Anyone thinking of emigrating?

'The plus sides for me: It’s very open minded, liberal, live and let live and socially progressive as a 2020s society.'

It isn't live and let live. You literally couldn't walk down the street for the most of the last two years without idiots having conniption fits "Why can't you just STAY AT HOME???"

Now you have to be tucked up indoors by 8pm - its too cold/wet to find a workaround. You're free to watch TV, go on the internet or have an abortion.

You're selling Ireland to people as the epitome of political liberalism, but less liberal societies have more freedom because they aren't as fully beholden to progressive rule-makers as we are.

If I had a cushy job that could be done on a laptop I'd do it. The only other option is to become a crypto millionaire and move to Portugal.

The grass is always greener lads.

If a few pence on your six-pack and on your tank of diesel, which the whole World are paying more for, is all you're looking at to decide whether or not to leave the country for good, I'd suggest you need to have a long hard think.

Yes homes are too expensive and too scarce in Dublin and sure plenty in the health service needs improving, but I challenge you to pick any destination you might migrate to and not find a whole different set of prevailing issues that irritate their domestic population.

Ireland is one of the wealthiest nations on Earth. It offers among the best opportunities for education, high value jobs and careers and environments for nurturing small and self-starter businesses anywhere in the western world. We have a fantastic clean and healthy environment with moderate weather and the best agri-food produce maybe in the World too. We have the most progressive free social conditions of anywhere you could go and global best welfare supports for our older people and those between jobs or raising families.

Want to suffer in an epidemic of petty crime? Move to Portugal

Want to suffer at the hands of a corrupt and inept local and regional government system? Move to Spain

Want to pay €25,000 in health insurance premiums for your family of four and hear tales of their weekly active shooter drills at school? Move to America

Want to exist in a live-to-work culture with a stress induced national crisis of suicide? Not to mention demographic collapse ruining the pensions model? Try Japan

Want to try the front row seats of climate change? Book a visa to Australia

Be bored out of your bin and frozen solid seven months of the year? Canada...

A faded wreck of self-destructive hubris and long dead imperial glory spiraling into economic depression? Britain....

Or....

You could stay in Ireland, work hard, play hard and give just a little of your time to get active in your community to change the things you don't particularly like...

That's a really good post.

A lot of people here complaining about the tax take but in reality we have a lower tax rate than other European countries.

Just on the US, it's big enough and diverse enough that you don't have to worry about many of the things you mentioned.

Places like Massachusetts and the east coast in general are not a whole lot different than Ireland culture wise.

It's a good place if you are young and want to make good money but if you are thinking of setting down there Ireland is a lot simpler, a lot of decisions about where to buy depends on local property tax, the quality of the school systems, etc.

Instead of dismissing what I say why not detail why you think I am wrong? This is what I’ve observed from Irish society the past few years.

Two different friends of mine are in the process of emigrating. Both of them are in the 35-40 range and wanted to stay but they couldn't afford to get mortgages and were sick of being gouged on rent. If people in that age category, with stable jobs, are deciding to vote with their feet I imagine younger people with more precarious employment will be leaving in droves.