because that can mean retarded in some countries. I think you mean 'not complicated'.

I don't think that Ireland is anti-english at all, with the love for the premier league, the love for the English royal family, the British newspapers (with an Irish wrap) the English shows on teevee, etc. etc. etc. Sometimes I try to start an argument with the Irish (just for fun) and ask why they are so Englishlike. (it gets them really mad )

[efrenirvana]

None

[archigabe]

More dislikes....

1. Corruption like a third world country over planning permits in Dublin County (according to interview on The late late show, it was a habit to exchange cash envelopes in a pub near city council over planning issues)

2.Eating out with a group of yuppie irish types (they waste half the food and you end up paying for their food because they are too lazy to calculate individual checks and average the bill) Apparently, this is common practice when eating out in Ireland.

[archigabe]

BBC:Ireland is named 'best country'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4020523.stm

Ireland is the best place to live in the world, according to a "quality of life" assessment by Economist magazine.

The country's combination of increasing wealth and traditional values gives it the conditions most likely to make its people happy, the survey found.

Ireland was followed by Switzerland, Norway and Luxembourg. All but one of the top 10 were European countries.

Series of articles in the 'Irish Times' on immigration issues in Ireland

http://www.ireland.com/focus/gageby/articles/
http://www.ireland.com/focus/gageby/

[runie80]

That BBC article you quoted was from 2004 . three years out of date !

For the latest please see the following links

http://www.finfacts.ie/costofliving.htm

I have been to Switzerland and seen Zurich

"Global Quality of Living City Rankings 2007: Zurich on top; Dublin in 27th place in ranking of 215 cites"

It beats Dublin by 300 light miles
http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusiness ... 9626.shtml


The Best country to live in "France"
http://www.internationalliving.com/qol06/

These are the latest facts.

Ireland was nice place but it is losing its rankings

*i will give my own +&- at later stage.

[MikeL]

Archigabe has listed most of mine too; don't want to be negative but I have a dislike to add!

Litter. And more litter. The cities and the countryside are both filthy. The magnificent scenery is more often than not ruined by rubbish lying about. In fact I can't think of any place I've been, even quite remote, that didn't have piles of discarded trash.
I come from a so-called third world country and it was cleaner than Ireland.

[marcaobr]

Hi all my name is Marcos I am from Brazil
I have been living in Ireland since 2000
Ireland is a nice place to live and have family
The weather it is the worst ever but you get used to
The money it is just ok because to live in Ireland is very expensive
The law no coments they are very very slow like I have been here for almost seven years and still need to get work permit anyway
All the best for all

[archigabe]

This gentleman in Metro Eireann doesnt seem to be having a smooth life in Ireland.
http://www.metroeireann.com/index.php?o ... &Itemid=55

Metro Eireann is a newsmagazine for Immigrants in Ireland.
http://www.metroeireann.com/index.php?o ... e&Itemid=1

[Marielmcp]

Likes:
*Have to agree with many others the city centre is easy enough to get around
*It's socially acceptable to be an alcoholic
*So close to Europe
*Lots of people from all over and most Irish are well travelled and friendly.

Dislikes:
*The 'Celtic Tiger' generation - the new young Irish can be very rude, ignorant and bigoted because they've always 'had'; they take things for granted and don't seem to understand that sometimes you have to work and do things for/with others to get what you want. The fact that the Irish football team can't even play as a team, but play as a bunch of individual stars is a perfect example of this.
*The litter - I know someone else mentioned this, but there is NO reason for Dublin to be as filthy as it is. This is something that can be brainwashed into kids easily enough - I NEVER litter because I was taught how 'evil' it is as a child.
*The growing suburbanisation/homogenisation of Ireland - I've seen and am watching the States being destroyed by this idea. You don't really need the same stores in a similar shopping centre within 30 minutes of each other. Nor do you need two Supermacs less than 3 bloccks from one another on O'Connell Street. And I'm a material girl who likes my creature comforts, but I still think this is ludicrous and is happening way too quickly here.

Overall, it's the little things that make Ireland what it is and contribute to why I choose to live here. I don't think I could go home - the size of the grocery stores alone scare me.

[archigabe]

Yes, it's great to be able to buy stuff in a hurry from the corner shop and being able to travel without having to buy a car.

[sovtek]

3. The drinking culture. I wish people here would realize that it is entirely possible to go out and have a pint or two and have a good time without getting falling-down drunk.

I agree with ya except this one. I left America partly because of our Pilgrim's sanctimony in general and especially in regards to drink. The irish like to have a good time and don't envy anyone doing the same.
I do have to say that I think that people wouldn't get so rat arsed here if they would relax the laws a bit and let people decide when and where they want to drink. It works for every other country that does it.

[archigabe]

With the corruption in politics and the general hostility from the government towards immigrants, 'banana republic' seems to be an apt description!

We had applied for a 'medical card' because our family income had taken quite a dip because of the E.U1 issue...we found out after a long time that our file had simply been closed because they could not believe that we could survive on the income we had declared even though my E.U spouse had been working and paying taxes for 7 years...it seems if you are a foreigner you are considered 'dodgy' outright and not even given the benefit of doubt...without litigating or appealing endlessly, nothing works here!

[Heike]

I agree with most of the things posted till now. One HATE thing I'd like to add is the Irish health system. They only have GP's all around the place and no specialists. You're pregnant, you go to a GP. Your skin itches, you go to a GP. You've got strong headache, you go to a GP again.

In Germany I go to a different doctor depending on what's wrong with me. I've got my Gynaecologist, my Dermatologist, my Neurologist, my Dentist, my HNO-Arzt (don't know in English, but it's a doc for everything around throat, nose and ears), etc.

Just as an example, my husband had extremely strong headache for 2 months. He was told that he is stressed only by 2 different GP's and got tablets to calm him down as well as a copy of a newspaper article about stress management...

After the ache just got stronger, we went to the Beacon Hospital in Dublin and had him checked very well. A headscan finally revealed a strong sinus infection and he has the right pills to cure him..

[archigabe]

Likes: Amazing coastline, under-rated spots like glasnvin botanical gardens and cafe, Chester Beatty library in Dublin.

[pankajmittal2004]

Hi. Anyone living in Ireland, could you please tell what is considered a good salary (not average) there in a professional job

[astartes]

Bad: Incompetence, incompetence, incompetence.

Pretense, pretense, pretense.

Corruption, corruption, corruption.

Pointlessly expensive, mostly as a result of blind attempts at profiteering.

Incessant bullying and politicking.

Binge drinking on weekends (totally disgusting, people fall down on streets, pee on lampposts etc). Promiscuity and idiotic sense of entitlement of the young generation. beloved, chauvinism are rife.

The political class is simply the Irish version of the mafia.

The blind pursuit of easy money. The crass and uncouth behavior of yupees. Weather is horrible. Lack of basic infrastructure. Internet access from the Middle Ages.

Corrupt construction projects executed by grossly incompetent architects -- nothing seems to work properly. Lack of sophistication and high culture (WHAT theater scene ? Hugely sub-par).

Good: older people are friendly, though clueless. Obviously used to being abused by the Irish overclass.

Enormous national low self-esteem, covered by arrogance and duplicity.

[walrusgumble]

Bad: Incompetence, incompetence, incompetence.

Pretense, pretense, pretense.

Corruption, corruption, corruption.

Pointlessly expensive, mostly as a result of blind attempts at profiteering.

Incessant bullying and politicking.

Binge drinking on weekends (totally disgusting, people fall down on streets, pee on lampposts etc). Promiscuity and idiotic sense of entitlement of the young generation. beloved, chauvinism are rife.

The political class is simply the Irish version of the mafia.

The blind pursuit of easy money. The crass and uncouth behavior of yupees. Weather is horrible. Lack of basic infrastructure. Internet access from the Middle Ages.

Corrupt construction projects executed by grossly incompetent architects -- nothing seems to work properly. Lack of sophistication and high culture (WHAT theater scene ? Hugely sub-par).

Good: older people are friendly, though clueless. Obviously used to being abused by the Irish overclass.

Enormous national low self-esteem, covered by arrogance and duplicity.

and you are from?

[alistairmoscow]

seems you all looked forward to having pretty wholesome life, eh? if you so loath and "sympathise" this country, then what the ... on earth brought you all to Ireland, North or South, chilling right? Condemn youths of being blalalalalaalalalalhahahahah, then go on showing any place young generation IS bearing all traits of "look-i amm prety good- sson of my mom-then me not poke over", in which country YOU can get it? Nowhere on earth left such a place!!! Anyhow, irish people welcome you to their extent, which means you do the same thing back. You GET all that in any place in the world right now, there is nothing left already for something like "healthy" co- operation, but corruption-injustice-mannish world- bullying and blahblahhahahahahha. Anyhow, wish you all luck and wholesome life

[realgunner]

i like nearly everything but drinking, getting citzenship, high prices on food and some other things are just so bad in Ireland.

[Italybound]

When we start to understand how NAMA is going to save the bankers and builders and steal from the rest of us and how it is all being proppped up to save a few criminals, now that will be something to hate.

[D1mitry]

well, pretty much everything, ranging from weather to food, social policy and general attitude on the streets. Folks tell me that some of the eastern European countries like Belarus or wow, Cuba, have a better healthcare than a diflated-tiger-turned-pennyless-pussy. So much for a second voting on the constitution huh?

my general advise - get out. This country had good and vibrant spells. This is aint one of them.