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.

I'm posting this again.

https://www.visitdublin.com

You are being ridiculous

Again nobody is saying there is nothing to do in Ireland.

We are saying there is MORE to do in other countries.

The rain and bad weather in ireland also stops people being able to go to outdoor events. I used to live in spain for a while. I could go to so many more outdoor events there than i could in ireland

I think comparing Dublin to Lisbon is utterly ridiculous! They have two very different vibes and cultures. As you would get with any city!

Lisbon 5 day trip according to chatgpt
Top Things To Do in 5 Days
🏛️ Day 1: Explore Historic Lisbon

• Alfama District – Get lost in Lisbon’s oldest neighborhood, filled with Fado music and winding alleys.
• São Jorge Castle – Offers panoramic views of the city.
• Lisbon Cathedral – The oldest church in Lisbon.

🏖️ Day 2: Belém District

• Jerónimos Monastery – Impressive Manueline architecture.
• Belém Tower – A historic fortification by the river.
• Pastéis de Belém – Try the original custard tarts!

🚋 Day 3: Classic Lisbon + Tram 28

• Ride Tram 28 – Iconic yellow tram that winds through key neighborhoods.
• Chiado & Bairro Alto – Boutiques by day, buzzing nightlife by night.
• Time Out Market – Upscale food hall with dozens of vendors.

🌊 Day 4: Day Trip to Sintra or Cascais

• Sintra – Fairy-tale palaces like Pena Palace & Moorish Castle.
• Cascais – Beach town with nice seafood and coastal walks.

🛍️ Day 5: Local Culture & Shopping

• LX Factory – Industrial-chic space for food, art, and shopping.
• Calouste Gulbenkian Museum – A stunning collection of art.
• Enjoy a sunset from a Miradouro – Try Miradouro da Senhora do Monte.

and Dublin…

📚 Day 1: Dublin Essentials

• Trinity College & The Book of Kells – Must-see historic library.
• St. Stephen's Green & Grafton Street – City center stroll & shopping.
• Temple Bar District – Touristy but iconic for pubs and music.

🍺 Day 2: Guinness & Irish Culture

• Guinness Storehouse – Tasting included with skyline views.
• Jameson Distillery – Whiskey tasting & tour.
• Dublin Castle & Chester Beatty Library – Free, impressive collection.

🌿 Day 3: Parks and Museums

• Phoenix Park – Huge urban park; check out the deer!
• Kilmainham Gaol – Historic jail with moving stories.
• National Gallery or Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA)

🌊 Day 4: Coastal Day Trip

• Howth – Great for cliff walks and seafood.
• Dún Laoghaire – Pretty seaside town with a pier walk and ice cream.
• Malahide Castle – Gorgeous grounds and history.

🎶 Day 5: Music & Literature

• Literary Pub Crawl or Dublin Writers Museum
• Live Music – Catch a trad session in a lesser-known pub (like O'Donoghue's or The Cobblestone).
• Shopping or souvenir browsing on Nassau St. & Cow’s Lane

it just depends on what vibe you like…

Thats exactly what the poster has said, multiple times.

But they can't evidence this 'there is more to do' either. How do you judge that?

My nephew left New York to live in southern Ireland and is making a great living as a bespoke joiner there. A MUCH better place to raise kids.

I was born in Dublin Ireland and moved to the UK in 1963 when I was 17.

I had the dream to travel when I was about 12. The USA was my first dream.
However that didn't materialise and I then chose Hampshire and lived in various parts.

Settled outside Portsmouth when I married and then emigrated to South Africa in 1976 where we stayed for 20 years. Sadly we left in 1995 when crime became rife.
That is still my favourite country to live in. The people, lifestyle, caring and generosity of it people
Even 30 years later I still have so many special friends that I classify as my family.

That said

I returned to Cavan Ireland (my maternal home) in October 2002 with the long term plan to remain there permanently.

I found it very hard to find employment in my my line of work Accounting

I eventually found employment working in a factory doing electronics. This involved revolving shift work. 4 days one week and 4 nights the 2nd.
This is was a very different way of life for me.
We had people of many nationalities who were very highly qualified with University Degrees.

Some of The Irish people I worked with were very nice, however there were lots of lazy, begrudging and mean spirited, who were of the opinion that we foreigners were taking their jobs.

Life was difficult working in such a hostile environment.
I remained in the job until the USA mother company closed it down.
USA Companies get grants from the the Irish Govt for 5 years and then pull out.

I took this job so I could earn a living, pay my bills and buy my house.

I found the people I worked with, had nice big new houses with 100% mortgages, new cars on HP, overseas holidays with Credit Union Loans.

They don't like to see foreigners like me making a good life for me and my family.

Although they do love the foreign tourists to visit the Emerald Isle and spend their overseas hard earned money

But, don't you dare move there and take their jobs. The jobs they don't want to do

Don't be fooled about how well they are all doing, with their nice new houses, cars, foreign holidays and all the other
bulls--t they spout out about

As I said it's all

bulls--t and the gift of the Blarney

I returned to the UK in December 2007 and started working in 2008 in my chosen field of work.

Do your research and homework before moving to any overseas country

People will tell you anything to make it look so much better than it is.

The Grass is not always greener on the other side

Does Dublin lack dry weather?
Annual rainfall Dublin - 29.9 inches
Manchester - 32.5 inches
Liverpool - 32.9 inches

SE England is way drier of course. And much colder in winter. Parts of Essex and Suffolk will be semi desert at this rate.

I yield to nobody in my love for Liverpool and have family there. But it's really jumping the shark to suggest it has more to offer than Dublin for the casual visitor. Great football tradition. Art gallery. Beatles . Lovely people. But seriously....

Unfortunately Dublin is on the back foot somewhat regarding other European cities, due to colonisation. We just don't have the same heritage and cultural infrastructure. They weren't built, the grand theatres, concert halls and great buildings to the same extent.
Also Ireland was much more forested but again most of it was removed due to colonisation.

Colonisation is a long time ago now. A lot of other countries were colonised too.

Ireland is getting loads of money from the EU now, i dont know why it doesnt use the money to improve transport and other amenites.

Bus travel in ireland is horrendous. Buses can be up to 40 minutes late.

It really wasn't.
And you are right, a lot of other countries were colonised and plundered too. And still recovering from it.

Ireland is a net contributor to the EU currently.

That is how the world was.

I think that every country has been invaded by their neighbouring country at some stage

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-40-countries-with-the-best-culture-and-heritage/

Published this afternoon, in this survey Ireland ranks as the 16th best country for culture, just one behind the UK. Not that different!

Impressive given the relative size of the country.

I see the nonsense is continuing apace here. Dublin has many theatres, a thriving theatre scene for a small European capital and a concert hall.

Where are people getting their info here? Out of their arse presumably.

Also why is forestation the be all and end all of being outdoors?

Ireland has extensive bog land, pasture, mountains and coastland. All amazing in their own way.

In my experience, Irish people spend far more time in the outdoors than I witnessed in the uk. It's something immigrants to Ireland often comment on and value highly about the country).

However to balance my comments out, I will say that @Mitara is absolutely right that irelands public transport is dire.

Oh my god. We are getting it from our lived experience.

I lived in dublin and i found there wasnt a lot of what i wanted to do on there.

Dublin has the same irish comedians, same musicians, same gaa matches, same festivals on a lot

I'm talking about the ridiculous comments about Dublin not having theatres or concert halls.

We get that Ireland is not to your taste @Mitara, we really do. You've hammered that point home. That's fine, you don't have to live here and no one will be begging you to stay/return.

But the fact that you couldn't find things to occupy in Dublin is really more about you, not the city.

That's just nonsense. There are loads of museums and galleries, really great restaurants, loads of areas to visit that are accessible on the DART, and great shopping. I would take Dublin over Lisbon any day.

It is a bit sketchy. But I do appreciate the free travel card. I can actually bring another person with me , gratis , now that I'm ancient. Anywhere, anytime. Not between 10am and 4pm in one city , like my English based sister. Mitara spot on the money ...EU funds should have been spent on railways. Not bungs and tax cuts..... Sorry Bertie , you won't get my vote for President.

There's a difference.
Trying to downplay the effects of colonisation on Ireland is wrong. There's much research out there on its effects. I'm not making it up.
Why does this bother you so much?
Most of Irelands native woodlands were destroyed by colonisation. That's why we have so few of them left. I'm sorry if that's unpalatable for you.

You could quite easily have substituted scotland in your op. Except we have free NHS and prescriptions too.

I live in central Scotland in a lovely village. You can buy a good sized 3 bed for £200k ish. I can get a next day GP most of the time, although if you want a specific GP it might be a week to wait. Extra payments for carers and low income families. Baby boxes. No tuition fees. Lovely sense of community and loads of nice outdoor places and activities.

(But the job market is horrible currently)

Yeah I’ve been to the lion king ,mary poppins, matilda, wicked and all in Dublin…I love the bord gais theatre.
same With concerts….3 arena, croke park, corks marquee, crane lane, cork opera house etc…and that’s just Dublin and cork.

I gave up reading this thread many pages back, but just thought I'd say that my sister has surprised us all this morning by announcing she has bought a house in Dublin and is moving back to Ireland from Spain. We thought she was living the dream with the house in the sun, but she said she's actually not really felt very welcome there for a while and also it has become so damn hot there at times, it's not the idyl we imagined. So, yknow, everywhere has their problems.

Now, back to the hurling for me......

If you think this compares to the European cities I mentioned, you're bonkers!