Is Ireland as bad as some people make it out to be?

aido79

Wompa1 wrote: »

I spent 3 weeks living and working in Australia (Sydney) and didn't see anything that compelled me to want to move there. It was such a massive sprawl, took a long time to get around and most worrying of all was hearing of all the racist attacks that seemed to happen most nights I was there (this was 2010, I believe). I went to a shop and got a bottle of coke, chewing gum and a Snickers. I was staggered by the price.
I asked an Australian about the racism who said it was fairly bad but mostly toward the Lebanese. Talked to a Chinese Australian taxi driver and asked him if it was as bad as it seems, he said the Australians are very rude to him and it hadn't gotten better in the 20+ years he had lived there. My wife's aunt runs a hotel in Bangkok and had many horror stories about abusive Australian visitors. So she's not sold on living there or even visiting!
I have Australian cousins who couldn't be nicer. I wasn't really expecting that level of violent racial attacks. In my mind the Aussies were chill happy go lucky types. I know now since so many Irish are over there that's not really the case.
I think everywhere has their pros and cons but when looking at English speaking countries with good opportunities, I'd say that's UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. For me, having spent time in 4 of those 5, I'd go with Ireland. I'd be willing to move somewhere where English isn't the primary language but my wife isn't up for it.

I live about 5000kms from Sydney and know very little about the place but you can't really compare it to the rest of Australia. It would be like comparing Dublin to somewhere like Mullingar comparing Sydney to where I live.
If I went to a shop in Ireland and bought a bottle of coke, chewing gum and a Snickers I would be staggered by the price...but in the opposite way to the way you were. I would think they were giving the stuff away. Australia is an expensive place to visit but you have to remember wages are generally higher here and when you're earning dollars it doesn't work out as expensive. It's all relative.

Wompa1

aido79 wrote: »

Wompa1 wrote: »

I spent 3 weeks living and working in Australia (Sydney) and didn't see anything that compelled me to want to move there. It was such a massive sprawl, took a long time to get around and most worrying of all was hearing of all the racist attacks that seemed to happen most nights I was there (this was 2010, I believe). I went to a shop and got a bottle of coke, chewing gum and a Snickers. I was staggered by the price.
I asked an Australian about the racism who said it was fairly bad but mostly toward the Lebanese. Talked to a Chinese Australian taxi driver and asked him if it was as bad as it seems, he said the Australians are very rude to him and it hadn't gotten better in the 20+ years he had lived there. My wife's aunt runs a hotel in Bangkok and had many horror stories about abusive Australian visitors. So she's not sold on living there or even visiting!
I have Australian cousins who couldn't be nicer. I wasn't really expecting that level of violent racial attacks. In my mind the Aussies were chill happy go lucky types. I know now since so many Irish are over there that's not really the case.
I think everywhere has their pros and cons but when looking at English speaking countries with good opportunities, I'd say that's UK, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. For me, having spent time in 4 of those 5, I'd go with Ireland. I'd be willing to move somewhere where English isn't the primary language but my wife isn't up for it.

I live about 5000kms from Sydney and know very little about the place but you can't really compare it to the rest of Australia. It would be like comparing Dublin to somewhere like Mullingar comparing Sydney to where I live.
If I went to a shop in Ireland and bought a bottle of coke,  chewing gum and a Snickers I would be staggered by the price...but in the opposite way to the way you were. I would think they were giving the stuff away. Australia is an expensive place to visit but you have to remember wages are generally higher here and when you're earning dollars it doesn't work out as expensive. It's all relative.

That's fair enough. At the time for me to move there, I wouldn't have had high enough pay to make the cost of rent of cost of living hurt all that less. I looked at places like New York, Connecticuit and Chicago and decided against them for similar reasons. Now, I could get a really good rate in Australia and I have heard Melbourne is a fantastic city to live in. Don't have experience of it myself. I was only in Sydney for about 3 weeks and Cairns for 3 or 4 days.
One of the kickers in Sydney was like US cities, they didn't have many grocery in the heart of the city (which is where I was) and convenient stores charger convenience store prices. I was intrigued though paying out the arse for a muffin at a cafe and the like, so I went to a grocery store in Cairns but the prices were still fairly shocking.
From a rate of pay standpoint now, I could live there and still save as much as I'd want to or could where I am probably but the price of homes in Sydney and Melbourne seem very high like Dublin but I wouldn't be looking to live or buy in Dublin either.

Cupatae

aido79 wrote: »

I have been living in Australia for the last 10 years but am planning on moving back to Ireland next year.
From reading the news there seems to all sorts of crisis going on...health, housing etc.
I will be moving back with my wife and 2 kids and am an electrician. I own a house there so I won't be affected by the housing crisis?
I generally take most things on Facebook with a pinch of salt but the amount of negative comments on articles from Rte or other news sites makes Ireland seem like some third world economy. Are these comments being made by people who can never be satisfied no matter what is done by the government or is it the view of the majority of the population?
I'm trying to keep an open mind but the negativity has me a bit worried.

I find the vast majority of people are well OTT on alot of things back home... its not a bad place at all, but like everywhere else it has its share of problems, the main one being hospitals depending on where you are...the limerick one is especially bad, the whole housing crisis is to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Cant see you having any problems with work as a sparky...but alot of what you hear is OTT hot air alot of the time.

Pelvis

Cupatae wrote: »

the whole housing crisis is to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Meaning?

Cucumber1

I wonder the same, pinch of salt looking at housing....???
From what OP has stated they should be fine to move back as they have a house to move to and family support. The may even have a comfortable life here in their own circumstances.
Ireland has becoming an increasingly two tier society, the ones who own property are fine and laughing but if you rent it is a different story.
If you rent and pay childcare it is very difficult.
My friend returned from Oz over a year ago and just can't settle even in their own house and family close by. Their lifestyle used to be so much better. Now with Dublin traffic, 50% of previous salary, much longer working hours and commute... I think they will return to Oz, not surprising. We got used to scraping by on our high salary, we pay so much tax and get so little in return.

We were also broken into three times in three years. Lots of burglaries in our estate. The lack of Garda is shocking.... they don't have manpower to send to the crime scene, let alone carry out any investigation! Burglars know this and make best use of this situation.

Wanderer78

Cucumber1 wrote:

I wonder the same, pinch of salt looking at housing....??? From what OP has stated they should be fine to move back as they have a house to move to and family support. The may even have a comfortable life here in their own circumstances. Ireland has becoming an increasingly two tier society, the ones who own property are fine and laughing but if you rent it is a different story. If you rent and pay childcare it is very difficult. My friend returned from Oz over a year ago and just can't settle even in their own house and family close by. Their lifestyle used to be so much better. Now with Dublin traffic, 50% of previous salary, much longer working hours and commute... I think they will return to Oz, not surprising. We got used to scraping by on our high salary, we pay so much tax and get so little in return.

Things could be just about to change in Oz, watch this space, could they experience the elusive 'soft landing'?

whisky_galore

Pelvis wrote: »

Meaning?

He's a home owner and doesn't give a shyte?

sbsquarepants

opinionated3 wrote: »

Crime isn't too bad??!! Are you for real? Our capital city is an utter ****hole full of druggies and general low lifes! .

I'm 44 years old - for 43 of those years I lived in Dublin, Tallaght for 30 plus of those years, plenty of druggies and general low lifes to choose from. Once I've (almost) been a victim of crime. Someone attempted to break in to my house but didn't quite manage and caused a bit of damage.

I think you may be a tad hysterical!

Pelvis

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I'm 44 years old - for 43 of those years I lived in Dublin, Tallaght for 30 plus of those years, plenty of druggies and general low lifes to choose from. Once I've (almost) been a victim of crime. Someone attempted to break in to my house but didn't quite manage and caused a bit of damage.

I think you may be a tad hysterical!

When I lived in Tallaght I had a car set on fire in the driveway and a metal bar thrown through the kitchen window.

Anecdotes are fun.

sbsquarepants

Pelvis wrote: »

When I lived in Tallaght I had a car set on fire in the driveway and a metal bar thrown through the kitchen window.

Anecdotes are fun.

Sorry about that, I thought someone else lived there.
Do you know where Antos gaf is?

mariaalice

These threads are a laugh in some ways because the replies are rarely about objective reality which is very hard to measure. To some, Ireland, it always was and always will be a 'kip' evidence does not come into it.

Others will have a more balanced view and to some, almost everywhere else except Ireland is a paradise on earth of low taxes no crime perfect health care and so on.

sbsquarepants

mariaalice wrote: »

These threads are a laugh in some ways because the replies are rarely about objective reality which is very hard to measure. To some, Ireland, it always was and always will be a 'kip' evidence does not come into it.

Others will have a more balanced view and to some, almost everywhere else except Ireland is a paradise on earth of low taxes no crime perfect health care and so on.

Facts just have no place when it comes to forming an opinion!:D