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Original poster

Can someone please tell me about the Republic of Ireland

146 replies

amillionyears · 14/09/2012 11:00

Dont want to say too many personal details.
If someone was offered a 3 year job there,is it wise to take it bearing in mind the financial climate. Also,I am confused about which healthcare is free and which is not.
And is there anything else to consider.The person offering the job said to think carefully before accepting.
I tried looking in search as I thought this topic may have been discussed fairly recently,but I cant see where.Thanks.

OP posts:
AlfalfaMum · 17/09/2012 21:57

Third-world (I've let my country down!)

IShallPracticeMyCurtsey · 17/09/2012 22:03

In my non-third-world postnatal ward there was the hairiest baby I have ever seen. Ever ever. DP and I still shake our heads when we think about that baby. I was secretly jealous (DD only had hair at the back, like an old man). I do love a good hairy baby, so I do.

PanofOlympus · 17/09/2012 22:11

SummerRain - I've just had a google look around Ballaghaderreen - my money is now on Ranagissaun which is on the R325 and lies just west of you. Need to check with sister tomorrow. The place wasn't big enough for a pub, I'm sure...

rhetorician · 17/09/2012 22:14

we like to make the best of things, don't we? lovely little baby with 2 mums and a doting family and fabulous neighbours and a great GP, none of whom appear to give a stuff about our unconventional family. Goldust - you can't buy community

rhetorician · 17/09/2012 22:15

could have been our baby!! both of them were like little gorillas - hair on their shoulders, on their ears!

rhetorician · 17/09/2012 22:16

oh, and I also love the concept of the townland, and the wonderful names for them

SummerRain · 17/09/2012 22:20

Holy shot... Thats like a mile from my house!Shock never even knew it was there!

Dd was ridiculously hairy too. I could pit her hair in pigtails at a few months old

mathanxiety · 17/09/2012 22:26

IShall, that hairy baby might have been a relative of mine - we have all been born with a great head of hair and I have a gazillion cousins of childbearing age.

I have to say (sticking foot right back into it again) I would not go near Holles Street for delivery, or the Coombe.

PanofOlympus · 17/09/2012 22:26

Gulp!

Somewhere there, there is a large 2-room barn by a brook that is now used as a hay store. That was mums house, for her and 6 sisters....def. need a chat with sis tomorrow. Lot's of mum's history was lost when she died ( we were children, hence lack of knowledge.)

SophySinclair · 17/09/2012 22:33

Math, my sister is a midwife at Holles Street, and she would agree. HOWEVER, she says the care at the smaller hospitals and MLUs is second to none.

SummerRain great name for a Galway resident. Did you know they are opening a Steiner montessori (?) in K'carra. Fierce cosmopolitan.

mathanxiety · 17/09/2012 22:37

In some seasons it's not so bad by all accounts but in the busy summer months you can get short shrift from the nurses.

Townlands are only the half of it -- where my mum comes from places are still called baronies (and townlands).

Traceymac2 · 17/09/2012 22:37

SummerRain and IShallPracticeMyCurtsey, I am in Moycullen, just down the road from you both! I love it here, out of the city, on the door step of Connemara but close to civilisation at the same time. Its a great place for young children. The weather is pretty crap but on a sunny day it's a beautiful place to live. I must get my buggy down to the prom for a walk one of these fine days!

Although I am from the UK I would feel quite loyal to this part of the world and wouldn't agree with a lot of the criticism of it. As another poster says there are positives and negatives to most places.

I have given birth to all three of my children here and I couldn't fault the care, I did go private with each, so it was consultant led, as they were all high risk and I had to spend a good bit of time in hospital so wanted a room of my own. The midwives were amazing, i had one on one care throughout each labour, i was not pushed into doing anything i didnt want to. The experince with each was very positive, and i spent alot of time in hospital.

Irelands infant mortality rate is lower than the UK so the care can't be that bad. I am sure some hospitals are worse than others but I'd say thats the same anywhere.

LizLemon007 · 17/09/2012 22:44

My Dad talks about townlands! he has ancient scrolls which he stares at for hours for fun.

rhetorician · 17/09/2012 22:48

dd1 born in Holles St - was OK, but they had ridiculous rule about having to do second stage on the bed - I've never seen DP so furious. DD2 in Rotunda which was fabulous, although she was nearly born in A+E (to be fair we arrived just after noon and she was born at 1.08pm). The domino midwives scheme (which DP was on because we live in Cabra!!) was fantastic - they were just lovely; shame we didn't have them first time around.

There is an issue with ethics around pre-natal testing which was potentially difficult (this did arise with dd2, although all turned out fine) [realise that I have lived here so long that I have gone all euphemistic]

LizLemon007 · 17/09/2012 22:49

Wannabedomesticgodess, that's sad. cross the border! start with clare. I went there in the summer and loved it. saw bunratty castle, ennis, listened to trad musicians, saw the cliffs of moher, loved it. And I'm a dub and didn't expect to love the weshsht

FreddieMercurysBolero · 17/09/2012 22:53

I had DS here and the midwives and consultant were fantastic. 32 weeks pregnant now and have had a great experience so far, bar a very long wait for my scan, but resources are stretched. OP, have a look at citizensinformation.ie or www.boards.ie for any info:)

rhetorician · 17/09/2012 22:53

I think if you asked most residents of the republic if they'd been north, you'd be surprised at how few had, although there are lots of families with branches on both sides of the border

wannabedomesticgoddess · 17/09/2012 22:53

If I could I would go right now. Honestly.

Apart from the petrol issue, living an hour from civilisation sounds like heaven on earth :)

WhatYouLookingAt · 17/09/2012 22:54

Ah no, rhetorician, I wouldn't say few. Sure we all did our shopping there back when the exchange rate was favourable. And we all went to Ikea before they built one in Dublin.

rhetorician · 17/09/2012 22:56

yes, that's true actually - had forgotten about the IKEA/shopping issue.

Traceymac2 · 17/09/2012 22:59

FreddieMercury, that was one of the reasons I went private, in Galway the first scan isn't untill around 20 wks and there is no nuchal scan, we had to pay extra for that. That would be my only criticism of maternity care here but I have heard of some women in other hospitals being seen much earlier, just depends how much pressure each hospital is under I think.

SchoolFool · 17/09/2012 23:00

Interesting that many cite that children are allowed to be children for longer in Ireland. Way more Irish kids have DSes and Wii machines at a young age; a 9 year old I know told me that she only wears clothes from Hollister etc.
Just my tuppence's worth as I see advantages in both countries.

libertychick · 17/09/2012 23:02

ROLF at the 'hairy baby' discussion and missing home like mad!

libertychick · 17/09/2012 23:03

Think I meant ROFL - I should give up with the text speak - ladies, you have made me laugh - thanks!

bureni · 17/09/2012 23:05

Op, have you considered living in the North and working in the south. Dublin is only an hours drive from the border. Sorta best of both worlds thing.