Are we lucky to live in Ireland?

Greentopia

PseudoFamous wrote: »

Well, despite living in Arklow myself, it's a little bit unfortunate that I can tell exactly where you live by that fairly vague description.

Wouldn't surprise me why is it unfortunate though?

PseudoFamous wrote: »

However, something tells me that you're actually very unlucky in your experience of the town. I know people who've lived there for years and haven't had a bad experience yet.

Maybe. But it's not just me, I mentioned bad things that've happened to
others I know so it can't be all bad luck.
A friend of mine on the South Quay had her house broken into a few months back for example, and not for the first time. I could cite other examples.
It does depend to a large extent where you live in the town though, I know that.
I lived on the Main Street for a while and it was hell on earth at night, especially week-ends, but where I am now it's quiet enough.

PseudoFamous wrote: »

Also, the bus service to Dublin and Waterford is very frequent, at least once an hour in both directions (Just get a connection at Rosslare).

It's not a bad service I agree but the #5 doesn't go through Arklow every hour, or anything like it. I don't need to got through Rosslare, that's the #2 bus, getting that and connecting there would take longer and be more hassle than going directly to Waterford with the #5.

orourkeda

I love Ireland.

We have a decent way of live and standard of living. Things could be a hell of a lot worse for us.

Einhard

Liam Byrne wrote: »

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.

Oh for feck sake, this type of hyperbolic negativity and misty eyed nostalgia for a past that never really existed really gets to me at times. We have one of the lowest crime rates in the world; we have one of the highest standards of living in the world; one of the highest life expectancies, and lowest infant mortality rates. We are consistently voted amongst the friendliest societies on the planet and, even now, in the middle of a recession, we score highly on liveability indices.

Things have changed since the pre-Celtic Tiger days- for the better. We are a far more pluralistic, and less homogenous society. We are more open to change, and new experiences. Divorce is legislated for; homosexuality is legal, and gay cibil partnerships enshrined in law; women no longer have to fear normal sexuual relations becase the government deny them access to contraception; priests don't rape our children with impunity because of the power of their Church, and the timid acquiescence of a cowed society; we are largely free from the type of sectarian violence and hatred which has marred our society for generations, particularly in the North; we have some corruption, yes, but it pales in comparison with what one finds in Italy and France and many other European countries, let alone those in the rest of the world.

You state that one can't visit our wonderful natural amenties without forking out cash payments for this and that To which I respond- horsesh!t. Last Friday, I spent a day hiking in the Galtees. I parked for free, and picked up free route maps and guides to the area, organised and published by the local tourist society. Such societies were pretty much absent in this country until recently, whereas now, community groups are to the fore in promoting their local areas, and promoting the experience for the visitor. Walking and cycling trails have been established and expanded all across the country (the amazing Sheep's Head Way comes to mind); music and arts festivals now abound; and festivals of every kind and theme are routine acorss the country- all organised by local groups, with help from state bodies. And every single one of them can be enjoyed without spending a cent. There were no less than 3 festivals organised by various groups within a 10km radius of the town I live at the weekend, all of which offered cheap or free events. In the 80s, my town would be lucky to have 3 festivals in a given year.

So, yeah, we're hugely lucky to live on this island. It may not be the greatest nation in the world, or the most liveable, or the least corrupt and most friendly, but when everything is taken together and in balance, we have an awful lot to be thankful for.

jimmyw

where do i go from here wrote: »

Russian girls wear nicer no underwear

goat2

Helix wrote: »

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?

i am glad to see our overseas irish citizens keeping in touch with home and nice to see that since you had to leave to find employment, you have intrest in what is going on back home, at least you can see what is currently happning back home, good luck to you,

Caraville

I wouldn't like to live anywhere else. I've been to Australia, America and most of Europe and I'd still choose Ireland. Maybe it's just cos it's what I know best so it's comfortable, but besides that I really do think we have a beautiful country.

I love how on a night out you can make best friends with randomers for one night only and have the best craic.

I love how people can be so good to each other at times of great difficulty- especially at funerals.

I love how when you meet someone from somewhere you always ask if they know "so-and-so" even though you know they probably won't (although they often do!)

I dunno, there's lots to complain about I suppose but there's far more to like than dislike, I think. There's a good standard of living here for the most part.

richymcdermott

Ireland is my country

Galway is my home

I wouldnt want to live anywhere else,sure there are some assholes but thats a givin they are in every country , but there is nothing like living catiously having travellers for neigbours and have their 11 horses run across the street dodging cars on a wet sunday afternoon , god i love this place

aligator_am

As my Grandfather used to say, it'sa great little country, just don't get sick, he was saying that back in the 1960's, seems he was right in the long run

Dudess

Yes in comparison to the third world, no in comparison to countries whose economies aren't ravaged. Without either of these comparisons, I find Ireland a pretty good country to live in - sh1te in terms of a lot of services, and some rural parts of it seem like forgotten places - but day-to-day life is quite easy-going and the standard of living is generally quite high. I wouldn't move if I could avoid it, but moreso because I'm a home-bird rather than thinking Ireland's brilliant, but I do like it here... however, unfortunately it's not an easy place for many, many people these days.

rossie1977

fat__tony wrote: »

Canada has a vastly superior quality of living.

explain please, how exactly would a working middle class person in say calgary canada have a vastly superior quality of life the same person in galway city, we are continually touted as having one of the highest qualities of life on the planet

canada is a nice country but lets be fair, almost the entire population is living close to the american border leaving 95% of the place completely barren, only 4% of the entire landmass is arable, cities like calgary, edmonton and winnipeg are frozen wastelands for 6 months of the year, to get away from the harsh winters loads of canadians have homes in arizona and the like (i know i was talking to a group last year in phoenix), canadian healthcare is about as useful as ours

irelands far from perfect, the weather is crap, oh for a year round canaries climate the public transport compared to the rest of western europe is laughable, we build a lightrail system and it doesn't connect up :rolleyes:

aligator_am

aligator_am wrote: »

As my Grandfather used to say, it'sa great little country, just don't get sick, he was saying that back in the 1960's, seems he was right in the long run

It's one of the best countries in the world to get sick in.

Norwayviking

Daroxtar wrote: »

Fúck Scandanavia. 6 months of subzero temperatures, 6 months of constant darkness, Devil worshipers, Death Metal, Vikings, ridiculously high taxes , Shroomed off their tits Reindeers and every lame ass matt cooper/joe duffy contributor saying "Oh, we should look at the Scandanavian way of doing things".
NO!!!
Fúck Scandanavia

Ireland is fúcking lovely.:)

Fúck Scandanavia. 6 months of subzero temperatures, 6 months of constant darkness, Devil worshipers, Death Metal, Vikings, ridiculously high taxes , Shroomed off their tits Reindeers

Where did you find this info about Norway??The local pub.;)

hairy sailor

it's not a bad country overall,reckon it'll get a bit ****ter in the next few years but should then get better,i've spent time in a few south american countries,west african countries as well as numerous middle eastern countries,seen alot of poverty,couldn't compare ireland or most of europe to it.

hairy sailor

Norwayviking wrote: »

Fúck Scandanavia. 6 months of subzero temperatures, 6 months of constant darkness, Devil worshipers, Death Metal, Vikings, ridiculously high taxes , Shroomed off their tits Reindeers

Where did you find this info about Norway??The local pub.;)

just spent 6 months of winter in norway,come on,a tenner for a pint & 60 quid for a case of your noggy beer,which in all fairness is a bit ****,think it was called tau,you'd have a head like a viking helmut after it.think it was a tenner for a burger aswell,can't really remember as i was usually too drunk

also it was roughly 55 nok for a 15-20 min taxi journey,about 60 odd euro.

Norwayviking

hairy sailor wrote: »

it's not a bad country overall,reckon it'll get a bit ****ter in the next few years but should then get better,i've spent time in a few south american countries,west african countries as well as numerous middle eastern countries,seen alot of poverty,couldn't compare ireland or most of europe to it.

Couldnt agree more.

Beiing Norwegian and been around the world probably 3 times to every possible country that has ocean to it,i dont think Ireland is a bad place to live after beiing here for 12 years.
I have seen a hell of a lot worse places :eek:

old_aussie

If any of the many Irish I've met in Australia are a guide to the Irish and Ireland in general, then YES you do have a great country.

Met a few Irish lads and their girls at the Barry Sheene Festival of Speed at Eastern Creek in NSW Aust. a while back and they were fantastic to have a chat with and have a few(make that quite a few) beers with after the day at the Creek.

Even though Ireland is going through a tough period at the moment they were all positive that Ireland was still the place to call home.

dpe

Deleted User wrote: »

It's one of the best countries in the world to get sick in.

Not in comparison to the healthcare one country to the right. Personally I think Irish healthcare sucks donkeyballs.

Apanachi

DoesNotCompute wrote: »

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

You obviously don't know many German girls then do you, they can be as grumpy as f**k....

Norwayviking

hairy sailor wrote: »

just spent 6 months of winter in norway,come on,a tenner for a pint & 60 quid for a case of your noggy beer,which in all fairness is a bit ****,think it was called tau,you'd have a head like a viking helmut after it.think it was a tenner for a burger aswell,can't really remember as i was usually too drunk

also it was roughly 55 nok for a 15-20 min taxi journey,about 60 odd euro.

So its expensive,so is Japan and Russia.;)
But then again high wages equals that out.
And a bit of cold didnt hurt anyone,i am sure noone forced you to live there:D

dpe

dpe wrote: »

Not in comparison to the healthcare one country to the right. Personally I think Irish healthcare sucks donkeyballs.

Almost 7 billion people in the world and you compare to a country with what, 80 million? Even if you compare to all of Europe and Canada, it's still a tiny number.
Irish healthcare will, 99% of the time, save your life. And it's effectively free. Sounds good to me.

I think I'm going through a faze where I laugh at the trivial complaints of the first world. I know when I worked in Ireland, I never did anything more than a citizen in the 3rd world, to deserve the services and lifestyle I received in comparison to them.

Electric Sheep

Daroxtar wrote: »

Fair enough, but politicians are usually consevrative middle aged people and the dont like to stir things too much. Ireland has a large young population and the mindset amongst the under 40s is incredibly different to that of many of the over 40s. In another 10 years things will be unrecognisable here to what they were like 10 years ago.

No it won't. In 20 years time Ireland will be exactly like it is now, just like it was in the 80s. Aren't you lucky to live there? All those vibrant young people electing the same conservative middle aged people that don't like to stir things up:rolleyes:

goat2

the only problem we have in this country is our economy, but as for everything else, like climate, no major natural disasters, the only disasters we have were manmade, they could be rolled back,

dpe

Deleted User wrote: »

Almost 7 billion people in the world and you compare to a country with what, 80 million? Even if you compare to all of Europe and Canada, it's still a tiny number.
Irish healthcare will, 99% of the time, save your life. And it's effectively free. Sounds good to me.

I think I'm going through a faze where I laugh at the trivial complaints of the first world. I know when I worked in Ireland, I never did anything more than a citizen in the 3rd world, to deserve the services and lifestyle I received in comparison to them.

Well, I could compare Irish healthcare to Albania and say "wow, great", but that's not how life works is it? You'll see from my earlier posts that I think on balance, Ireland is a great place to live, but, as I have direct experience of Irish healthcare and the NHS, I'm never going to regard the Irish system as anything special. At an individual level, the quality of nurses and doctors is absolutely excellent, but the infrastructure is lousy, the (lack of) availablity and cost of pharmaceuticals is a scandal (partly caused by another bit of protectionist shenanigans like the car business) and the medical insurance sector a con. Part of the problem is simply a screwed up set of priorities; the three big costs for most western governments (ignoring defence, a non-issue here) are education, social welfare and health; Ireland has prioritised social welfare above the European norms, at the expense of healthcare (education is about average).

goat2

looking at a headline on one of the papers in the past few days, they are going to bring down the ambulance numbers on call at night in cork, that is according to newsprints,

Celly Smunt

goat2 wrote: »

looking at a headline on one of the papers in the past few days, they are going to bring down the ambulance numbers on call at night in cork, that is according to newsprints,

on the upside it might mean a few less corkonians

fat__tony

rossie1977 wrote: »

explain please, how exactly would a working middle class person in say calgary canada have a vastly superior quality of life the same person in galway city, we are continually touted as having one of the highest qualities of life on the planet

canada is a nice country but lets be fair, almost the entire population is living close to the american border leaving 95% of the place completely barren, only 4% of the entire landmass is arable, cities like calgary, edmonton and winnipeg are frozen wastelands for 6 months of the year, to get away from the harsh winters loads of canadians have homes in arizona and the like (i know i was talking to a group last year in phoenix), canadian healthcare is about as useful as ours

irelands far from perfect, the weather is crap, oh for a year round canaries climate the public transport compared to the rest of western europe is laughable, we build a lightrail system and it doesn't connect up :rolleyes:

The opportunities and salary rates in Canada for working professionals are much higher in Canada than Ireland presently.

The standard of public services here are much superior, health, transport etc. Canada has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Your claim that the canadian healthcare system is comparable to Irelands is laughable. It is also one of the most politically and financially stable nations around.

What has 95% of the population living close to the American border got to do with anything? Yes Canada is a vast place and a lot of it is sparsly populated but it is stunningly beautiful.

Yes Canada does get cold in the winter but it gets hot summers, proper seasons. Funny that you failed to mention Vancouver which has a climate comparable to Ireland with a quality of life which betters it in every way.

Have you ever been to Canada? I doubt it somehow.

JohnMearsheimer

Hell yes we are. I was born in Ireland in 1984. If I was born in Ethiopia in 1984 I'd probably be dead. I lived in the UK for 2 years and I'm living in Canada now, both also 1st world countries. I enjoyed/am enjoying myself abroad but I have a bit of a hankering for Ireland. I hated growing up in Ireland but my time away has made me realize how good we have it compared to so much of the rest of the world's population.

KingEnda

I'm a trainee accountant still holding down a job in Ireland, despite the down turn/fcuk up Ireland is still a good place to live with reasonable prospects