Great discussion!
I am Irish, my husband is American and we’re considering living in Ireland after having lived in the US together for about 10 years. We are in our 40’s, no children and following are our reasons.
(We have been considering Seattle and the Bay Area as well as Ireland and have been lucky enough to spend some time in each place).
-To be in a society with more progressive thinking and social policies. (I know Ireland still has some way to go!). We want to get away from guns, conservatives, religious zealots, complicated and expensive healthcare, car-centric attitudes, oppressive heat and cockroaches/mosquitoes. If you hadn’t guessed by now, we’ve been living in the South!
-Healthcare is a big one for us, as we are dealing with some chronic health conditions. We had some experience with the health system in Ireland this past summer and I wasn’t sure what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised at how simple everything was. €50 for a walk-in GP visit and all bloodwork included in that. No stacks of paperwork for weeks after, like in US! Approx. €700 for a hospital day procedure (in an excellent hospital) and that included doctor fee. Less than a week’s wait for specialist appointment. A 30 minute follow-up phonecall on a Saturday! I realise this was going private and not public but STILL so much cheaper than in US.
-Friendliness; this summer’s experience was a really good on this front. City and country, North and South, people were very friendly and helpful everywhere. They are friendly in the US too, particularly in the South, but I was quite worried about grumpiness/negativity in Ireland, as was mentioned by Cfin.
Other attractions to Ireland:
Drivers are courteous and skillful. Lots of creative intellectual types. Entrepreneurial activity. Public transport. Lots of new cycle paths! Diversity of cultures and races has arrived. TV and radio are fairly high quality compared to US. Natural beauty! Slowly emerging optimism after the recession. Lots more but those are some important ones from our viewpoint.
Very useful Cost of Living tool here:
https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living
Thanks for adding to the discussion, @Mairead.
I'm delighted you added some comments, because I know you have been giving this very thoughtful consideration, and have been spending time in Ireland to get a good feel for what might be ahead. And I'm happy to hear you had such a positive experience with the medical side of things in Ireland. Medical care in Ireland can get a really bad rap some times, so it's nice to hear a good story.
I would question that public transport is favourable in Ireland. If you're in and around Dublin city, then it's great. Plenty of buses, the Luas, and the DART are all great options. The rest of the country isn't as well served, especially rural areas, or town-to-town connections. It's not bad, but not as good as what I've experienced in other EU cities, but I guess their less-populated areas might be similarly served.
Thanks again. Keep us updated on what's ahead for you...
Mairead, there are parts of healthcare that I both love and hate in Ireland. The fact I have had the same doctor at home since I was born (who both my mother and grandmother use) who knows me and my family history, its relatively cheap in comparison to the US. However, i am aware of overcrowding in hospitals, old buildings, staff shortages etc. There are good and bad parts to every country, i think we just need to figure out if the good parts are worth moving back for.
You mentioned you were thinking about moving to the Ireland, Bay area or Seattle to get away from certain aspects of the south. We live in the Bay area and considered Seattle...In regards to the Bay area the biggest thing you need to consider is it is VERY expensive over here. Both spouses earning a 6 figure salary will struggle here. Crazy but true, health insurance is expensive as are taxes. The reason it is so popular is that everyone wants to live here for work which means a lot of overcrowding and a rise in rent like what Dublin is experiencing. Bay area is pretty amazing in that we live in an extremely beautiful area. We have amazing weather (which has led to drought), amazing beaches, bike trails, hikes, camping areas, snow activities, breweries, wineries. . i could keep going but i don't have all day!! These are the advantages and disadvantages of the bay area, however for us the disadvantages have become too great for staying here to be worth the struggle, hence our desire to move to Ireland.
Liam, I agree with you about public transportation. In Dublin it is pretty amazing, yet the minute you get outside the city you will be stuck. Small towns have very little in the way of public transportation outside of bus eireann buses.
@soju4321 Carol, Have you and the hubby thought about what it feel like when you won't have access to all those 'amazing' things you mention? I know from experience that it's not easy. Not to put down anything that Ireland has in terms of things to do, but the selection and the weather make a big difference.
From a size perspective, you can't compare living anywhere in Ireland with living in a place the size of the Bay area, and obviously Ireland will never have the same in terms of amenities, so if things like that are a big part of yer lives now, you might want to start thinking about what you'll replace them with.
Liam, we have thought about amenities that he will be losing. He knows it will be different and there will be many days he will plan on going hiking, fishing ect and would have to change plans because of the rain. He knows he will have to find some new hobbies, which he's excited about.
He's been to Ireland now 4 times and sees what the country has to offer.
We have lots of amenities here, but it's not a big part of our lives. Having 340-349 dry days a year does get boring. Like rainy day where you sit and have to Netflix days, it happens here as well. You can't go outside when it's 95 degrees and going to the beach gets boring trying to do it every weekend.
How did your wife and kids handle the move to Ireland at first moving from SD? How did she handle the wet days?
I know what you mean by getting enough of dry weather. It works both ways though. When it's raining hard for a week solid, and then it dries up for half a day, that can take a toll too.
My wife has always had a hard time with Irish weather. Coming from sunny CA isn't an easy adjustment, especially if you really love getting out and about. But as you say, you can find new hobbies too. And buy some really good rain gear 🙂