Soon i'm moving to live to Ireland. Any tips how to fit in?

Show all answers

Dr.Cool

I'm an American who moved to Dublin half a year ago. I don't regret it, but there are many differences. Here is both the good and the bad.

The good:

You have the rest of Europe at your finger tips.

Dublin, if this is where you decide to live, is very diverse, and you will meet many people from many different countries.

As a worker, you are treated better; I got 2 weeks paid vacation from the start at my job.

The scenery; the country is beatiful.

The bad:

Everyone hates Americans. I was really dissapointed that the Irish do too, especailly when having an Irish accent back home in New York is like a VIP pass.

The "Irish Wit" is really just obnoxius arrogance. People will straight out insult you to your face, say really hurtful shitt, and then tell you that Americans don't get real sarcasm. (Sorry Irish people, that not sarcasm you display, thats ignorance). Humor here is always at someone's expense, and if you give it back to them, they think you are the ********.

Everything closes at 4 or 5 o'clock. I have to wait until Saturday to do my shopping, and even then things close early. Pubs close at 12:30, and clubs close at 3.

No water pressure and instant hot water. To get either of these you must turn on a special machine (for hot water, turn on machine and wait 40 mins).

The police here do not do shitt. You have a problem, deal with it yourself (******** mob rule). A cop is good if you need directions to an atm.

Since you are a girl, people might be nicer to you. Be careful though,as, television makes Irish guys out to be tough gentlmen, when many of them are loud mouth cowards who will pull any scummy shitt to get laid. An example of this is buying a girl a drink. When I first moved to Dublin, if I went out and happen to find conversation with a girl (hard becasuse, once they hear your American accent, they start insulting you) anyway, out of common courtsey, if I was going to order myself a drink, I would ask the girl what she was drinking as well. This caused a real negative reaction from herand she walked off. This happen like 5 other times. I finally found out from a girl at work, that when an Irish guy buys a girl a drink, and she accepts, its also an acceptance of him being allowed to be all over her - real sleaze ball shitt.
If you are an American girl, be extra cautious because they think all American girls are sluts.

Now don't get me wrong, there are allot of good people over here, and you get assholes anywhere you go. Its just a shame for a country like Ireland, that this shitt is in such high freqncey.

To sum things up, if I had a chance to go home, I would not leave. Moving over here is still a great life experiance. I just want to give you a heads up.

Orla C

Depends on where you're from. If English isn't your first language, you'll have to work on it a bit. Plus you'll need time and patience to learn to understand the locals - the accent varies from place to place in Ireland.

Other than that, there really isn't anything you need to do in order to 'fit in'. A lot of foreigners have moved here and they haven't needed to change themselves too much, in fact, most small towns have at least one Polish and one Asian supermarket!

A good way to meet local people is to find a local set-dancing class in your area. Set-dancing is folk-dancing in little groups and it's a lot of fun, and really good for the condition!

If you play music well, find a pub locally where music sessions are a regular feature. Make yourself known to the musicians, and ask if you might join them some night. This is a good way of meeting people.

sartorius

Learn (and hopefully love) their culture. Don't push your culture onto them. Enough of the world already thinks Americans are arrogant, believing their way is the best. I'm assuming you're American - is that arrogant of me?

lyndsayc1984

Unfortunately, you've gotten some poor answers so far. I would advise you to disregard certain advice.

Ireland is now a very diverse country, with a huge amount of foreign nationals living here and integrating themselves into the community. As Orla C said, most places now cater very well for the Polish in particular.

Depending on the part of Ireland you will be moving to, you should be fine. Obviously, the bigger cities like Dublin and Cork will have better facilities, but the countryside has a charm of its own and is not to be missed. Ireland is renowned for its beautiful scenery, and you should certainly explore while you're here.

The Irish do not hate Americans. That is a generalisation, just like saying all Americans hate George Bush - that, while possibly not your own opinion, is true. The Irish do not like people that make fun of their culture and expect everyone to wear green, have red hair, and look like leprechauns.

Nor are the Irish arrogant. The same applies here - you will be treated as you treat others. They are certainly not an ignorant nation. There are ignorant people here and in every other country on earth. Again, this is a generalisation.

Places certainly do not close at 4. Banks do. That's all. Depending on where you are, certain shops may close at 5, but I've never seen it. My local town has just over 2,000 people and has a 24-hour supermarket. Again, in a city, this is easier to find, but shops, in general, stay open until 6 or 6.30. There is often at least one late-night shopping evening where many places stay open until 8 or 9.

Water pressure - again, you've been misinformed. Just like anywhere else, if you want to take a shower, some places will have an immersion boiler, which you will have to switch on and wait a short time for a shower, while others have electric facilities and are instant.

I find it pathetic that people can make generalisations like some of those on this page. Dr. Cool, I wonder if you've ever actually been to Ireland. You seem to have no idea at all about the country, despite your statement to the contrary.

The Irish are welcoming and friendly - as I said, treat them as you would like to be treated and you will have no problems. A useful website for accommodation if you need it is www.daft.ie which will give you a good idea of prices and standard.

One final note - the Irish do not think all American girls are sluts. That's possibly one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard.

ckatz

Oh have fun I lived there for a few months and loved it. Just be yourself, take a step back and observe your surroundings and learn about the culture before you go. There is a great book its called the Adapter Kit: Ireland: A Traveler's Tools for Living Like a Local by Steenie Harvey. Its great it gives you an overview of culture, where to go, money, jobs, housing etc. Have a great time its wonderful there

Cassandra S.

Don't expect that you'll turn out to be awesome or better than everyone else. Trust me, from experience before moving I was all like "I'm probably going to be really smart there and i'm going to be better than I am now." So that's one.

Another thing is, try to act normal, be yourself. Be confident, try not too look insecure. Shy at first is fine, just don't go overboard.

If school is different, try to make friends so that they can help you and you can adjust more.

Don't judge their lifestyles too because it can ruin your life by hating the place and make you unsatisfied.

G'luck!! I moved two yrs ago and I took it very un-well, now i'm doing better, but I still can't get over the move. Hope you take it better than me!

Rita

Well, you can start listening to the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

flower

go with the flo and drink lots, get in with the lingo as well and you will fit in. like is a favourite cork word. cork is the real capital of ireland.

MentalCaseMaggot

Drink lots of booze haha ;)

Grow a beard and watch football.

DCPete27

Stop seeing your dentist and start drinking way more.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: