Positives and Negitives of living in cork city

fishypancake · 09-12-2009 5:49pm #1

Hey , I am an american looking to move into Ireland to vist family , and get out of this god forsaken country. Just wondering what some of the high points and the low points of living in cork are. As in how is finding work , a place to stay , crime rate , general nonsence , nightlife. Just looking for some info.

minidazzler · 09-12-2009 6:14pm

Work - Not great really, but if you will Work McD's or something you should be OK.
Accomodation - It's a renters Market.
Crime - It's actually a fairly quiet city, there is crime and such, but it isn't that high really.
Nightlife - Good but gets a bit stale after a while, people go out to drink, not dance or whatever.
Nonsense - It's a learning curve with Cork women, in fact with Irish women, they may not be open to your ways of chatting them up (Unless you are female, in which case I dunno.

Overall, it is good, but not great I think. Depends what you are looking for TBH.

blow69 · 09-12-2009 6:14pm

Wanna trade passports and identities?

I think i'll start with the cons:

1. The weather is not the best. It's wet and cold. Very wet. Depends what part you are from however. Coming from California, it would take you a long long time to adjust to weather.

2. Job prospects aren't exactly great either. What are you looking to get?

3. Even though it's the second biggest city in ireland, Cork is still pretty small. Again coming from NY, LA etc would be a huge stepdown for you.

Pros:

1. People are generally nice. Can be a lot of bad apples out there though.

2. Nightlife is good. Clubbing scene is passable, some great pubs though.

3. There's a lot happening in the city right now despite the recession and all.

I'll let others add more or discredit my theories.:p

fishypancake · 09-12-2009 8:47pm

blow69 wrote: »

Wanna trade passports and identities?

I think i'll start with the cons:

1. The weather is not the best. It's wet and cold. Very wet. Depends what part you are from however. Coming from California, it would take you a long long time to adjust to weather.

2. Job prospects aren't exactly great either. What are you looking to get?

3. Even though it's the second biggest city in ireland, Cork is still pretty small. Again coming from NY, LA etc would be a huge stepdown for you.

Pros:

1. People are generally nice. Can be a lot of bad apples out there though.

2. Nightlife is good. Clubbing scene is passable, some great pubs though.

3. There's a lot happening in the city right now despite the recession and all.

I'll let others add more or discredit my theories.:p

1. Well I am coming from a valley town in the appilation mountains , its called wilkes-barre , and its in the 'great' state of pennsylvainia. It snowed 3 inch last night , and melted this morning , we get flooding in the summer , and winter , and there is no such thing as spring anymore. Ive been told its almost the same.

2. I am just looking to make enough to rent an apartment , and survive. Just looking to start over. Get away , ya know? I work for Zevas communications which is a cork based company. We did telemarketing for Chorus NTL [I.P.] , and Zefone. Trying to get back there or in some kind of telecommunications. Its not like i dont know what im walking into , but never accually living there , you need back up information.

grenache · 10-12-2009 2:36am

I'm also an outsider in Cork, and i couldn't recommend it highly enough. From a social scene there is much to do in terms of nightlife (great pubs especially where you'll meet people from all over). I love places like the Bierhaus, Franciscan Well brewery pub and others like the Roundy and Mutton Lane. They have such a good vibe to them. The arts scene is thriving so if you're into your plays/ dramas/gigs then places like the Triskell Arts centre, the Opera House, Crane Lane , Cypress Avenue or City Limits, you will love. For a relatively small city there is a very good selection of venues to visit. The English Market for fresh food cant be beaten. The city centre has been largely revamped since the early part of the decade and with new developments like Opera Lane it now truly is a shoppers paradise. The weather is awful but you'll get used to it. There are many nice areas to live in the city and rents have fallen big time! You're also between 30 and 60 mins drive from such beauty spots as Kinsale, Clonakilty and all those nice beaches further down the coast. The locals are lovely and are by their nature a mostly positive crowd. Yes there's crime but like anywhere else its mostly limited to a few areas on the outskirts of the city. Certainly the city centre area is a reasonably safe place. Jobs are out there, they are hard to find though but i know of companies where i work in blackpool that are actively still recruiting people.

So yes, come and live here by all means, even if its only a short term thing for a few years, it will be a positive experience i have no doubt.

ileprechaun · 14-12-2009 12:19am

Does anyone know why the restaurants here are so expensive? I notice all the places downtown are usually like 12 or 13 euro per entree if you get something like Indian/Chinese

gunnerfitzy · 24-12-2009 3:45pm

ileprechaun wrote: »

Does anyone know why the restaurants here are so expensive? I notice all the places downtown are usually like 12 or 13 euro per entree if you get something like Indian/Chinese

wages & overheads such as electricity, insurance, rates - the usual!

rebel.ranter · 24-12-2009 6:10pm

The type of business you are currently working is actually growing in Cork with companies like Abtran & Big Fish looking for people. International contact centres.
It is a nice city which you can forget sometimes when you live here for a long time.
There are plenty of accommodation opportunities both in the city centre & suburbs,when we say suburbs we mean a 15 minute bus ride that costs €1.90 (approx $2.75). Rent is falling all the time with lots of people that worked in the construction industry heading back to their native countries. The standard of accommodation should be quite high too as most are new builds.

We are experiencing the same type of weather phenomenon as you guys, the seasons are getting blurred into one another.

From a crime point of view there is nothing really to be alarmed about. There is crime everywhere these days, Cork I would say has a relatively low crime rate.

Social scene up to 12 midnight I would say offers a wide choice but it starts to narrow after that watershed. There are a few live music venues, bars, cinemas, theatre & plenty of festivals to keep you amused. There is also a strong sporting tradition in the city with gaelic hurling/football, soccer & rugby stadiums in the city with regular matches on depending on sporting season. Some of the best sportsmen in the world call Cork home.

There is an hourly train to Dublin & the airport has plenty of cheap flights out too (just got a €12 return flight to London for the end of Jan). So if you are bored of the place it is close to other centres of action

Atlantic1 · 25-12-2009 12:54am

gunnerfitzy wrote: »

wages & overheads such as electricity, insurance, rates - the usual!

Don't forget to add a few percent for out and out greed!

Sapsorrow · 28-12-2009 3:21pm

fishypancake wrote: »

Hey , I am an american looking to move into Ireland to vist family , and get out of this god forsaken country. Just wondering what some of the high points and the low points of living in cork are. As in how is finding work , a place to stay , crime rate , general nonsence , nightlife. Just looking for some info.

High points are feck all traffic on a lot of routes in the city, not much crime relative to most cities, night life can be hard to crack into if you're not around for too long but once you get to know a few people it's great lots of really good pubs and good gigs and in the summers there's always cool stuff happening in west cork (kinsale, clonakilty, myrtleville etc), it's a very pretty city, not too small and not too big, just enough cool cafes and restaurants to keep me happy, we've got the amazing english market and lots of really good farmers markets so If you're a foodie it's a great city. The weathers a lot better than on the west I like the dry cold winters and I always think the autumns in Cork are lovely.
Low points would be the rubbish and dumping and general dog pooiness of parts of the city, the scumbags can be cheeky but generally harmless. Can't really think of any other low points apart from the odd devastating flood.

cjmcork · 28-12-2009 11:55pm

OP, I'm a born and bred Corkonian and it wasn't until I moved to bloody Dublin for work that I realised how much I love the place (Cork, not Dublin), so much so that I come home every weekend, it's a 4 hour drive, but it's worth it!

Anton.Mamyko · 29-12-2009 12:06am

cjmcork wrote: »

OP, I'm a born and bred Corkonian and it wasn't until I moved to bloody Dublin for work that I realised how much I love the place (Cork, not Dublin), so much so that I come home every weekend, it's a 4 hour drive, but it's worth it!

that bad eh? I dont like Dublin either, just in and out when there is a good gig on but I would hate to live there...but does the night life not make up for it some what?

cjmcork · 29-12-2009 12:22am

I don't 'do' nightlife in Dublin - as I say 'I work in Dublin, I LIVE in Cork'.............I even get all my food from the English Market, etc and bring it up every Sunday, it REALLY bugs them, haha!

Anton.Mamyko · 29-12-2009 12:26am

now that hard core Dublin hatred right there, HA! you wont even eat their food....

cjmcork · 29-12-2009 12:38am

ah, I will - but I prefer to keep my money in the real Capital - OP, you should be aware of this rivalry, it'll stand you in good stead!

Dublin is the capital (albeit, administrative) - Cork is the cultural capital - congratulations on your choice of destination..........:D

BanzaiBk · 29-12-2009 1:16am

Hey fishypancake.

Through the madness that is life I've lived in both Wilkes-Barre and Cork :rolleyes:
Trust me fellow Corkonians, Wilkes-Barre is several millennium away from the likes of LA and NY. Apart from a fairly substantial Target and Panera bread it's a bit lacking.

Pros for Cork
Public transit is better
Better access to shops and services
Crime is relatively low in comparasin to WB, I'm sure fishy can corroborate my tales of Puerto Rican familial gunfights.

Cons for Cork
Work situation is not great

I only lasted in WB for 8 months before I moved down the road to Hazleton. Much better quality of life imo and more pizza restaurants

rebel.ranter · 29-12-2009 1:33pm

cjmcork wrote: »

I don't 'do' nightlife in Dublin - as I say 'I work in Dublin, I LIVE in Cork'.............I even get all my food from the English Market, etc and bring it up every Sunday, it REALLY bugs them, haha!

Ha! This reminds me of a friend of mine that hAs a similar aversion to Kerry. "Give 'em nothin'", "don't spend a penny there", "put plastic bags over your shoes so you don't give them the satisfaction of wearing down your shoes there!"
All is said in jest of course, his sister in law is a Kerry woman & he just says it as a skit.

Max001 · 30-12-2009 12:19pm

BanzaiBk wrote: »

Hey fishypancake.

Through the madness that is life I've lived in both Wilkes-Barre and Cork :rolleyes:
Trust me fellow Corkonians, Wilkes-Barre is several millennium away from the likes of LA and NY. Apart from a fairly substantial Target and Panera bread it's a bit lacking.

Pros for Cork
Public transit is better
Better access to shops and services
Crime is relatively low in comparasin to WB, I'm sure fishy can corroborate my tales of Puerto Rican familial gunfights.

Cons for Cork
Work situation is not great

I only lasted in WB for 8 months before I moved down the road to Hazleton. Much better quality of life imo and more pizza restaurants

+1 Have a passing familiarity with where you're coming from OP and totally agree with BanzaiBk. If you embrace challenges, especially if you've not been to Europe before, you'll be fine. IMHO in Cork the positives far outweigh the negatives. It ain't a pretty city, but its a fun city and the people are great. As a blow-in the one thing you must never ever do in the company of a Corkonian though, is criticise any aspect of life in Cork. Do that and Corkonians give you a cold hard look that says, "You're dead to me."
Develop a long list of things you like about Cork, even before you've set foot here and recite the list at every opportunity and you'll find old ladies will give up their seats on the bus for you, the infirm will invite you to jump the queue in A&E and brothers will offer you their sisters. e.g. "Excuse me, I just love your city, it shimmers in the moonlight like a diamond and at daybreak it wraps you in a warm embrace like a satisfied lovers arms. Oh and by the way, can you direct me to Patrick Street please?"

Hazys · 30-12-2009 3:11pm

On the opposite end of the spectrum, as a person who moved from Cork to the US a year ago and is back for 2 weeks for xmas...its seriously fcuking expensive!!!!

A pint is anywhere between 4-5Euro which is $6-7, i bought a jumper in H&M in the US for $50 the same jumper in H&M Cork was 60E ($85), eating out is v expensive for what you get.

I've been to Vegas, NYC and Miami in the past year and the prices in Cork are comparable and for what you get its really not on the same standard.

As much as i like beening at home...but christ is it eating a whole in my pocket!!

So be careful if you are moving here, wages are higher but its a whole different ball game price wise in terms of living here as opposed to Pennsylvainia.

Max001 · 30-12-2009 3:37pm

Hazys wrote: »

On the opposite end of the spectrum, as a person who moved from Cork to the US a year ago and is back for 2 weeks for xmas...its seriously fcuking expensive!!!!

A pint is anywhere between 4-5Euro which is $6-7, i bought a jumper in H&M in the US for $50 the same jumper in H&M Cork was 60E ($85), eating out is v expensive for what you get.

I've been to Vegas, NYC and Miami in the past year and the prices in Cork are comparable and for what you get its really not on the same standard.

As much as i like beening at home...but christ is it eating a whole in my pocket!!

So be careful if you are moving here, wages are higher but its a whole different ball game price wise in terms of living here as opposed to Pennsylvainia.

+1

Agree. Forgot about the cost of living aspect. Was in N.Ireland last week and was shocked at how much less things like rent and consumables are in other jurisdictions. In some respects, it really STILL is a rip-off here and don't get me started on the restaurants! :eek: I no longer pay for things that aren't up to standard and I wish other people would do the same. Those that supply us won't pay over the odds if they can help it and neither should we.

gunnerfitzy · 30-12-2009 3:44pm

Hazys wrote: »

On the opposite end of the spectrum, as a person who moved from Cork to the US a year ago and is back for 2 weeks for xmas...its seriously fcuking expensive!!!!

A pint is anywhere between 4-5Euro which is $6-7, i bought a jumper in H&M in the US for $50 the same jumper in H&M Cork was 60E ($85), eating out is v expensive for what you get.

I've been to Vegas, NYC and Miami in the past year and the prices in Cork are comparable and for what you get its really not on the same standard.

As much as i like beening at home...but christ is it eating a whole in my pocket!!

So be careful if you are moving here, wages are higher but its a whole different ball game price wise in terms of living here as opposed to Pennsylvainia.

+1

but i think this is an irish problem and not just a cork one. went to liverpool to do the xmas shopping this year and couldnt believe the difference in clothes, hotels, food, drink etc etc. goes back to a previous post i made. wages, rents, rates and other overheads are huge in ireland. there are good deals to be had but you gotta keep an eye out for them!!

Max001 · 30-12-2009 5:59pm

Are we still letting Americans in? I know one, just got tossed out!

Solair · 31-12-2009 2:29am

Costs are quite high here alright, but you do have to remember that £ and US$ have collapsed in value in comparison to the Euro, so it's quite distorted at the moment.

Inflation hasn't quite kicked into the US or UK yet, but don't worry ... it will!!

seclachi · 03-01-2010 12:55am

I think cork would be a nice change of pace from the US. I know crime varies greatly in the US, but gun crime is almost non existent here, its usually gang on gang crime. Cork is a safe city, theres some areas you would not feel comfortable at night in, but thats true of every city.

Things are expensive here yes, but the average wage is higher than countrys people often make comparisons with. I also think if your careful its fine, food isnt massively expensive here to buy and cook yourself. Going out and drinking will drain the cash reserves quickly.

Things to do wise its ok, we dont have the cool outdoor culture some country's have, its all about going down the pub and having a bit of banter. Corks pretty big, so its got some cinemas, art gallerys, theatre and so on. One thing to bear in mind is that you can also use it as a launching pad to see some of europe, during long weekends etc.

Positives and Negitives of living in cork city

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