... or small as others around. Some of the villages are very tiny and inclusive so as an outsider may be difficult to make close friends. However, it all comes down to becoming involved in the local community. If you are social and WAnt to get involved you should have no problem making friends. The house we are renting is a holiday home on a golf course, so there is a mix of permanent residents and hotel guests. The upside is that there is a playground on the grounds as well as tennis courts, swimming pools, and other rec facilities which our kids already love ...

... need to blow through our house within the next week or so to see what exactly we are bringing. A lot of the items will just be cheaper to buy in Ireland, rather than ship. We are fortunate that the house we are renting comes furnished, so the only purchases that will need to be made are linens, tableware, small Kitchen appliances (coffee maker, toaster), which will be one major trip to IKEA for us the day we arrive. The reviews with the shipping company I have mentioned are mixed - half are wonderful and half are terrible. The terrible ones seem to revolv ...

I would add, IKEA has been our go-to with both of our expat moves (we lived in Australia for two years... we did not ship anything for that move, all WAs left behind in storage). It is cheap enough and surprisingly easy to unload at the end of your stay, as well. Also in Ireland, most rental properties are furnished. This is really important to keep in mind. Had I to do it over - my bookworm daughters would have been forced to travel with a Kindle only... myself, as well, as I'm sure the cookbooks shipped could have been purchased digitally, as well. I ...

Have you been to any of the Home Store and More shops in Dublin? There one in Cork, and it's almost a completely clone of Bed Bath & Beyond in the US. It's either a ripoff of it, or a rebranded version for Ireland. Anyway... They do have online shipping, and they do have Kitchen goods. I've never bought there, but just checked the site, and they'll deliver to all 32 counties, though not for free.

Dying to hear what others have to say... I've not had much luck with Amazon.co.uk either (and WAs an Amazon addict Stateside). I haaaaaaate getting all the WAy through checkout only to find they won't deliver a particular item to Ireland. Not cool, Amazon UK, not cool! My in-laws are asking where to shop for the little ones for birthdays and holidays. We attempted to use Hamley's only to find out their online shop appears to be UK only. And while Smyth's Toys DO ship, their prices are rather high and their selection is just "meh". I'd really like ...

... made it clear they intend to do nothing in the WAy of paperwork once it hits Ireland. I have no idea how I would have managed this differently. I will definitely choose more wisely for our return to the States in four years time. By then I should really only have 1-2 pallets to return (as much of what I've shipped WAs clothing, linens, and small Kitchen appliances that will surely wear down even with a motor converter. Not sure that FMC can do anything due to the fact they are middle men, but I'm investigating all angles. Obviously our safest bet WAs ...

... or immigration advice nor should it be solely relied upon for your own move, it's just a nice starting point for considerations to make if you are someone in a similar situation. About me: - I had a job lined up before moving to Dublin. My work permit WAs applied for and approved while I WAs in the US. It WAs sponsored by my new employer.- I live a minimalist lifestyle. I did not need contents relocation (someone shows up, packs your stuff, puts it in a shipping container, and delivers to you in Ireland). I WAs moving via checked/excess luggage and mailing ...

... to provide us a contract and quote within 24 hours of our conversation, neither of which ever came. We never heard from him again. We could have contacted the company again, but decided against it. The amount we WAnted to ship WAs miniscule and WAs not worth the hassle, so we ended up just checking extra baggage on our flight. We also shipped some packages through USPS in their international flat rate boxes, which we will never do again!! The boxes came and were practically falling apart. The Irish post had retaped them to keep the contents from falling ou ...

@aingeala20 Thank you for your response. The link to the service that you used for moving WAs removed. Would you please resend it? I finally made it to Dublin with cat #1. I will return to Cali for cat #2 in January. I definitely need to make moving arrangements for a few pieces. I hope that you and yours are Set to enjoy a lovely Christmas holiday! Cheers Pat

I am a dual Irish/US citizen. I have lived/worked in the US for most of my career. I attempted to move to IRE right before the pandemic (so own property, vehicle, have Irish driver's license and PPS #), returned to US and got caught in pandemic lockdowns. Took job in US while stuck here, but now would like to finalize becoming full time resident in Ireland. However, I like my US employer and they are willing to continue employing me remotely from Ireland. How might that work? I understand there are treaties between the two countries to avoid double taxation and to pay social security benefits once eligible for it. Curious how the practicalities would work - ie: would my pay continue to go to my US bank account, be transferred to IRE bank account, then I would somehow report/pay taxes to IRE? Do I need to Set up as a "self-employed" business in IRE? Are there businesses in IRE that I would need to work for who act as a middleman for tax purposes? Thanks in advance for advice from anyone who have had experience with this situation.