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Irish in Belgium!

  • 25-08-2009 10:01pm
    #1
    miss.c
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭


    Hi, just curious, if there are many ppl living in belgium from ireland, im working here at the moment :)


Comments

  • #2
    Diageio_Man
    Registered Users Posts: 420 ✭✭Diageio_Man


    theres a great irish community around the town of leuven, was working there a few years ago.


  • #3
    mike kelly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭mike kelly


    Diageio_Man wrote: »
    theres a great irish community around the town of leuven, was working there a few years ago.

    out of curiosity, why Leuven in particular?


  • #4
    Shanley
    Registered Users Posts: 356 ✭✭Shanley


    Moving to Kortrij in a few weeks and was wondering what its like over there myself.

    Going working in a bar, seems decent wages! Whats the cost of living like though.

    e.g Alcohol, Food, Apartment, Ciggerettes


  • #5
    barakus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 399 ✭✭barakus


    How is belgium as a place to live? do you need much of the language to get by? thanks


  • #6
    Prenderb
    Registered Users Posts: 1,560 ✭✭✭Prenderb


    mike kelly wrote: »
    out of curiosity, why Leuven in particular?


    That's because of the beer! Stella's brewed there, and one of the big drinks companies (i think it's Inbev) is based there.

    Addit: Proof from wikipedia....
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leuven


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  • #7
    Prenderb
    Registered Users Posts: 1,560 ✭✭✭Prenderb


    barakus wrote: »
    How is belgium as a place to live? do you need much of the language to get by? thanks

    Would that be the Dutch, French, or German that they speak? If you're thinking of moving, language wise you need to see what they speak where you're going. You'd probably get by with French in Brussels (I did on holidays at least) but other areas will be Flemish (Dutch) or Walloon (French).


  • #8
    barakus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 399 ✭✭barakus


    Prenderb wrote: »
    Would that be the Dutch, French, or German that they speak? If you're thinking of moving, language wise you need to see what they speak where you're going. You'd probably get by with French in Brussels (I did on holidays at least) but other areas will be Flemish (Dutch) or Walloon (French).


    yeah I was just wondering as I went to brussels a few years ago and got by with the small bit of french. I always thought it would be a cool place to live for a while though.


  • #9
    mike kelly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭mike kelly


    barakus wrote: »
    yeah I was just wondering as I went to brussels a few years ago and got by with the small bit of french. I always thought it would be a cool place to live for a while though.

    Brussels is a boring, run down and dangerous ****hole, a kind of continental version of Limerick.


  • #10
    barakus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 399 ✭✭barakus


    mike kelly wrote: »
    Brussels is a boring, run down and dangerous ****hole, a kind of continental version of Limerick.


    used to live in limerick too and liked it:(


  • #11
    seachto7
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,863 ✭✭✭seachto7


    mike kelly wrote: »
    Brussels is a boring, run down and dangerous ****hole, a kind of continental version of Limerick.

    have you been to Charleroi or Liege? Now THEY are sh*tholes...


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  • #12
    mike kelly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭mike kelly


    barakus wrote: »
    used to live in limerick too and liked it:(

    Ever been in Naples or Johannesburg?


  • #13
    mike kelly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭mike kelly


    seachto7 wrote: »
    have you been to Charleroi or Liege? Now THEY are sh*tholes...

    Worse than Brussels? I'll be staying away from them then. Seems that all the nice places in Belgium are Flemish speaking.


  • #14
    belge boy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 128 ✭✭belge boy


    mike kelly wrote: »
    Brussels is a boring, run down and dangerous ****hole, a kind of continental version of Limerick.

    **** you and where the hell do you come from?

    op im half irish, both my parents are from there, i have heard lately many irish accents.


  • #15
    mike kelly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭mike kelly


    Walk a few steps from Grand Place and it is like being in a Moroccan slum. Yes, there are some nice suburbs but most of the city centre is awful


  • #16
    seachto7
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,863 ✭✭✭seachto7


    problem with Belgium is overpopulation. There are too many people living there...


  • #17
    belge boy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 128 ✭✭belge boy


    i like it.


  • #18
    mike kelly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭mike kelly


    Flemish women are sexy. Can't have too many of them.


  • #19
    IzzyWizzy
    Registered Users Posts: 6,645 ✭✭✭IzzyWizzy


    I lived in Brussels for a while and found it a dump at first, but it grew on me by the time I left. I heard many others say the same thing, people who hated it initially but ended up staying for years. It is very run down, not sure where the 'dangerous' thing comes from, though. I found it extremely safe compared to Dublin, I walked around on my own day and night, often got the night bus home from the Bourse and never had a single problem. I suspect some people might be put off by the very large numbers of ethnic minorities, that can be intimidating for someone coming from Ireland, but I never had any issues, and I had to take a bus all through the worst parts of town to go to work. That said, the Flemish cities are generally much nicer, and if I went back to Belgium I think I'd prefer to live in Antwerp.


  • #20
    mike kelly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭mike kelly


    IzzyWizzy wrote: »
    I lived in Brussels for a while and found it a dump at first, but it grew on me by the time I left. I heard many others say the same thing, people who hated it initially but ended up staying for years. It is very run down, not sure where the 'dangerous' thing comes from, though. I found it extremely safe compared to Dublin, I walked around on my own day and night, often got the night bus home from the Bourse and never had a single problem. I suspect some people might be put off by the very large numbers of ethnic minorities, that can be intimidating for someone coming from Ireland, but I never had any issues, and I had to take a bus all through the worst parts of town to go to work. That said, the Flemish cities are generally much nicer, and if I went back to Belgium I think I'd prefer to live in Antwerp.

    Is there much of an irish communityy there? Antwerp has an attractive centre but I found it very boring. I have to see all those arabs in Brussels did spook me a bit.


  • #21
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    Irish studying/working in Leuven here.

    I lived in Brussels for 7 years, fairly big Irish community there.

    Leuven is the same, if you ever want to watch a Gaelic match or meet Irish people, Stapleton's pub is near the Irish Institute for Europe so attracts all the diplomats/workers etc.


    As far as Belgium goes, everyone in Flanders speaks English. ANd I mean perfectly. Cities are beautiful and they love Irish people. Flemish women are jaw droppingly gorgeous too. Antwerp and Ghent are incredible. Bruges is lovely but a bit dull.
    Brussels is grand. Nothing too special. Can be dull at times and some areas can be rough but no more than any city.


    Wallonia is pretty ****e to be honest. Few speak English so it can be tough if you've no French. Cities are fairly run down too (Namur is nice though)
    Charleroi and Liege; avoid/avoid/avoid.


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  • #22
    mike kelly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,110 ✭✭✭mike kelly


    kickoutthejams wrote: »
    Flemish women are jaw droppingly gorgeous too.

    never a truer word spoken


  • #23
    Lockstep
    Registered Users Posts: 9,029 ✭✭✭Lockstep


    Aye it's fantastic.

    Generalisation here but the ones over here love Irish lads; aside from the accent they're happy to bullsh!t away, they claim Flemish lads are too reserved which is a pain in the hole.

    However, relationship cultures seem big over here. They take things alot moreseriously than back home. And I mean serious.


  • #24
    sarahf383
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭sarahf383


    Hey there. I'm Irish and in April im supposed to be moving to lueven with my boyfriend. Im really hesitant and nervous about going, Is it hard to find work? As I don't speak any other language than English and whats the cost of living like? :)


  • #25
    sarahf383
    Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭sarahf383


    Hey there. I'm Irish and in April im supposed to be moving to lueven with my boyfriend. Im really hesitant and nervous about going, Is it hard to find work? As I don't speak any other language than English and whats the cost of living like?


  • #26
    seachto7
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,863 ✭✭✭seachto7


    Lockstep wrote: »
    Aye it's fantastic.

    Generalisation here but the ones over here love Irish lads; aside from the accent they're happy to bullsh!t away, they claim Flemish lads are too reserved which is a pain in the hole.

    However, relationship cultures seem big over here. They take things alot moreseriously than back home. And I mean serious.

    Shur how bad if you are with a hot Flemish lady! What's the problem? :);)


  • #27
    meliselis
    Registered Users Posts: 36 ✭meliselis


    Glad to hear you irish lads love the Flemish ladies :)


  • #28
    Asmooh
    Registered Users Posts: 1,468 ✭✭✭Asmooh


    anyone of you irish people speaking Dutch or flemish?


  • #29
    Asmooh
    Registered Users Posts: 1,468 ✭✭✭Asmooh


    sarahf383 wrote: »
    Hey there. I'm Irish and in April im supposed to be moving to lueven with my boyfriend. Im really hesitant and nervous about going, Is it hard to find work? As I don't speak any other language than English and whats the cost of living like?
    Compare to Ireland its like 30% of it?


  • #30
    meliselis
    Registered Users Posts: 36 ✭meliselis


    Belgium is very expensive to be honest. Finding a job is hard...
    as for the language, most of us speak English so that won't be a problem :)


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  • #31
    Asmooh
    Registered Users Posts: 1,468 ✭✭✭Asmooh


    meliselis wrote: »
    Belgium is very expensive to be honest. Finding a job is hard...
    as for the language, most of us speak English so that won't be a problem :)

    No its not... its actually very cheap compare to Ireland.
    Houses are cheaper, less tax compare to The Netherlands.
    Also food and everything is cheaper.

    Finding a job is easy, if you speak dutch or french, it doesnt matter if they speak english.
    Knowing the country's language is a must if you want a job, you should at least understand.

    My ex GF is Swedish, she did understand Dutch but she coulnd get a job in The Netherlands because she did not speak Dutch very well and also understanding not perfect and they put it on "in case of"


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