What is Ireland like?

Question

My husband is Irish and would love nothing more than to go to Ireland someday, what is it like there?

Answer 1

Speaking as an Irish person I'd have to say Ireland is GREAT! It's small and very green. There's plenty of places to go to cater for all your wants and needs. From the metrolpolitan cities of Dublin, Belfast and Derry to the quiet Irish towns like Westport and Youghall. If your in the north and interested in the history of the Troubles then Belfast and Derry are the places to go. There are guided tours of both cities showing sites of interest from the paramilitary murals of the Shankill, Newtownards Rd, Falls Rd and Ardoyne to places of murder and mayhem of the past. Derry also has tours of murals, Free Derry Corner and Bloody Sunday. Western Ireland is absolutely gorgeous with its fjords, Connemara Forest, Croagh Patrick and many other beautiful sites. If its nights out your after Dublin and Belfast have a wonderful array of pubs and clubs, plus Dublin has the Guinness and Jameson Whiskey factories as well as many other sightseeing opportunities. I've only ever been to Southern Ireland once but as far as I can recall it was as beautiful and green as everywhere else but that little bit warmer. If you do come over prepare yourself for the weather as most of the time it is quite miserable with rain and cloudy skies being prevelant for most of the year. But in the summer there is quite a good chance of some sunny days at least.

Answer 2

While few still believe they will find a place where people live in thatched cottages and travel by donkey and cart, many visitors do expect to arrive in an Ireland that, sadly in some respects, happily in others, no longer exists. Ireland is now a wealthy nation, a recent change after years of barely making it. Both the relative poverty of the past and the sudden rush into serious money have had their effects on the fabric of the country and on every aspect of the life in Ireland today.

So, here goes with a sort of run down of what's happening here and "what Ireland's like" which may give you a flavour. This is all subject to change of course and we are likely to revisit this page fairly regularly.

Answer 3

Forget The Quiet Man, those days are over ... it's a rural nation generally, yes, but also trying very very hard to catch up in areas of infrastructure, health care, education ... When you say your husband is Irish, you mean of course that his ancestors were Irish, and he was born someplace else like America or Canada, right?

Distances appear short on the map, but getting from place to place by car takes longer than you might expect because the roads are not great.

However, people still have time for you if you stop to ask for directions. It's possible that you get into a bit of a chat with them too. You never know what might happen after that ...

Living here has become very expensive. On average the average house costs €250,000 (don't know how much that is in US$), and utilities are also gone up. Houses have become quite ostentatious also, compared to 50 years ago.

One of the good things about this new wealth is that people are coming here to live and work, and bringing aspects of their culture with them. It's now possible to enjoy cuisine from Northern Africa, Spain, Italy, the Eastern Med, Asia, South America, Eastern Europe - which has made Irish caterers sit up and take notice, and forced them to improve on what they had been producing. You can also enjoy salsa and merengue dancing, also belly dancing! And foreign films.

Answer 4

Ireland is a country of contradictions. If you and your husband do decide to return it will be to a land that his descendents would never have dreamt of. A country that was once described as 'the world's greenest dairyland', is now full of litter and illegally dumped waste. A nation that condemns nucleur energy and incineration yet condones back-yard burning and the burying of tonnes of waste by multi-nationals. A country that gave the world writers of the caliber of Yeats, Wilde, Beckett, Joyce and Heaney,and now has illiteracy levels in people that are almost the highest in the E.U.
This is a country where dishonesty is the norm and it permeates from the top down. Take tribunals, which are common-place at present and one will see all the old pillars of society represented,Banks, Politicians, Police, Religious groups and Govt. Departments. The irony is however, that the bigger the crime in this great little nation, the bigger are the rewards e.g.,
re-election, promotion even State funerals.No crime is too great if you are a part of a certain section of society.
Contradiction and irony is not confined to white-collar people however, similar to your husband's experience, millions emigrated due to economic circumstances, however now that we have some money of our own, we are not inclined to accept refugees, asylum-seekers,etc., in here long term. Don't worry, we will gladly accept dollars, American, Australian & Canadian, we also accept Pound Sterling and Euros, however if you are from Africa, Eastern Europe or Asia, please do not apply unless you have a skill or profession. Ireland is now a country that is quite happy to fund charitable organisations as long as those charities stay over there. These embargoes on refugees are not confined to ever increasing racist attacks by morans, no, this country also provides legislation so as to ensure that people that are less well off are kept out.
Discrimination however is not confined to those who are not white, god-fearing catholics.Again the contradictions;
if you and your husband do come over take a walk from Heuston Station to O' Connell St. and count the number of homeless, both young and old as you meander down by the banks of the River Liffey. Then count the number of apartments and homes that are being sold or being built, this little nation, one of the richest in the world, cannot look after their own. We despise the old , the homeless, and the infirm, we care only for ourselves, those with money and appearances of wealth. Take a walk into any hospital A&E room, and look at the queues, and the society that partakes of Public Health Care, again the old and the less well-off, and then finish your tour in the G.P.O. in O' Connell St., and read the Proclamation. Our declaration of the 'Rights of Man', our Bastille, and contrast the aspirations of the 'Founding Fathers' with the reality that is Ireland to-day.
If I appear to be negative and pessimistic I must apologise, but to quote Shakespeare, 'I only speak right on', do not be afraid or put off, after all you are one of our own, and sure, when the hoteliers, taxi-drivers and shop-keepers see you coming wont they smile at you as 'they fumble in the greasy till'.
Failte.

Answer 5

As an Irish person it is the most beautiful place on earth. green, can be very cold and wet but summer can be nice and warm, the air is so clear its like a slap in the face. Has your husband not told you what its like?

Answer 6

ireland is nice depending on what part of the country u go to im a dub and i would say wicklow is by far the most beatiful part of ireland without a doubt its known as the garden of ireland


hope this was of some help goodluck on decideing

Answer 7

it is expensive. Dublin is full of fastfoods and pubs but wonderful shops too. Good shopping centres in the suburbs. People are nice but not as nice as they were before the economic boom. Dublin is very big now and developed. Not the cleanest city. Great social place though and very multicultural now. Great sporting country especially for GAA sports, horses, golf, rugby, fishing.

Answer 8

Depends on what part of Ireland you wish to visit
People are friendly, food is nice, weather is ok always expect rain, good mix of different cultures,

Answer 9

Breathtaking...and I'm getting a little sad thinking about it. You've never seen any place so green. People are wonderful--more so than any other Europeans, and I prefer nothing more than a cozy table, a fine pint and some pub food.

Answer 10

It is beautiful,green,and the people are nice.
Dublin is a lovely city you should stay in for a few days.
I stayed at B&B's along the way,and it made it very nice at getting to know the people and the sites.