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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To absolutely despise Ireland?

123 replies

Barbielovesken · 11/02/2012 13:26

I hate it. I hate absolutely everything about this country. All we do is work and work and for some good measure, work a bit more.

Any benefits to this? Absolutely none. We dont go anywhere or do anything and don't see each-other as when ones off the others working and vice versa. Just to keep our heads above water. To pay more and more and more taxes and take more and more pay cuts that we see absolutely nothing for.

It's relentless.

I am just 26 years of age and swear that the life has been sucked out of me by the hell hole that is this country. I hate it here and we can't leave - we're trapped here.

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 11/02/2012 13:28

And you think it's just Ireland that's like that?

LilacWaltz · 11/02/2012 13:29

Why are you trapped? I think yab a bit u here.

Tee2072 · 11/02/2012 13:29

Sounds like all people all over the world right now.

Sinkingfeeling · 11/02/2012 13:30

Why don't you try Greece instead? Wink

JustHecate · 11/02/2012 13:30

yeah. welcome to practically everywhere in the world.

What you describe is called life.

Sorry about that Grin

Birdsgottafly · 11/02/2012 13:30

My DD is the same age as you and feels similar about the UK. You have my sympathy.

Can you book a break away together, even camping.

Ireland has some wonderful places.

southeastastra · 11/02/2012 13:31

from your profile it says you are studying part time, are you still doing that?

ranteetheranter · 11/02/2012 13:31

Sorry I think you are talking about most of Europe at the moment. Actually most of the world. Times are tough

lilbreeze · 11/02/2012 13:34

dh's parents are Irish though live in England now and i agree it sounds tough there - way more so than in the UK. sadly it's for a reason though -terrible levels of national debt etc so there's no easy way of changing things. presumably things are as bad or worse in Greece but i doubt that's much consultation!

Serenitysutton · 11/02/2012 13:34

It is worse in Ireland than here, let's be fair.

It's a difficult one OP- I spent a lot of time in Ireland as a child and it was basically a 3rd world country. It was never possible for it to grow sustainsably in 20 years to the country it did. But it mustve been wonderful- a whole generation who didn't have to move for work - I have sympathy for the people who got caught up with it because I can understand why they did.

lilbreeze · 11/02/2012 13:35

*consolation

Original poster
Barbielovesken · 11/02/2012 13:37

I know it's not just here and have huge sympathy for everyone. I'm just struggling to see the point today. I'm finding it all so hard.

No I'm not studying anymore - I have one year left for my degree but can't afford the 2.5k it'll cost.

We're trapped because we have a house with a mortgage that we could never sell - partly because of the times - even if by some miracle we sold it, we wouldn't get enough to cover the mortgage. Also because we built during the boom when labour and material was at the highest ever and we had complete cowboys in here and there's loads wrong - that we can't afford to fix and an engineer would never pass it for sale.

We also have 3 children who adore their extended families and I couldn't bear to take them from them and I'm an only child, my dads dead and I'd worry about my mum on her own if we left.

OP posts:
uruculager · 11/02/2012 13:38

YANBU. It's much nicer north of the border.

Original poster
Barbielovesken · 11/02/2012 13:47

Even if we were given back something - I'd give my right arm for free healthcare. €50 for every gps visit and more for prescription is nuts. My dd is asthmatic and needs €100 worth of meds per month. I was depressed a while back and simply couldn't afford the €50 ads per month.

Back to school? My dd was 5 in September and her books alone cost almost €100.

No help at all with childcare - I'd love a tax credit or something - nothing.

I genuinely no idea why I'm paying tax.

OP posts:
lilbreeze · 11/02/2012 14:05

you're paying taxes to bail out the government who bailed out the banks so no you're not seeing anything in return :-(

Ireland has a pretty young and skilled workforce though so hopefully when things ease up it will be well placed to get back on its feet. at least this time i imagine fewer will emigrate as things are hardly rosy anywhere at the moment.

sorry this is not at all helpful i know

GrahamTribe · 11/02/2012 14:09

YANBU to hate Ireland, but not necessarily just for the reasons you've given as it's hardly the only country which has that effect upon its residents.

TheParanoidAndroid · 11/02/2012 14:11

YABU. Life is what you make it, and with that attitude you aren't going to get anywhere. I'm in a similar situation, but I'm actually doing something about it.
Its really not that bad here, you'd have a whole different set of problems in any other country you can think of.

Get up off the mat, sort yourself out, and stop blaming an entire country for your problems.

NonnoMum · 11/02/2012 14:14

It sounds as though you have taken a lot on at such a young age!
When I was your age, I was still climbing trees.
You are only 26, you are married, mortgaged, had 3 beautiful children. You would probably feel a bit trapped wherever you lived...
Deep breath and slow down.
And, if you do move abroad, take your mum with you. You might hate Ireland but the rest of the world loves the Irish

FiteFuaite · 11/02/2012 14:17

YABU Hate the bankers/politicians/policies that got the country into this situation.

uruculager · 11/02/2012 14:31

"YABU Hate the bankers/politicians/policies that got the country into this situation."

Who voted for the politicians though? No one was complaining when Ireland was enjoying average GDP growth of 9.4%. If you want to blame the bankers, hand back all of the wage growth and prosperity you enjoyed during the boom years because they're the ones who created it.

The Irish economy is now the size it was in 2005 but still 400% larger than it was in 1995.

AlpinePony · 11/02/2012 14:35

Yabu - it's a hard, horrible lesson to be learning - but I'll bet it was all fun & games when you were 20 - your parents of course grew up in a 'different' Ireland.

As someone else said, you have an awful lot on which might seem overwhelming anywhere else.

belgo · 11/02/2012 14:35

YANBU. Everyone I know in Ireland are trying to leave. It's such a shame, it should be a wonderful country.

Emigration has always been normal for Ireland.

DioneTheDiabolist · 11/02/2012 14:43

I know how you feel Barbie. I left during the boom for all the reasons you state. I can imagine it is so much worse during the recession. Have they abolished the medical card that allows all monthly prescriptions for 75 euro?

messymammy · 11/02/2012 14:43

YABU!
Ireland is financially crippled at the moment, but surely, that's not the only perspective to see life from?!
You have a beautiful country with lots of amentities left from the boom, a pretty good infastructure, and the loveliest, friendliest people in the world, but you hate it all? Very childish statement there...
My dp is a garda and is paying a truly huge amount of tax, we are on our knees regarding finances, I'm out of work due to the HSE recruitment embargo, but I don't hate the country, I suggest you grow up OP and ask your mam how it was for her.

TheParanoidAndroid · 11/02/2012 14:43

its 120 euro per month.