@moveclubadmin - got it! so either the employer or the employee funds the permit, but an offer letter must still be in place.

@jason1575 - thank you, Jason. That is really helpful! My biggest point of confusion right now is figuring out the right recruiting companies to contact. I have no idea who is reputable, etc. We know an Irish family here in Denver and it turns out that my husband chatted with them about recruiters so we may have a lead there.

Also, Jason/Liam/Kate - thanks for posting the information about work permits. While it is expensive, it does make me happy to know that we have the option to pay for a work permit for my husband if that becomes necessary. I do think it could be a worthwhile investment, especially if that means that he can have an offer in place by the time we get there.

Thank you all for participating in this thread. I was having some moments of panic earlier in the week and seeing everybody's helpful and thoughtful feedback is making me feel much better. I really appreciate it!!

This applies to a spouse to an Irish citizen getting work permit

I emailed the Irish immigration to confirm because it sounded to simple to be true (compared to getting work permit in the u.s that requires months of waiting and being tempted to pay 4-7k on a lawyer). Once your non irish spouse gets to the customs counter in Ireland he/she shows marriages certificate and the customs officer will inform him that he needs to go register at the local garda (police station) within 90 days. From there they'll stamp his/her passport and they're free to work.

Here's the email:

Non visa required national and
can enter the State for up to 90 days at the discretion of the Immigration
officer at the airport. He should inform the officer that he is relocating
to reside here on a full time basis with you his Irish spouse. Both of you
should attend your local Immigration office ( if residing in Dublin you
attend the GNIB office 13/14 Burgh Quay Dublin 2 or your local Garda
Station if residing outside the greater Dublin area) to enable him register
as the spouse of an Irish National. You take both your passports, marriage
certificate and evidence of where you are residing. He will then be issued
with a registration card/stamp 4 which will enable him enter employment
without the need of a work permit or set up a business in the State without
the consent of the Minister. His passport will be endorsed to reflect this.
This will be issued on the one day. There is no fee as the spouse of an
Irish national. This permission will be for one year which is renewable
once you attend together, provide evidence of joint address and abide by
the laws of the State. He cannot start the process from outside the State.

I would however draw your attention to the "Policy Document on Non-EEA
Family Reunification" dated December 2013 recently announced by the
Minister of Justice & Equality which came into force on 01/01/2014

Spoke to a friend that lives in Dublin. She listed from good recruiting companies

Hays
Morgan McKinley
Robert Walters
Lincoln
Executive Connections

@soju4321 Several countries within the EU claim that they can place greater restrictions on their own citizens than those outlined in the EU regulations. The argument placed is while they have agreements on how to treat citizens of other countries, but they still maintain sovereignty over their own citizens.

Ireland and the UK are two of those countries. It would be harder for me to bring my wife and family with me to the UK, than it would be to Ireland or any other EU country. Likewise it is much easier to get a residence card and ability to work within Ireland for my spouse.

The discussion of my situation and @RikkeS is different than that of the spouse of an Irish citizen.

@soju4321 - Hi Carol, Thanks for the information and the list of recruiting companies. That's really helpful! I think it is reassuring to know that the process for Irish citizens bringing their spouses is relatively uncomplicated and I assume that it is to some extend the same for EU citizens doing the same thing. And you are right that it is certainly much easier than bringing a spouse to the US - it was a ton of work when I came here 15 years ago.

@dorzak - Hi David, as a Danish citizen it is also (much!) harder to bring a non-EU spouse to Denmark than to another EU country.

Carol,
thanks for posting that update. It is also important to ask the immigration officer at the port of entry for as long a visitor stamp as possible. Having time on your side to get everything in order before you must register with GNIB will make life a whole lot less stressful.
They should understand that it'll take a while to gather the paperwork needed, so discuss that with them if possible at the airport, before they stamp your passport.

As our move to Ireland is quickly approaching, my husband and I are looking at ddifferent work options for him. Initially, we thought he would have EU citizenship like me, but my employer would like me in Ireland a lot sooner and it's not aligning with the Italian Consulate in Boston's timeline, so he may be entering as a spouse of an EU citizen. The information already shows that he has the right to accompany me and reside in Ireland. From what I have gathered we will need to apply for permanent residence of an EU citizen which we can't do until we live in Ireland, and which can take 6 months to complete. Once that is done he would have the right to work. I've also found that the work visas in place do not apply to spouses of EU citizens. So, does that mean he cannot work for at least 6 months until we have the residency card? Or, can his employer provide a work visa regardless of him being a spouse of an EU citizen? Additionally, it looks like as a spouse he would need a 3 month entry visa to stay in Ireland for 3 months prior to applying for the residence card. However, as a US citizen, we have the right to be in Ireland for 3 months anyway, so does he really need that visa?

He is contacting his HR dept to see if they have any more information. It wouldn't be a deal breaker if he can't work for some time, just means we will need to budget accordingly with rent.

Hi Kate (@katemreagan)- sorry to hear you've hit a stumbling block.
Actually I just posted something about this the other day. The info is for spouses of Irish citizens, but I'm guessing it'd be similar/same for EU citizens too.
I'm not sure if your husband is automatically entitled to join you in Ireland, but I think for the most part there's usually no problem. Check out this info.

According to this article, non-eea spouses of Irish nationals (probably EU nationals too) cannot work while their application is being processed.

If he's employer can provide a work visa, that might be a faster route.