Hey there,
I have a relative who is moving to Ireland for some university studies. This person has never lived alone before, and will probably have to live on the cheap for a while, at least until receiving the first paycheck from the university.
I was wondering if anyone has experience about living in Ireland? Any tips would be appreciated. :)
Hi Jong! :)
A friend of mine went to Dublin in 2001 (to work and live, that is). If I hadn't received a scholarship to go to Warsaw instead, I'd have gone with him. He told me that the prices for renting a room in Dublin were outrageous. In the beginning he lived in what he called a "hostel". I don't know the address, but I can ask if you want me to.
I'm pretty sure that Ireland has the fastest growing economy in Europe. As a result, i think it's pretty pricey. I know people who have taken holidays there remark that it's bloody expensive.
Quote from: One Horse Town;231487I know people who have taken holidays there remark that it's bloody expensive.
I thought it was cheap - 'course, that was eight years ago, before the Punt got punted for the Euro. Back then, I found Ireland to be reasonable - $35/night for an en suite room, lunch for $3, etc. - and England to be outrageous.
Seanchai
Quote from: Seanchai;231652I thought it was cheap - 'course, that was eight years ago, before the Punt got punted for the Euro. Back then, I found Ireland to be reasonable - $35/night for an en suite room, lunch for $3, etc. - and England to be outrageous.
Seanchai
A pint costs about £5 over there these days (whatever that is in Euros 7.5?). England is expensive compared to the States, but not so much compared to other European countries these days.
€7,50 for Beer?!?!?
Quote from: Settembrini;231663€7,50 for Beer?!?!?
This is what I was about to say. That's a robbery!
Quote from: One Horse Town;231659A pint costs about £5 over there these days (whatever that is in Euros 7.5?). England is expensive compared to the States, but not so much compared to other European countries these days.
Did Europe just get a lot more expensive because of the Euro?
I don't drink, so I'm not sure what beers were back in 2000, but I distinctly recall being very pleased with the price of everything once I internalized the Punt-to-Dollars ratio...
Getting at Burger King was something like $5 in Ireland while it was nearly $8 in England (which, by the way, freaked me out).
Seanchai
Quote from: Seanchai;231728Did Europe just get a lot more expensive because of the Euro?
Around here, it did.
I've learned to stop thinking in USD as soon as I exchange my money. I avoid a lot of anxiety that way.
Quote from: Aos;231734I've learned to stop thinking in USD as soon as I exchange my money. I avoid a lot of anxiety that way.
I did the same with the peseta. Whenever I hear some price in euros and think how much that was in pesetas, I get sick.
Heh. You should hear some of the bitching the Americans do- especially the guys who finance the food and rooms. On a couple of different occasions, I thought my adviser was going to cry.
The billards table at one of the bars in Ramales (the little town I work near) still takes pesetas. We would exchange Euros for them and the owner would fish them out of the coin mech every day and use them again.
Quote from: Claudius;231733Around here, it did.
Well, I wasn't a huge fan of the EU anyway.
Seanchai
Quote from: Settembrini;231663€7,50 for Beer?!?!?
That's Dublin prices.
Hell, those are Dublin
Temple Bar (aka tourist trap) prices.
It's a bit cheaper out in the sticks where I live.
Not much though.
Ireland in the past 10 years has gone from not-dear to bloody-expensive in comparison with just about all of Europe.
@Jong:
Where is your friend going to be studying?
Dublin gets
very expensive for a lot of things.
Not sure which university, but I'm almost certain it is in Dublin.
Quote from: JongWK;232926Not sure which university, but I'm almost certain it is in Dublin.
Hmmm.
I'm in Galway, which is the far side of the country, and I don't really spend that much time in Dublin - I know my way around the city centre, but that's about it really.
You could dry PMing Demented_Elf or Araquael on RPG.net - Araquael is in Canada ATM (I think), but iirc he went to uni in Dublin, and Demented_Elf is in Dublin at the mo. There are a couple of other Irish posters over at TBP as well.
As far as tips:
If your friend is going to DCU or UCD, both have some on-campus accommodation, and they usually reserve some space for foreign students. It's worth contacting the Uni administration about that kind of thing. It's probably not cheap, unfortunately, but nothing in Dublin is...
:(
Housing has already been arranged. I'm trying find information about day to day living. Stuff like where to shop for groceries, areas to avoid, average meal prices, public transportation, etc.
Quote from: JongWK;232985Housing has already been arranged. I'm trying find information about day to day living. Stuff like where to shop for groceries, areas to avoid, average meal prices, public transportation, etc.
I see.
I'm afraid I really don't know enough about Dublin to help out much.
Probably worth PMing the two guys at TBP, though.
(And it's DementedElf, not Demented_Elf. Don't know where I got the underscore from.)
How's the immigration policy in Ireland? And how's the economy in the Cork area?
I'm always keeping an ear to the ground about the ancestral homelands, as there's a part of me that's always keeping tabs on where I could bail to when this country finally hits the pot, or I finally get the money to do it sooner than that.
Quote from: J Arcane;233126How's the immigration policy in Ireland? And how's the economy in the Cork area?
I'm always keeping an ear to the ground about the ancestral homelands, as there's a part of me that's always keeping tabs on where I could bail to when this country finally hits the pot, or I finally get the money to do it sooner than that.
I just googled Ireland immigration, and came up with a ton of stuff. this was the first link: http://www.workpermit.com/ireland/ireland.htm
Quote from: Aos;233130I just googled Ireland immigration, and came up with a ton of stuff. this was the first link: http://www.workpermit.com/ireland/ireland.htm
Thanks to a special exception, it looks like I could qualify for a permit as a chef, but I'd have to find a position worth 30,000 EUR or more, which seems like it would be rather difficult . . .