A Guide to Living in Ireland

The Irish Way of Life

Living in Ireland life can be all that you dreamt of - but be realistic about what to expect.

Irish people are world renowned for being friendly and fun loving people.  This is a reality, but life in Ireland won’t necessarily be craic all day long and pints of Guinness all night long!

Relocating to any ‘foreign’ country is a large and stressful undertaking. 

The Irish are welcoming by nature and will go out of their way to see you settle into their beloved country.  Help will be on hand if you need it - just ask!

If moving to Ireland and setting up home there is your dream and you choose to make a new life in Ireland and English is your mother tongue theoretically you should find adapting to life there easier than if you moved to a country where English is not the first language. 

But many English speaking people who move to Ireland - especially Americans - find it hard to understand the Irish accent, the Irish dialects and the speed at which the Irish talk!

Be prepared!

Living in Ireland you will see that unemployment is very low and in recent years Ireland has had a boom in its economy with many large companies relocating there and creating employment opportunities.

If you choose to live in Ireland and have children you will be happy to learn that the Irish education system is excellent. 

School children are expected to leave primary school literate and to graduate high school with a complete grounding in all major academic and technical subjects.

Ireland sustains its strong educational standards through the use of tough but fair national testing.  Children have to pass the stages of the tests in order to advance to higher education.
If you are thinking about retiring to Ireland, the health system might be something you are concerned about.  The health system is free for Irish residents and if you are a resident of an EU or European Economic Area country you are also automatically entitled to public health services.

As with the health system in the UK, waiting lists are long and so private health insurance is becoming more widely utilised.

Once you settle to your life in Ireland you will find that the quality of life achievable is second to none! 

You can enjoy a round of golf on one of Ireland’s world-renowned golf courses or fish in Ireland’s plentiful waters or walk in the hills and mountains, and you will be entertained with traditional Irish hospitality and enjoy Irish events, festivals and heritage.