To think that life seems better in rep of ireland?

[PunnyOliveTurtle]

ok...hear me out...My DM is Irish and she has not been home in a good few years, I haven't been over since I was 15, I'm early 40's now. So i decided to bring her over to visit her sisters as they are all getting older...late 60s/early 70's.

I had a wonderful time. I caught up with all of my cousins...and here is where I noticed the divide...they all have gorgeous homes and I mean stunning! Some in the country, some in the town, all fab new builds or gutted and updated old houses. A couple in new housing estates which were FAB!!
One of my cousins has just bought a new home...her DH is driving a 2025 car, they are off on hols next week. I asked her if she won the lotto and she laughed saying she wished, savings are now depleted and she was "broke". I know she has no credit cards because she metioned that she didn't have one when we wer talking about booking dinner somewhere and they wanted to take a deposit.

They all have great jobs...a lot of them are teachers...like i was. But they are no where near as stressed as I was. They are on holidays already and have been with a few weeks.Some are nurses but work part time in private hospitals, others work in big pharma companies, banking etc.Their dh's also have great jobs, engineers, managers in tech/pharma, one owns a construction company, one is a farmer.
All and I mean ALL of their DC who are of uni age are in university...no student loans. They have a grant scheme apparently. None of my cousins themselves have student loans...they are in 30's to mid 50's. (Can you tell we had an in depth discussion on uni and fees etc!)
Their DC aged 15+ all have summer jobs...in a local chippy, local cafe, one on a farm etc. My 18 yr old cant get a job at all!!

Everything just seemed so positive there...and im sure its not but I cant put my finger on it...it really got me.
I'm struggling most months...this trip was part on credit card. DD looking to start uni and i dont know how I'm going to help her... I know they say dont compare and I know there must be those struggling in Ireland too but there seemed to be A LOT more money being thrown around.

😂😂😂Ya know if someone else wrote my post I'd be thinking exactly the same thing! Us Dubs (and maybe Irish in general) are cynical fkers. Know the price of everything and the value of nothing. That's another thing, Oscar's statue in Merrion Sq. is a bit risque to me anyway, my eyes always veer to a certain part of his splayed anatomy. But then again I just go to McGrattans down the lane for another scoop after the shock of that. There's an alcohol theme going on here, but I am the only one of my friends and family that doesn't drink! Permo taxi for everyone so.

Today's peregrinations will be subdued due to the rain, but it's already arranged so off we go. I'll fill yez in later. Getting me coat on to bring Molly next door to Mass. I'll sit in the coffee shop waiting for her. Life's good in this awful shit hole of a city.

Ah no

Come off it

Like honestly

Bat shit

I'm Irish, living in UK for 20 years and no plans to return. I have no rose tinted specs whatsoever when it comes to Ireland, but some of the stuff on this thread is seriously CRACKERS. Nothing to do? No real nature to see??? It's just not true

It reminds me of the thread a while back about the worst cities you've visited on holiday. Dublin came up again and again because there was 'nothing to see' and 'nothing to do' 😯 I mean, I can understand why someone might not be crazy about Dublin, but nothing to do??? That's a 'you' problem, not a Dublin problem

Conor mcgregor for one.

This is true, Ireland is ‘better’ in many ways but it can also be worse. Swings and roundabouts.. I laughed at the comments of there being no forests 😆

I was going to say. WTH?

I spent the day in Wicklow yesterday, in nature all day.

I drove from Wexford to Waterford this morning…fuckin trees everywhere 🤣🤣

There is so much to see and do in Dublin definitely, my favourite has always been the national history museum and last time we were there we did the Croke Park tour.
Mind you the real reason I go is for a rugby game at the Aviva 😂.
However it’s not a city I want to hang around too long in.
Kilkenny (where my brother lives) and Galway is much nicer

Not in my experience. I earn not much more than your friend (i think you posted earlier about this?), lone parent and was turned down. So it's 65e everytime we need a GP. In fairness it's not often as we're all healthy. I have been referred for a few scans (including MRI) the last few years and it happened very quickly.
However OP, yes I agree. Except for Dublin city centre which has deteriorated in recent years.
There is a lot of generational wealth helping my demographic. A lot of my friends have stunning houses that they built on a site gifted by parents. Their mortgages are very low. They then have a lot more disposable income. I didn't, live in a semi-d and have a bigger mortgage for it.
Believe me if your cousins have the jobs they mentioned they do not qualify for any grants for uni which are dependent on parental income and part-time income of the student themselves. Accommodation for uni is horrific. However the education system is better here (i experienced both) and all children are encouraged to progress. Our school was absolutely amazing at encouraging us - most of the children in my class had parents who didn't work. Third level was open to everyone.
I grew up in a disadvantaged area and the difference from my growing up is night and day. I saw quite a bit of sniping about EU investment, or course Ireland got funds but what's forgotten is that it did an excellent job on using those funds wisely and building up that investment.
We've also gone through an awful recession but Ireland is a remarkably resilient country. We're still dealing with the fallout from that: high housing need and racism now becoming an issue sadly.
As someone said though, not that long ago we were going through a recession; in the 80s the country was depressed and the UK was so much better off. Countries go and down.

Ah Wicklow, whence came the timber for the roof of Westminster Hall. Shillelagh Woods in fact. Belated efforts are being made to save our native broadleaf forests. Meanwhile we must put up with the ghastly dead zone of Sitka spruce , which seems to kill everything around it.

It's true we don't have Commons like in England. Presumably the organisers of Tudor, Stuart and Cromwellian Plantations didn't see the need for them over here. Commonage here generally refers to bog and mountain owned by more than one farmer , over which they share grazing and turbary rights afaik? Likewise the great landlords made wonderful parks and gardens but only for their own enjoyment. But more Greenways and cycle paths are being opened up lately.

Another problem is the shoreline , which in English law is the property of the state. Here landlords, hoteliers and golf clubs are stealing great chunks of it to make Private beaches. Trump is at it in County Clare. Trying to build a wall on the pretext of global warming and sea levels. Though he thinks global warming is a myth 😆.

Why is it batshit? Ireland really does have extremely low levels of forestation - those barren hills are not supposed to be barren. It has to do with letting the sheep roam. Just look it up. You sound like you don't know anything about other places (which all have much more forestation!)

It's amazing that it came up "again and again", then. Have you travelled much to other cities in Europe? That might give you a good idea of why people think Dublin is so lacking.

Why did you laugh? Do you want to just have a quick Google instead?

I guess everywhere else just has more. What a weird thing to be defensive about. It's a fact!

There’s a forest right there in Dublin itself? Hadn’t you noticed?

I grew up in a disadvantaged rural area in two of the first Deis schools. This was not my experience. Sure we knew whose parents were "better off" (cos there weren't many of them) but we were all equal at school, activities. We were all encouraged.
I remember my principal giving us a talk saying exactly thus in Leaving Cert: that you are known here but in college, your career nobody will know you but your approach and your work.
A former classmate and neighbour growing up are now teachers in the school. First to go to third level from their families. My ex classmates are in many different areas, first generation to go to Uni and got on without connections. I'm one of them too.
My kid's secondary school has many second generation Brazilian and Polish teachers.

“Naturally established, native forests that support hundreds of our indigenous species make up just 1 % of Ireland’s land area” https://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-trees-forest-native-6504510-Oct2024/

These native forests are also very fragmented and limited.

Also the government has missed its tree planting targets by a huge margin yet again this year.

Grim.

Everyone keeps speaking of Dublin ! It is very costly to live there ..
It’s one county in 32 counties in Ireland though !
Jobs, & housing & conditions of roads , etc aside , Ireland , all in all, is a very safe country to bring children up in ..
I live i n Kerry & it really is lovely here ..
Google it & you will see …

I don't mean to be rude, but are you hard of understanding? There is a forest in Dublin. Ireland has the second lowest rate of forestation in Europe. What are you struggling with?

Amount of Ireland covered in forest 11.6%
Amount of England covered in forest 13.2%

(Ireland also has 16% of the land covered in Pearland, 4rh highest in the world)

Thankfully there are huge efforts at reforestation with a commitment to plant 22 million trees a year between now and 2040.

I have both a British and Irish passport (both parents were Irish). I may end up over there if things carry on the way they are here and if Reform get a whiff of power.

'Have you travelled much to other cities in Europe? That might give you a good idea of why people think Dublin is so lacking'

I have travelled quite a bit in Europe but please do enlighten me about what Dublin is lacking so badly, apart from dry weather!

What a nasty and idiotic post

"Your reply told me all i need to know"

I actually had to go into work. Today.

I dont have time to look up statistics for an adult that can look them up herself.

Why do you want me to look them up for you. You are able to use the internet arent you?

As has been said - many times - there is very little to do. Compare it to Lisbon, Porto, Liverpool, Naples, Athens, Blibao, even small places like Cadiz! Everywhere else has STUFF to do!