What You Must Know Before Moving To Ireland

Introduction

Kat Kalashian

Hello and welcome to today’s edition of the Living and Invest Overseas podcast. I’m Kat Kalashian. I am the senior editor correspondent based here in Paris. Joining me today is Con Murphy, who you may remember from past webinars and earlier podcast conversations we’ve had with him.

Con is originally Irish, and although he has lived all over the world and done many things internationally, he is now based once again in Ireland, where I also lived for about seven years of my life.

While Ireland is not necessarily one of our top recommendations for retirement right now, simply because the Irish government has made it so onerous financially to qualify for residency, it is still an option for part-time living. For some people, it may remain an attractive place to retire, even if only part time.

So today, we’re going to talk to Con about his homeland and all of the quirks and unusual things you may wish you had known before trying to make a move to Ireland. And because I also have some experience as an expat in Ireland, I’ll chime in every now and then with my own perspective.

Con Murphy

Thanks, Kat. It’s great to be back again. As you mentioned, I spent 15 years living around the world as an expat, and one of the things I noticed when I came back to Ireland was that being away helps you spot the weird and wonderful parts of your own hometown when you return.

So, what are the things you should be aware of before arriving in Ireland? A few immediate ones come to mind. The first would be the Irish sense of humor.

The Irish Sense Of Humor Is Unique

Con Murphy

It can take a little while to get used to. It’s self-deprecating, sarcastic, and a little nihilistic, but once you get a handle on it, it really is one of the things that defines the Irish.

And we’ll touch on more of that later.

The Weather

Con Murphy

The most immediate thing you notice when you come to Ireland is the weather. That is definitely one of the drawbacks, or at least one of the things you have to be aware of before you arrive.

You can have every type of weather in one single day. You can have sun, storms, rain, sleet, and snow all in one day in Ireland. Sometimes it doesn’t always happen that way, but we do get a lot of weather packed into a short space of time.

So that can take people aback. Especially if you’re looking for a sun holiday, Ireland isn’t for you.

Kat Kalashian

Even if you go where the sun is supposed to be, that may still not deliver what you expect. I was based in Waterford, which is part of what is known as the sunny southeast. In relation to the rest of Ireland, that may be true, but if you’re used to real sunshine, the sunny southeast is probably not going to give you what you want.

And it really is a cliché for a reason. Everyone has heard the joke about the old Irish man saying it’s just a bit of mist, but that actually is true. I remember going to school when it could be bucketing down rain and one of the teachers would still say, “Ah, it’s just a bit of mist.” Unless the Irish are in the middle of a hurricane, they often won’t call it rain. They’ll call it mist all year long.

Con Murphy

True. But one thing Ireland does have, unlike Canada or parts of the United States, is that it doesn’t really get that cold. We don’t get snow that often, and if we do, it’s usually only a couple of inches. When it freezes, it’s usually just a frost.

So we don’t have that kind of extreme, but we do get a lot of water spread over the year. That’s something to be aware of.

Kat Kalashian

I’ll mention one other thing on the topic of weather. It took my mother and me a few years of living in Ireland to realize that we had succumbed to seasonal depression, which at the time was barely even discussed as a term.

People didn’t recognize how much UV light can affect your mood. After a couple of years there, my mother noticed during the depths of winter that she was lethargic, unmotivated, and just couldn’t be bothered with anything. Then she took a business trip to Panama and came back a completely different person. That’s when she realized she was desperately in need of sunshine.

So that’s another thing to be aware of. You will definitely miss the sun, and you may want to factor in a few trips to the Mediterranean or somewhere similar to keep your spirits up.

Con Murphy

Definitely. It’s something you have to be aware of.

When You’re Friends, You’re Fair Game

Con Murphy

Another thing about Ireland is that you’re not really friends with an Irish person until they make fun of you, or as we say in Ireland, take the piss out of you.

Irish people can be quite friendly, but you’re not really friends until they feel comfortable enough to tease you. It’s good-natured teasing, and you know you’ve really integrated into the Irish community when they feel comfortable doing that. They don’t do it to people they dislike. It’s usually the opposite.

The Gaelic Athletic Association

Con Murphy

If you’ve ever heard of the GAA, or Gaelic Athletics, the traditional Irish sports are taken very seriously over here. Irish hurling, Irish football, and camogie are all great sports to watch.

You’d have to be a little bit insane to play them yourself, especially hurling, which is played with a kind of flattened cricket bat that people swing around at full speed while running across the field.

But the Irish love it. It’s an amateur sport. People don’t really get paid to play it, but it has a bigger following and inspires more passion than just about any other sport in Ireland.

So if you are in Ireland, definitely go see a hurling match. It’s quite an eye-opener.

Politics

Con Murphy

When people think about Ireland, especially from films or television, they often think about the Troubles and the IRA. That period is over. It has been over since I was a small child.

So there isn’t this major issue anymore. Many Americans still come and wonder whether there is animosity toward the English, but that is long gone. The only time you might hear much about it is in the pub, and even then people may be singing rebel songs alongside English people these days.

Thankfully, that chapter of Irish history has come to an end.

The Food Will Be Different Than You Expect

Kat Kalashian

When we were talking last week, you pointed out a couple of things I hadn’t realized were even that odd. But now that you mention them, I suppose they are.

You gave us a short list, and one of them was butter on sandwiches. When my family and I moved there, we would go to the little corner shop next to the office and get sandwiches. It could be breakfast sandwiches or lunch sandwiches, no matter what, and they all came with butter.

And the funny thing is, they’re also called bacon buddies. It’s just a bacon sandwich with butter, basically. The other thing was the bap rolls, which are basically giant circles of bread covered in flour. I had never seen that anywhere else in the world.

No matter what kind of sandwich you want, it will come with butter unless you specifically ask for no butter. I don’t know how people live without butter on sandwiches, but there you go. Cultural divide.

Your other one was potatoes with everything. I know that sounds like a cliché, but it is actually true.

Con Murphy

I eat potatoes, or maybe even two forms of potatoes, with most meals. You really can’t beat a good spud.

Kat Kalashian

In my school cafeteria, every single day we had three kinds of potatoes. There were always baked potatoes or mash, and then some other form of potatoes as well. That was pretty typical.

If you go to a carvery or buffet, half the options might be different kinds of potatoes. It really is a cliché, but it’s not something to dismiss.

Con Murphy

Luckily, these days we do have more variety. We have chains, fine dining, and much more creative restaurants now in Ireland. Traditionally, Irish food was everything boiled until it fell apart, but that has changed.

Still, in any mid-range or traditional Irish restaurant, potatoes are never very far away.

The Irish Country Roads

Con Murphy

That is true. We’ve got more motorways now, and they are better, but some of those roads, especially in the more remote parts, are still quite a trip to drive around. It can feel like a go-kart track in places, and it takes a little getting used to.

Kat Kalashian

What’s interesting is that the roads feel as though they were carved out hundreds of years ago, more like cart paths. There are hedges on either side of most roads, unless it’s a highway or a newer road, and those hedges can be six feet tall or more.

So you can’t really see ahead, behind, or around the bends. I actually remember being grateful for those hedges because when you slid off the road, they would catch your car. You didn’t just fall into a ditch or plow into a field.

I probably shouldn’t admit how many times my mother drove the car into multiple hedges while driving from the office to our home out in the country.

Con Murphy

I’m sure the roads are somewhat better now, but country roads are still fun to drive on, I can tell you that.

This Is A Little-Known Golfing Haven

Con Murphy

It’s hard to believe, but there is a huge amount of golfing in Ireland, and some of the best links golf courses in the world are here.

We have the Ryder Cup coming in a couple of years, and it has been held here several times in the past. So if you are into golf, there are lots of great courses.

The Surfing Capital Of Europe

Con Murphy

Similarly, it is not something people always think about because the water isn’t warm, but Ireland is also one of the surfing capitals of Europe.

We are right at the edge of Europe facing the Atlantic Ocean. Waves come all the way from the Americas and break here first. There are great surf championships, and some of the biggest waves in the world can be found off the coast of Ireland.

Of course, you’ll need a wetsuit because it’s cold, but if you’re into surfing, it’s there.

The Beaches Are Great

Con Murphy

Similarly, people don’t really think of Ireland for its beaches, but we have hundreds of miles of mostly empty beaches. Unless, of course, there’s a heat wave, and then the beaches near towns will be packed.

Kat Kalashian

But a heat wave in Ireland means it reaches the mid-60s or 70s. Break 70 and everyone leaves work and heads to the beach.

One of the funniest things my family and I still talk about is the Christmas Day swim. To us, that sounded like utter madness. How did everyone not die of pneumonia doing this centuries ago?

But every Christmas, no matter what, every single person I knew of every age would go down to the beach and jump in the water. Not necessarily swim properly, but at least splash around enough to say they had done it.

Con Murphy

We had the Wim Hof ice method going decades before anyone else, that’s for sure.

The Microbrewery And Distillery Crafts Are Gaining Momentum

Con Murphy

One of the things I noticed since coming back, and it wasn’t there when I left in the early 2000s, is that microbreweries and micro-distilleries have really sprung up.

There are now more than half a dozen microbreweries and a couple of distilleries in my hometown of Limerick that weren’t there 15 years ago. We had Guinness, Murphy’s, the usual Irish beers and spirits everyone knows, but now there are all sorts of small craft operations.

There’s a real craft craze around that now, which I think is a great bonus. Previously, unless you liked Guinness or cider, Irish beer didn’t offer a huge amount of variety.

Top Cities To Consider

Con Murphy

For people who don’t know Ireland well, Dublin is the capital city of the Republic of Ireland, but more than a million and a half people live there, which is over a third of the country’s total population.

So there is a bit of a Dublin-versus-the-rest-of-the-country feeling. Dublin people generally stay in Dublin, and everyone outside is seen as being beyond the Pale. That is actually where the phrase “beyond the Pale” comes from.

Dublin people and country people tease each other in a friendly way, and there is a bit of lighthearted prejudice both ways.

Other places worth considering include County Galway and Galway City on the west coast. It’s a university town, it’s beautiful, and it sits on the edge of Connemara, which has some of the most dramatic coastline in the world. When you think of postcard Ireland, with donkeys, patch cottages, and rocky fields, that is very much the feeling out there.

A lot of people choose to move west because there is something distinctive and compelling about it. There are a lot of poets, artists, organic farmers, and people who simply want to get back to the land.

County Cork and Cork City are also worth a look. Cork is the second-largest city in Ireland and has a very strong identity. People from Cork love it down there. It is scenic, known for sailing and great restaurants, and many people vacation there.

County Kerry is another standout. I was there just a couple of days ago, in Castle Gregory. It is one of the more remote and less populated parts of Ireland, with dramatic scenery, empty beaches, lovely coastline, and mountains. It is another postcard version of Ireland.

County Clare is also one of my favorite places for a holiday in Ireland. Great fun, great people, and plenty of outdoor activities.

What About Northern Ireland?

Kat Kalashian

Something that has been big news recently is Brexit and its impact on Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland.

Con Murphy

Actually, maybe I should have explained that before we got started. There is a small corner of Ireland in the north that is still governed by the United Kingdom.

Because the UK left the EU, there has been some debate and confusion around customs and the status of Northern Ireland. People were worried about it for a while, but it doesn’t seem likely to become too serious.

There is no physical border between the Republic and Northern Ireland now, not since the Troubles ended nearly 30 years ago. You can cross into Northern Ireland without even noticing, except that the license plates are different and the postboxes are a different color.

Irish Food Is Much More Creative Than It Was A Decade Or So Ago

Con Murphy

We touched on food earlier, but fast food once used to be limited to chip shops selling burgers, chips, fish and chips, boiled potatoes, and cabbage.

Now there are restaurants and gourmet restaurants all over Ireland, so you are not going to starve while you’re here.

The Cost Of Living

Con Murphy

One of the other things to be aware of in Ireland is the cost of living. As Kat mentioned, the financial requirements to move to Ireland are very high, and I’ll touch on that in a moment.

Things like rent, the cost of property, buying houses, and alcohol in pubs are quite expensive in Ireland. Food and many other things are not as expensive. I actually find insurance very cheap in Ireland.

My medical insurance for my family, and it is very good medical insurance, is less than $2,000 a year. It has practically no deductibles and covers everything I would need in Ireland or across Europe.

So some things are cheaper, but rents, buying property, and alcohol have a lot of tax on them. Fuel costs are also high in Ireland, though that is true across much of Europe.

Typically, you would expect to pay nearly double what people in the United States pay for gas. We call it petrol or diesel, but that is not unusual. Americans have just not had to think about what the rest of the world pays for gasoline for the last 30 years because they produce so much of it themselves.

The Police Force In Ireland

Con Murphy

One thing you’ll notice in Ireland is that we do not have an armed police force. Our police are called the Gardaí, or Garda Síochána, which in Irish means the guardians of the peace.

There is a very different culture here. The guards are not seen as fearsome. In fact, they are often gently made fun of. They are unarmed, and they generally do not need to be armed.

There are some police who have access to firearms for serious situations, but because the regular police are unarmed, situations often do not escalate in the same way. Ireland is quite happy with this model, and I think much of Europe envies it.

The police are approachable, laid back, and community-oriented. While people may joke about them or dislike getting caught speeding, there is not a lot of friction between the police force and the general population.

That also helps because Ireland has relatively little violent crime. It is not nonexistent, but the murder rate is far lower than in the United States.

Gaeltachts Are Irish-Speaking Municipalities

Con Murphy

Another thing to be aware of, especially if you are in Galway or parts of Mayo on the west coast, is the Gaeltacht.

These are communities and areas in Ireland where people still speak Irish in their daily lives. Of course, they also speak English, and they will speak to you in English if you cannot speak Irish. But these areas are part of the effort to keep Irish language, culture, and heritage alive.

If you are interested in hearing Irish spoken, or even learning some, you can go to these areas where there are Irish language schools. There are government incentives to set up businesses in the Gaeltacht as well. It is really a fascinating part of the country.

Kat Kalashian

I actually had to learn Irish as well when I was in school there. It took us a couple of years to realize that because I wasn’t an Irish citizen, I wasn’t necessarily required to take it to the same level as the other students.

But it is still taught in schools. It’s the mandatory second language. I studied it for several years, and I had one teacher who refused to let anyone leave the classroom unless they asked in Gaelic. To this day, I still remember how to say, “Can I go to the bathroom, please?”

Con Murphy

That is probably one of the few phrases people tend to remember.

Kat Kalashian

Exactly. But it really is still a part of daily life. I always thought the reason for keeping it alive was mainly cultural and historical, but there is a practical side too, and that’s because of the Gaeltacht.

If you work in the public sector, if you’re a policeman, firefighter, radio announcer, television announcer, or anyone who has to communicate with large groups of people, you may need to be able to speak Irish in case you are called to work in a Gaeltacht area.

So Ireland wants to preserve a common denominator for everyone, and ideally that common denominator is Irish rather than English. It’s a fascinating way to keep the legacy alive.

Health Care

Con Murphy

I mentioned health care in Ireland previously, but yes, health care is very high quality. It is not as expensive as in the United States. If you don’t have insurance, it is still cheaper than in the States, and with insurance it can be very reasonable.

Financial Requirements For Residency

Con Murphy

Residency, as Kat mentioned, is quite onerous. You need to show an income of €50,000 a year. You also need to show a lump sum on arrival of roughly €20,000 or more in savings, enough to show that you could make a deposit on a house, though that is somewhat subjective.

And you must have health insurance in order to get residency. So that makes Ireland more expensive, at least from an entry-requirement perspective, than most of the other jurisdictions we usually cover.

Kat Kalashian

Right. The capital outlay required is much higher than in most other places, regardless of how much it actually costs to live there, which is not close to what they are requiring you to show.

Con Murphy

No. It is simply a hurdle that has been put in place.

If you do move to Ireland and become resident or a citizen, Ireland has a progressive tax system. Income tax is free up to about €8,000. From there up to nearly €40,000, you’re taxed at roughly 22 or 23 percent. Above that, it rises sharply, and by the time you are earning around €80,000 a year, the effective rate can be very high.

So it can get expensive in Ireland. That is something else to be aware of if you become tax resident there. But in return, the services are quite good. Health care and schooling are strong, and education is free.

Education

Con Murphy

The education system is exceptionally high quality in most of the country.

Property Taxes

Con Murphy

As for property tax, we introduced property tax recently. My house is worth over $300,000, and the property tax is about $300 a year.

So property taxes are actually very cheap. There are pluses and minuses to everything.

Owning Guns In Ireland

Con Murphy

One of the things I often get asked about in any country I go to is firearms. In Ireland, the answer is basically no.

The police are unarmed. You can get a shotgun or rifle if you join a gun club and want to go hunting or sports shooting, but there is no real civilian sidearm culture in Ireland. That simply does not happen.

So if you have a large gun collection and want to bring it with you, Ireland is not the place.

It May Be English, But The Language Will Take Some Getting Used To…

Con Murphy

The other thing about Ireland, and this is a bit of fun really, is the colloquial sayings, slang, and phrases people use every day. We speak English, but it is not really English as you know it.

Kat Kalashian

You’ll be shocked. I was there as a child, from about age seven to 14, and when I arrived, I could not be understood and I couldn’t understand my classmates.

Everyone speaks in slang. It is not just the accent and it is not that it is truly another language, but the slang is intense. It’s a bit like going to Brooklyn in the 1970s and realizing you have no idea what anyone is saying.

It took me a while to adapt. Then when I would go back to the United States, nobody would understand me because I only knew how to speak with these Irish-isms.

Con Murphy

At this point, though, people will understand what others are saying, and generally they are polite. They will repeat themselves if you don’t get it the first time around.

But it is fun to see how the language is used differently in different countries.

Kat Kalashian

All right. We are coming up on our time. We have actually gone a bit over, but thank you so much, Con. This was a really fun conversation. It is always lovely to talk to you, and we’ll speak with you again soon. Thanks for joining us today.