I need help moving to Ireland?

Question

For no other reason than I had a really long talk with my twin sister today, I've decided to do what I want to do. I want to move to Ireland. Naturally, my ridiculously over-protective mother who I love dearly and am very close to will freak. I want to have all my bases covered when I talk to her. I have decided to wait until September of 2009 to go. What do I need to know before going? I don't know what area to go to. Somewhere with a college campus would be nice, but not necessary. I'm not so sure I want to be in college right now. I want to have my BA before I'm 25, but that's a good while from now. Somebody, please help me out. I need to know all the minute details. Thanks.

Answer 1

Well you're welcome to come here! Wouldn't swap this country for the world!! I recommend Belfast..there's a good university called 'Queens' You should also check out 'Belfast Odyssey Arena' (look it up) they have so much in there - nightclubs, restuarants, huge arena for concerts, cinemas..A science place called 'W5'. If you've ever seen the Titanic, just outside they have the actual boat which brought them onto it..there you'll find every single item that was saved from the sunken ship - also Kate Winslet's outfits in the movie - gorgeous they are!.. There's also an awesome gigantic church called 'Whitewell' - it's on tv alot too..

Sorry I couldn't help you out with the South of Ireland..(Dublin, Donegal places like that) I live in the North, so I'm not too familiar, but I've been a few times.. It's a great place for shoppin n stuff but the downer is it's expensive! although the people are lovely!..

hope that helps in some way or another! Good luck! Follow your dreams for noone else will (lol don't take that outta context plz!) Hapi new year!

Answer 2

cork, dublin or galway would be the major college cities in ireland. i personally wouldnt recommend dublin. its very expensive, very busy, very impersonal etc.... iv been to galway-its lovely and i live in cork (and have done all my life) id recommend cork without a doubt. its cosmopolitan compared to alot of places in ireland, very friendly atmosphere, lots of cultures. its gotta university called ucc(i go there) google it, its gorgeous. if you need anymore help or have any q's, just ask

Answer 3

I would recommend Dublin for the experience, but while you can't beat the atmosphere, it is VERY, very expensive to live there and it's surrounding towns (to give you a reality check, browse daft.ie... I was amused/sad to find after a while of living here, I caught myself thinking a millon Euro (about $1.4 million) for a house seemed dirt cheap! and the rent is insane too...

You will find accommodation for much less in the west of Ireland, it's absolutely beautiful out there and the people will be very welcoming to you and the image of Irish hospitality, I found them a lot more welcoming than out East. if you are set on moving near or in a city, in the west/south Cork and Galway are both beautiful. And Wexford is gorgeous, sunniest place in Ireland... located in the southeast, below Dublin.

But to be perfectly honest, the cost of living here will be a shock to your system. Everything from groceries, clothes, tax, it's definitely one of the most expensive European countries and if you're coming from the USA, you will lose money with the exchange rate.

You pretty much need a degree to get a job here (I got one without, with connections... but that's what I've been told), so while Ireland offers college education for free, I'd recommend getting a basic degree before you come over but you could always apply to be an international student...  Trinity and UCD I've heard great things about.

It's a fantastic experience to see the world, but I personally found myself horribly home sick and couldn't get home fast enough... although they say it takes 2 years to settle in a new country, if being away from home and family won't bother you, then truly consider it and continue to research it, and good luck!

Answer 4

It's very expensive. The Euro is strong vis a vis the dollar at the moment. (I presume you live in the US.)

Ireland has tough immigration laws and you will need to get sorted legally with Irish immigration before you go.

If you want to go to college you will have to pay the full fees if you are not an EU citizen. This can be quite expensive. However the universities are of very good quality.

Dublin has many colleges. Cork, Galway and Limerick have universities as well. They are all cool places to live, though Limerick has a crime problem. A lot of people get shot in Dublin as well, though it's mostly gangsters killing each other so it doesn't really affect the ordinary citizen.

Ireland has become very cosmopolitan and Dublin is almost as multi-racial as London or New York. It also has a very young population so you will have a lot of fun.

If you live in or near Dublin it's a good place to get cheap flights that go all over Europe (Aer Lingus and Ryanair).

The scenery is great and most places near the sea are very scenic.

The weather is terrible :-(

Hope this helps :-)