Are we lucky to live in Ireland?

K-9

We are about Peru levels at this stage, aiming for Haiti now though.

chucken1

Helix wrote: »

anyone still in ireland out of their own choice is either very naive or has never left the country imo

Do you think everyone should run off then?

I am not naive or little travelled,Ireland is my home and I love it.
I didnt run at the last resession, I wont do it this time either.

I find it interesting if you are in Canada that you're posting on Boards.ie

enfant terrible

Helix wrote: »

then i'd still think you're crazy and holding your life back something fierce

I'll stay with my family and friends and a job i love thanks.

How often do you see your family?

LisaLee

We're pretty fortunate for such a small country in the grand scheme of things.

If you have an Irish passport then the world is your oyster.

I would regard myself as lucky to be an Irish citizen.

Helix

chucken1 wrote: »

Do you think everyone should run off then?

I am not naive or little travelled,Ireland is my home and I love it.
I didnt run at the last resession, I wont do it this time either.

I find it interesting if you are in Canada that you're posting on Boards.ie

the recession has got nothing to do with it to be honest

and boards is an internet site that covers loads of topics im interested in, why wouldnt i use it? i use american sites too and i dont live there either. do you only use irish websites?

Helix

enfant terrible wrote: »

I'll stay with my family and friends and a job i love thanks.

How often do you see your family?

twice a year maybe

guitarzero

If you're looking to get the lash I'd probably book a holiday.

I've never been to America but I have been in some states.

chucken1

Helix wrote: »

anyone still in ireland out of their own choice is either very naive or has never left the country imo

You said 'Anyone who stays etc.. Im trying to point out that other people have stayed!!
Not out of naivity but This is home and its a great country.

ellieswellies

I used to think that your quality of life was mostly defined by where you live, but having travelled a good bit I think it depends more on who you're surrounded with. Having people to have the craic with makes anywhere more bearable, unless of course you live in a place where people are dropping bombs on you or you have to walk miles in the blistering heat to get water, and whatnot.

Having realised this, I did emigrate, mostly for personal reasons (the OH is a yank) but it's turned out to be a big boost for my career too - the standards of my job here are a lot higher than what I worked at back in Ireland. I moved to the States btw, and while it's great for the most part, it's also very strange at times. There's this constant threat of being sued (because of the type of job I'm in), people are all on millions of prescription drugs, and you can't get sh!tfaced in public or cross a road without getting a ticket or something. And the supermarkets are really weird and people take things VERY literally most of the time. What I miss most about home is going for a pint or 10 with my friends and having the craic in general. But life is grand here for the most part. Mind you, I'm glad to be able to call Ireland home and I'm glad I grew up there. The states is grand but it's nice to have the option to leave whenever you want.

Jimoslimos

LisaLee wrote: »

If you have an Irish passport then the world is your oyster.

Also makes state-sponsored assasinations that little bit easier;)

challengemaster

Cill Dara Abu wrote: »

I've never been abroad. I'd love to go to America someday.

I often get the impression that we are lucky to live here, you see other countrys experiencing extreme weather, poverty, etc...

Just wondering what are the differences people have noticed in Ireland and any other country in terms of the people, attitudes to alcohol and drugs, weather, standard of living, driving habits and any other random thing.

Currently being in Texas, I can quite easily say if you ever do get over to America, you won't be long in changing your attitude and learning how much of a shítehole Ireland really is.

Unbelievably lucky. I feel like pulling my hair out reading the BS recession threads sometimes.. People don't have a fuking clue how lucky they are and just because they don't have enough left over for a Saturday night, they think the country is now firmly in the 3rd world.

Lanaier

Yes, I feel Ireland is like The Shire or Hobbiton.

A small, friendly and ultimately insignificant place that will basically never change.

I always see myself retiring to Ireland someday.

pauro 76

I've lived in London for 6 years. Great city but it's beginning to make me increasingly angry, frustrated and paranoid. If someone offered me a job in Ireland tomorrow, I'd seriously think about it, everytime I go home I love it.

Apanachi

yep, those of you who are still in ireland are indeed very lucky, never realised how great the place was until I left it, and no, it's not a case of "the grass is always greener" Ireland really is great. I know people talk about the recession and bail out a lot recently, but all those negative people should just go out for a walk in our beautiful countryside and actually open their eyes and see the beauty around them, green fields, sandy beaches, mountains and lakes.

The Irish people are very friendly and open, I know it can be hard for a lot of non-Irish to get the Irish humour, a lot of people (foreigners in Ireland) I know would say we are a racist bunch, but in general we're not, we Irish just take the piss out of everyone and everything (including ourselves) as someone said to me "Ireland where we're not racist, we're just having the craic,

dpe

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Ireland is a nice place to live op, but it is very small and despite all the recent immigration the population is almost entire white Irish Catholics.

Watching tv and reading t'internet is all well and good, but you do need to leave the island if only to sample other cultures.

I've settled here and I like it, but even Dublin can feel like a village at times.

This^ I don't really miss much about the UK and think in general Ireland has a better quality of life than back home (especially London). Even the financial crisis hasn't dented that (yet) as its pretty grim financially over there as well (although at least my flat in London isn't worthless). Politics and knackered banking system aside, the only thing Ireland needs to improve is decent healthcare (I'll never criticise the NHS ever again), and the supermarkets are rubbish.

Lanaier

Daroxtar wrote: »

The only thing that irks me about here is the fact that we have fairly low quality ex-pats

Do you mean Irish expats abroad?

I've never been to Australia but even I'm embarrassed by tales of I've heard of Irish people there.

Cú Giobach

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Ireland is a nice place to live op, but it is very small and despite all the recent immigration the population is almost entire white Irish Catholics.

Why is it a negative to you that the Irish population is mainly white and Catholic? Would you complain about all the black Muslims in Sudan or all the olive skinned Jews in Israel or is this just more of your anti-Irish bigotry?

Liam Byrne

dpe wrote: »

the only thing Ireland needs to improve is decent healthcare (I'll never criticise the NHS ever again), and the supermarkets are rubbish.

You're joking, right ?

The transport "system" is pathetic.
Crime and anti-social behaviour are at a level that belies the fact that 20 years ago a single murder would have been news for weeks, and no-one wants to challenge the PC crap that ha led to this
Communications services are chronic and overpriced.

Prices are too high, reducing everyone's quality of life, and there are very few truly "public" facilities at which you're not charged a small fortune for parking, food, etc......

dpe

Cú Giobach wrote: »

Why is it a negative to you that the Irish population is mainly white and Catholic? Would you complain about all the black Muslims in Sudan or all the olive skinned Jews in Israel or is this just more of your anti-Irish bigotry?

Nice partial quote to justify your comment. Sensitive much? In the full context of what he said, he was correct; as Ireland is pretty much a monoculture, you need to travel to see more of other cultures, unlike say, the UK.

dpe

Liam Byrne wrote: »

You're joking, right ?

The transport "system" is pathetic.
Communications services are chronic and overpriced.

Prices are too high, reducing everyone's quality of life, and there are very few truly "public" facilities at which you're not charged a small fortune for parking, food, etc......

Yeah, sorry, don't buy it. The transport system is...no worse than most of the UK outside London. For the population its what I'd expect. I'll agree comms are overpriced, but they're coming down and speeding up. Its no big deal.

Prices too are coming down, maybe not fast enough, but I've noticed the difference in the three years I've been here. And certain big ticket items (like rent) have dropped massively. The price of cars still annoys the hell out of me (because its a protectionist con more than anything else) , but general prices, not so much anymore.

Yes prices are still too high for lots of things, but quality of life is about a balance of things, and I happen to think nicer more relaxed people and attitudes, better schools, less overcrowding, less state intrusiveness, make up for some of the downsides of Irish life. I could go back to London tomorrow as I have a place to live over there that's bought and paid for, and I do the kind of job where I could walk into a decent salary back there pretty easily, but I prefer it here.

Cú Giobach

dpe wrote: »

Nice partial quote to justify your comment. Sensetive much? In the full context of what he said, he was correct; as Ireland is pretty much a monoculture, you need to travel to see more of other cultures, unlike say, the UK.

Unlike parts of the UK yes but not like the world in general.
It is quite obvious that to see other cultures you have to travel outside your own, whether that is outside of your own tribe, province or country.

DoesNotCompute

El Siglo wrote: »

As much as this country gets on my nerves and as crap as it is for unemployment, the cost of living, poor governance, quality of life indicators etc... I think I'm genetically predisposed to finding Irish women attractive. For the life of me I can never see myself ending up with someone from a different country no matter where I go. Whenever I'm abroad I light up when I meet an Irish person, and when I'm up North I light up when I meet another Southerner, don't know why it happens but it does. If this didn't happen I wouldn't give two shits about this place and would be off to Oz picking oranges quicker than you can say default. Thank you women of Ireland!;)

Meh, Irish girls are quite plain and very moany (not in a good way) compared to most girls from other countries IMHO.

goat2

we do live in a beautiful country
we dont have tsunami,
we dont have earthquakes,
we dont have hurricanes,
we dont have drought,
it never get very cold here
we could feed the world with the climate we have,
the problems we have could be rolled back,
even though i am out of work, when i watch the world disasters on the news, i know i am still lucky.

Voodoo_rasher

Irish people don't want to know you if you don't have money. Otherwise you're heartily welcome, and come into the parlour.

Cú Giobach

goat2 wrote: »

we do live in a beautiful country
we dont have tsunami,
we dont have earthquakes,
we dont have hurricanes,
we dont have drought,
it never get very cold here
we could feed the world with the climate we have,
the problems we have could be rolled back,
even though i am out of work, when i watch the world disasters on the news, i know i am still lucky.

The 1755 and 1761 Tsunamis in Ireland
Earthquakes In Ireland and the UK
Oídhche na Gaoithe Móire (Night of the big wind)
Winter of 2010–2011 in Great Britain and Ireland
Never say never.

Fratton Fred

Cú Giobach wrote: »

Why is it a negative to you that the Irish population is mainly white and Catholic? Would you complain about all the black Muslims in Sudan or all the olive skinned Jews in Israel or is this just more of your anti-Irish bigotry?

Its not a negative, it is an observation. The OP stated they had never been abroad, which everyone should do no matter where they live, just to experience the rich diversity of culture we have in this world.

Clareboy

Johnny D. Mudd wrote: »

What I enjoy about this country is the laid-back, friendly and level-headedness of the average Irish person. There is little pretence in public, people aren't as quick to dismiss others and are generally happy to share some small talk even with strangers. I have been in Spain quite a few times and though the country is beautiful and the people incredibly gorgeous, there is a lot of snobbishness. I have seen people I know get into confrontations with a Spaniard because of some percieved slight. Same with some Germans too I'm afraid. I don't see this level of snobbishness too much in Ireland.

Of course I'm not one for generalising and I realise that there are plenty of wonderful Spaniards and Germans out there too.:)

Not my experience of living in Ireland and I have lived here for most of my life. This country is full of class distinctions and snobbery. In Ireland,one is judged by what type of a house one lives in, by ones job, the area one lives in and the type of car one drives. Ireland is a very closed and conservative society that reeks of middle class values and norms. There is no life here only isolation and exclusion for so many of our people. Personally, I just can't wait to get out of here as often as possible.

Liam Byrne

dpe wrote: »

Yeah, sorry, don't buy it. The transport system is...no worse than most of the UK outside London.

We're not comparing with London. We're asking if we're lucky to live in Ireland.

dpe wrote: »

I'll agree comms are overpriced, but they're coming down and speeding up. Its no big deal.

Speeding up ? Where ? Eircom rang me to offer me their NGB and I told them it wouldn't work.....they said it would. They rang back and said "oops, sorry" so I'm stuck with a 2-meg max, and that's 1.5 miles outside a city. God help anyone who's in the sticks.

dpe wrote: »

Prices too are coming down, maybe not fast enough, but I've noticed the difference in the three years I've been here. And certain big ticket items (like rent) have dropped massively.

Can't say I've noticed; some things have, but day to day stuff is still far too expensive compared to other countries, and any drops have been negated by taxes (aka levies & charges), fuel increases and decreases in wages.

dpe wrote: »

The price of cars still annoys the hell out of me (because its a protectionist con more than anything else) , but general prices, not so much anymore.

dpe wrote: »

Yes prices are still too high for lots of things, but quality of life is about a balance of things, and I happen to think nicer more relaxed people and attitudes, better schools, less overcrowding, less state intrusiveness, make up for some of the downsides of Irish life. I could go back to London tomorrow as I have a place to live over there that's bought and paid for, and I do the kind of job where I could walk into a decent salary back there pretty easily, but I prefer it here.

I don't blame you for not wanting to be in the rat-race that is London, but again that's measuring levels of how unlucky we are rather than actually how lucky we are.

The best bits of Ireland - people helping each other out, leaving doors unlocked as you went out for 5 mins, chilling out somewhere for free, heading to the seaside or forest park without having to fork out €20 in petrol and another €5 for parking - are (generally) all gone, and the worst bits of having to put up with drunken idiots outside a bar or worse - coming back to find your car broken into or keyed, or returning home to find your house broken into - are on the increase, while you then claim from an "insurance" company that will then try to get their payout back over the next 3 years by charging it back in premiums.

We lost our way during the "Celtic Tiger" years, and it sickens me.