Considering moving to dublin

LegacyUser

I am a 35 year old single man, I'm currently working in a fulltime job in waterford. I am kinda depressed at the moment because I have very few friends I can go out on a friday and saturday night so most weekends I just stay in on my own. I am considering moving to Dublin because theres so much more oppourtunity to get involved in clubs and activites after work, I know it will still take effort on my part but I still believe it would be much easier to develop a social life in dublin over waterford, lets be honest waterford hasnt much going for it these days, the risk is however is leaving a permanent job Ive been in 6 years which pays well and go back on probation for at least 6 months or even more risky a contract job, would appreciate advise?

ronano

Positives and negatives, dublin can be great and does offer more social groups/activities than other smaller towns and cities. From reading your post it feels like the effort ain't the issue just the lack of groups. I imagine you've tried meetup.com ?

If you drive would you consider moving half way between the two and socialising in dublin while working in waterford. I know it would knacker you but give you the opportunity to try without losing your job.

If it was me i'd move to dublin but only if some form of work can be secured.

I hope it turns out good

araic88

I'm from Waterford and live here still & I have found that a lot of people have left etc. which is a real shame as I love it here. I still find I have a grand aul social life though with activities I enjoy. (I'm not big into night clubs etc.)
Sometimes joining new clubs is hit-or-miss as it's hard to know which have a social side to them and which you'll enjoy.
Still though, it's not like Waterford is a small village or anything, maybe head to the Waterford forum and people could steer you in the right direction.
I lived in Dublin for a few years and did enjoy it but it has cons too. If I were you I'd maybe set a time frame like 6 months to really give things a go where you are & then consider moving
Good Luck!

retroactive

Hi Lonelyguy9999,

Do you have any friends in Dublin?

I can see the attraction in leaving the country for the big city. I left a rural area to live in an tiny one bedroom apartment. Luckily, I had several friends from college and life to hang out in. The lifestyle is attractive - There's always something interesting on and to do. It's almost exhausting. However, my group of friends hasn't expanded. Sure, my facebook friends have increased but do I have more more real friends? No. The city can be even more isolating and faceless.

You sound like you're bored with the banality of everyday life and want a change. I think your misdirecting your blame at your locality and should consider a change in routine before you change your life and take the risk of leaving a job. We all flirt with the idea of a "reset button" but I would look before you leap.

But what do I know? I'm just a silly 23 year old.

LegacyUser

If you are very into music of the non-stadium variety, or another interest like that, then I'd say go for it. Otherwise, no.

You aren't going to make random friends - you're 35, not 20. Tbh music and events would give you the easiest way 'in'. But there's zero point in doing that to make friends - you'd have to be very into it to begin with.

If that's not true of you, I'd suggest meet up.com for your locale

Santa Cruz

I don't think moving to Dublin is the answer here. Have a good checkout of all the clubs, associations, choirs, activities in the Waterford and general South East area. Identify some that you are interested in. There must be some that you would like. As a single 35 year old a lot of your peers are probably married, happy or otherwise, and are not into the single life anymore.
Have a look around at a work or your locality. Is there any group of people there that might be interested in pub quizzes or similar for the winter? I know in some towns a series of quizzes are held over maybe six weeks and each night the proceeds would be for a different local charity. Teams enter for the six nights and compete for one good overall prize. I know of one case where a local firm sponsored the first prize of a trip to Old Trafford for four. The owner told me that the amount of free advertising he got for six weeks on the local newspapers was fantastic. Why not even approach a few people with the idea of organising it yourselves? I'm sure local charities would appreciate it and you would quickly find your social life filling up. Nominating and involving six different groups would bring you into six different social circles. You could select maybe two sports clubs, a Tidy Towns group and three charities.

Sorry but I can't agree with Waterford having little to offer. I'm sure that if you stand back and look objectively you would see my point of view.