How good is Ireland. The real reason there are no snakes in Ireland

To begin with, I had to specify the location of England, since there was no Ireland. But I live in the Irish city of Cork. So, I bring to your attention my story of emigration.

Irish city of York.

The move was not difficult, I moved after my ex-husband, with whom we had a common child. I can’t say that I was happy with him before the move, but I wanted to give our dying union a chance.

The preparations began: boxes, dishes - I wanted to take everything with me. Everything is mine and everything is pitiful. Postage cost a pretty penny. Therefore, advice right away - do not make good if there is a move in your mind, or just give, sell and fly light, do not attach your soul to things. Okay, I'm getting a little off topic.

In general, by the way, I was in Turkey at the time of moving to Ireland. The husband found a job in Ireland and started. From this moment, I warn you right away, my tearful story begins, which taught me all the charms of the life of an emigrant in Ireland and that one should not be dependent ...

Photo by vaglad2002 (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/vaglad2002/)

The plane landed at Dublin Airport. Flying with a one year old is hard. Couldn't wait to get the stroller, finally get out of the airport and flop down to sleep. I go to the control, put both passports in and wait... Then I understand that I don’t understand anything, or rather, everything that this woman in uniform says to me is abra-kadabra for me... My translation education does not help me here... Is it an accent or Irish?? ? Now, almost 2 years later, I understand that it was English, and a good half of the country speaks as if someone is holding their cheeks, but you can get used to it.

I showed her my passport and marriage certificate and told her that her husband was waiting. She stamps me and tells me in a more or less understandable language that I have a month to register and obtain permission to stay in the country. Yes, since July 15 I had a month to register.

I go out into the waiting room, look, but there is no one ... My stroller did not arrive, my son was tired, I am alone in an unfamiliar country. Almost crying, I try to collect my thoughts and think about how to get through to my husband. After 10 minutes, he appears and says, I have been here for a long time, I just walked away to buy something. He was with a friend who was going to take us home, so I didn’t argue with him, I’m not an idiot and the airport is small, he was corny late.

One of the city streets. Photo by vaglad2002 (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/vaglad2002/)

We arrived at the house. Look - big, not bad. We go in, and there are some people. Then he gets up and opens the room with the key, then it dawned on me, we live in a small room! I'm upset - no strength, change clothes and sleep. The son, also tortured, fell asleep next to him.

The next day, more frustration awaited me: my husband was fired because he did not pass the last exam at work after the training, and he told me about it only then.

For me it was a blow below the belt, because my visa depended on his work. Given that he does not work, I would be denied a visa. My son did not have Russian citizenship at that time, I was afraid that he might not be given a visa because of my status, so I had to fight to stay. In general, they began to go to the authorities.

I must say that in Ireland everything is cultural. Came, explained, answered. In general, everything seems to be fine. They would only help with housing ... That's what we thought. But it was not there.

A week later, a phone call to her husband. The owner of the house asks us all, to put it mildly, to get out of the house. It turns out that my faithful did not bother to clarify, but can his household members come to him?

I'm in tears and in a panic, it's even worse, the visa also needs the address that we lost. I don’t know what to do, I blame him, then I regret it, then looking into my son’s eyes I hate my husband again. He immediately writes to his sister, who lives in England and consults with her what to do. She advised him to contact a service that helps the homeless.

City rooftops. Photo by vaglad2002 (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/vaglad2002/)

The administrative side of Ireland is very different from the Russian one. Here they help anyone who proves good intentions or is Irish. Good intention means:

1. Really trouble;
2. Paid enough taxes (6 months minimum).

We had this and more. And also a boy in his arms. We were a little "shocked" by the conversations. They tell my husband, we will buy you a ticket with your family to Holland and go. He was delighted, come on, they say, let's go. I immediately reminded him of the conditions of my visa. I would not be allowed into the country.

We were helped, as a result, they settled in a hotel, which cooperates with the mayor's office. The room was nothing, an ordinary hotel room. Every week they gave money for food, 300 euros for three people. And everything seemed to work out. Except my visa.

Everything loosened up a bit. But now I managed to add two plus two in my head and understand that my husband is not a support for us, but, on the contrary, has led us to poverty and “homelessness” (if I may say so). And then, of course, our quarrels began, they always were, but I tried and wanted to save the family. He started looking for work, we lived in a room in a hotel. I started to get really worried about the visa.

What is good about Dublin is helping people, visitors. I found an organization of lawyers who deal with emigrants and their papers. I went there, they took me in and told me not to worry. They added that many live illegally and have been expelled for years due to bureaucracy. But I was advised to wait until my husband found a job. This makes it easier to apply and get a visa.

Photo by vaglad2002 (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/vaglad2002/)

1 week left until the end of the month. And then a call comes from a company located in another city, the husband was invited for an interview. Interviews went on and time went on. While we were waiting for the results, we continued to live in the hotel. The quarrels intensified. The only thing that kept me in this world was my son. I've been illegal for a week now, there is no way to submit documents. We are not given housing yet.

We were all waiting for it to be given. Quarrels were due to the fact that work is needed, but housing was more important, and I asked him to wait. As a result, the husband chose a job, passed another interview - the third stage in a large company. They accepted him, it remains only to find housing in Cork and move.

They helped us with a deposit, social security gave a deposit for housing, they gave money until the first salary, so we were able to move ... It was not easy to move, I had to dangle back and forth for things for 3 hours on a bus with a baby, and my husband had already started going to work.

I didn't like the new apartment, but it's better than a hotel room. I sighed more calmly, but only God knew that another circle of hell was ahead.

Question about nuances life in ireland periodically rises in social networks. Here are the views exchanged between the members of the Russian-speaking Ireland group during discussion this question.

Konstantins Sablukovs spoke in the most detailed way in the discussion. He was able to sort everything out. This is what his version looks like:

Pros of Irish life for an expat:

1. Developed country, not burdened by rigidity of laws
2. Beautiful nature, many attractions
3. Good roads and simple rules and signs
4. Friendly open people with a good sense of humor
5. The mentality and understanding of simple truths is an order of magnitude higher than most countries. (They live not according to “concepts” and according to “authorities”, but normally)
6. A tolerant country, and almost everyone and everything
7. Many opportunities, both in work and in study and business
8. Stability
9. Good Russian-speaking community: schools, camps, church, meetings and so on
10. Cheap food, clothes and so on. I'm not talking about brands, but about essentials.
11. Freedom to use your own language. Even newspapers are in Russian
12. Pubs, concerts and all that!

What are the cons:

1. Weather (damp, rainy, very windy and eternal +10)
2. Expensive – rent, transport, etc.
3. Underdeveloped public transport
4. Visiting scumbags from our countries 🙂
5. Tolerance 🙂
6. Island - hit the road somewhere only by plane or ferry
7. Lots of nuances and oddities like Internet connection contracts, TV licenses, no licenses for sea fishing, but presence for river fishing, not connected tram lines, and so on.
8. Slang and dialect - sometimes you don't understand people
9. Lack of knowledge by the Irish of our culture, films, shows and so on. You can only talk with them about what they are watching, the rest does not interest them (not all, but most)
10. Weak (almost nightmarish) and expensive health care
11. Weak (sooooo weak) education from school to university. (I'm not saying that you can't find good things and study normally, but in general the system is built like a pipeline that doesn't bother you in general and doesn't load you - passed the test, wrote the paper, diploma)
12. Not very good kindergartens, but very expensive relative to the minimum wages of course.
13. Pubs close early, so do discos
14. The choice in stores, as probably with the advice (I didn’t live with the advice, so I speak figuratively 🙂) compared to other European countries

There are many excellent higher educational institutions in the world, graduating from which is considered prestigious. Trinity College University - Trinity College is one of them.

Education in Ireland

It can be added to the comments above that Julia Trahlmann disagreed about schools, who believes that education in Ireland is at a high level:

Both children had small classes (max 18 people) and great teachers. Yet close to home.

High school - I sent them to an Irish school - they are taught in Irish. Again small classes, programming lessons, art and much more.
Both speak 5 languages ​​- and Irish, English, French and Spanish are studied at school. And it's just a public school. And 3 km from the house where from to take the school bus to the door and back.

In April, my shy daughter performed at the 3 Arena in front of 10,000 people. I am very grateful to their school. I myself studied at two higher institutions and now I am enrolling in the third one again. This is in addition to a diploma from Estonia ..

I believe that education is very accessible, and for any interest. The main thing is to decide what is interesting. There are still a lot of different circles and not only sports, and not only for children ..

Life in Ireland

Is it good to live in Ireland? The answer to this question is ambiguous. On the one hand - yes, wonderful: convenient, interesting, psychologically comfortable.

On the other hand, it is not very easy in terms of business or employment. The country is small and closed enough for newcomers. But over time, with the fouling of connections, it opens up for the visitor with new contacts and dizzying opportunities.

Climate in the country - natural and social

The weather can be disappointing for heat lovers. Cloudy cool days with a noticeable wind are typical for the country.Humidity is high due to the proximity of the sea. Snow and frosty sunny days, which can be found on skis or sleds, are also rare. The average annual temperature is +13 degrees, without sharp fluctuations. People with a continental climate find it difficult to get used to such weather, humid air makes the surrounding temperature feel 3-4 degrees lower than the real one.

True, acclimatization takes place within 2-3 years, there is no need to maintain a large winter wardrobe. And the lack of heat can be compensated by trips to warm countries, which are excellently connected with Ireland by low-cost airlines.

In some way, the substitute for the sun is the hospitality of people. People in Ireland are not at all the same as in Russia or in the Baltics. On the street and in public institutions, there are much fewer irritated, tired people.

Even the hard-won financial crisis did not disturb this external harmony.

Citizens treat immigrants without pronounced prejudice, despite the fact that the share of visitors is already quite high (10% of the total population).

Standard of living in Ireland

At least 60% are housing costs. Rent payments or mortgage payments, electricity prices of 16-17 euro cents per kilowatt and 5-6 euro cents per kilowatt of gas energy, with monthly payments for connection to the network of about 35-40 euros, as well as the planned introduction of water fees, and in some cases expenses for the maintenance of real estate bring utility bills up to 300-400 euros, of course, depending on the size and energy-saving parameters of housing.

The average bill for food will not impress the residents of the Russian or Ukrainian capital, but it may seem a bit overpriced for the regionals.

But on clothes and everyday items you can save a lot. Certain products are especially expensive - for example, cheeses and, oddly enough, fish. There are several ways to reduce food costs. The country has a fairly well-developed network of Eastern European stores, where traditional and familiar products of production from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany and high-quality products from the Baltics are presented.

Restaurants and cafes are also very popular, the Irish spend at least 40% of their money on eating out, however, there are not many special culinary delights and gourmet restaurants in the country.

Beer is very affordable - the Irish appreciate it and drink it in fairly large quantities. Local pubs are almost never empty.

The standard of living is quite high and stable in all regions, the quality of life in cities and villages is comparable, perhaps with the exception of the possibility of choice. Food chains Tesco, Aldi and Lidl are present in almost all points. In Ireland, it is almost impossible to do without personal transport.

A system of social support for people in difficult situations, including legal immigrants, has been developed.

Quality education. It involves not only education, but also education. The Irish are deeply religious. A religious approach to teaching is also practiced in schools.

An indicative fact: the children of newcomers are given special assistance in schools, to the point that special teachers help them improve their English and get used to the new territory.

Medical care is at a high level, but its structure is unusual for a Russian person. The support is not provided by municipal polyclinics, but by the offices of general practitioners. Irish hospitals are very well equipped, but the quality of diagnostics suffers, perhaps due to the high technological effectiveness of medical equipment. Receptions are both free and paid. Usually a person buys an insurance policy himself. Sometimes part of the insurance or its additional extensions are paid by the employer.

Freedom of movement

Ireland is not included in the Schengen agreement, but there is a right of free movement with the UK. In 2014, it is planned to create a mini-Schengen Ireland and the UK. Get a Schengen visa if you have an Irish residence permit in Dublin. It is possible to obtain Irish citizenship through naturalization, renunciation of previous citizenship is not required. The holder of a Russian and Irish passport is entitled to visa-free travel to 206 countries.

Investment immigration to the Republic of Ireland

The cost of the immigration package is much more expensive than to the Baltic countries or Bulgaria, but cheaper than immigration to the UK and less complicated than the programs offered by the Czech Republic and Germany.

marketingrussia specialists. eu can offer several investment and business immigration programs.

Promising business options in Ireland

First of all, high-tech businesses. Development and sale of software, high-tech equipment and biotechnology. Low corporate tax rate and support from government agencies.

Renewable energy production. The country is actively developing alternative energy sources and plans to enter the European market with green energy.

Production of environmentally friendly products.

Real estate income. The market is recovering from the crisis and in Dublin and some other cities an increase in the cost of residential real estate is recorded, caused by an increase in the cost of rent. Over the past 5 years, there have been practically no new residential properties built in the country, and the demand for them is high. In this regard, the efficiency of investments in new construction is growing.

Services for tourists, hotels, cafes, restaurants and tourist attractions are less profitable, but nevertheless have high potential. In 2013, less than 7 million tourists visited the country. With a total population of 4 million people.

For organizing a demonstration tour and getting advice on the possibility of immigrating to Ireland, please contact

These are 6 counties with the capital in Belfast, which the UK chose to retain. As you understand, this was very unpleasant for the Irish, as a result of which a tough conflict formed on this territory between the indigenous Irish Catholic population and the "alien" English-Protestant (I put the word in brackets, because it is not very clear how one can consider "alien "the part that "came" 700 years ago). This conflict still exists, literally "district" to "district": burning cars, throwing stones at neighbors, graffiti on walls, underground terrorists (IRA), etc. A number of people prefer to live in a state of conflict with the authorities, and, being territorially supposed to be in England, they receive Irish passports, refuse to obey English laws, because. "we are in our own country" (in Ireland, which is the whole island of Ireland) is just one of the manifestations. In prosperous areas, all this is less pronounced, but the flags are over every house, over every street: English or Irish, representatives of both layers try not to communicate with each other without special need, phrases like "bring a Protestant into the house ..." are said to the offspring ... and so on. They tried to resolve the conflict by destroying the physical border between the countries (checkpoints, etc.), but this did not give much result. As a result, now - Northern Ireland is an autonomous region within the UK, to enter which (we) need an English visa, but at the same time there is no border, the money there, although pounds, is "Irish" (English pounds sterling, which differ in appearance from the usual ones and are in circulation only in Northern Ireland; in the Republic itself, the euro has long been), the laws seem to be English, but each is reprinted and personally marked Northern Ireland, etc. (Information courtesy of Marina from Ireland)

Elena (Northern Ireland):
I am in Northern Ireland on a visitor visa for six months
About the property rights of a wife in the UK, the rights of children from previous marriages, about debts
...... Irina_Moscow: Answer for Elena (Northern Ireland): I am in Northern Ireland on a visitor visa for six months
...... Marina (Ireland): Divorce in Northern Ireland. Response to a letter from Elena (Northern Ireland): "I am in Northern Ireland on a visitor visa for six months"
2. REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (Ireland) - these are 26 counties south of the border, with Dublin as the capital. The main cities (in descending order) are Cork, Limerick, Galway.The Republic of Ireland, as a rule, is what they mean when talking about "Ireland", which requires an English visa to enter, but at the same time there is no border, the money there, although pounds, is "Irish" (English pounds sterling, which differ in appearance from the usual ones and are in circulation only in Northern Ireland; in the Republic of Ireland itself - the euro has long been), the laws seem to be English, but each is reprinted and personally marked by Northern Ireland, etc. (Information courtesy of Marina from Ireland)

Marina (Ireland):
Some personal impressions of Ireland
What I Least Expected in Ireland
Divorce in Northern Ireland. Response to a letter from Elena (Northern Ireland): "I am in Northern Ireland on a visitor visa for six months"
There is no such thing as a "fiance visa" in Ireland.
Some additional information for Irish brides regarding fees and crossing the Irish border
FAQ for Irish Brides-3. Divorce in Irish
Comment on Appeal (Ireland)
...... Helena, Northern Ireland (autonomous region within Great Britain): On the property rights of a wife in the UK, the rights of children from previous marriages, on debts
...... Irina_Moscow: Response to the letter "Marina, Ireland: In Ireland there is no such thing as a "fiance visa"
...... Marina (Ireland): Comment on the appeal (Ireland)
...... Olga_L (Norway, Gran Commune, Hadeland): About loans and more. Response to Marina's letter from Ireland "What I least expected in Ireland"

Lisa: I met a guy on the Internet from Ireland, from the island of Cork
...... Marina, Ireland: Response to letter "Lisa" I met a guy from Ireland on the Internet, from the island of Cork"
...... Marina Shay, Norway, Stavanger: Response to the letter "Lisa" I met a guy from Ireland, from the island of Cork, on the Internet

Elena (Ireland):

Lika (Ireland):
Response to a letter from Alexei from the USA "The idea is clear and simple...
Reply to letter from Greta (England) LINKS RELATED TO IRELAND:

How is life Russian in Ireland

Divorce procedure in Ireland

Studies in Ireland

Tips for Irish marriage

Ireland in Russian: questions of work and study

Life in Northern Ireland from within

Links sent by Marina from Ireland:
Photo galleries:
(different Ireland) http://www.votpusk.ru/gallery/gallery.asp?CN=IE
(River Shannon, vicinity of Limerick, Atlantic Ocean) http://geotravel.ru/country/Ireland/album1006/
(Dublin, Dublin Bay, Irish Sea) http://geotravel.ru/country/Ireland/album4100/
http://www.ireland-information.com/picturesofireland/picturesofireland.htm
(major Irish attractions) http://www.visitireland.com/aboutireland/gallery.asp
(major Irish attractions)
(photos of everyday Ireland) http://www.newble.co.uk/ire/scenes.html
(photos of the entire Atlantic coast of Ireland and Irish castles) http://www.gradfinder.com/cgi-bin/public/grad/gallery.cgi?action=view&aid=33134

Here are a few more links that might be of interest:

For the Republic of Ireland:
Impressions of Ireland on the server "Abroad"

Real stories of our emigrants - life, problems, work in Ireland without embellishment. My name is Alexey, my wife is Svetlana. We became husband and wife only when we went to study in Ireland, where we were sent by my and Svetka's parents, who were friends from childhood and, accordingly, Sveta and I went to the same kindergarten, then at school we had one class. All holidays, picnics and other "events" our parents always spent exclusively together and Sveta and I, of course, were always with them.

And it so happened that when the time came to choose a university, our parents, having asked us in advance what kind of profession we would like to be, unexpectedly sent us to the Irish University of Limerick (University of Limerick), which we did not even dream of! Although we clearly realized and understood the amazing and unusually accurate insight of our parents 5-7 years later. After all, this city, and the country itself, as it turned out very quickly, were simply created for people like Sveta and me.

And the reasons that Ireland is a country for us, people born and raised in Russia, simply cannot be counted. There are the same severe in appearance, but incredibly open, simple and honest people, like ours. Ireland has official bilingualism. And the Irish themselves speak more for some reason in English than in their native Irish. And he, according to the British themselves (Irish dialect of the English language) is the most real and historically correct, which you will not find for a long time in any city in Great Britain itself!

But, let's start a step-by-step story of our settling in Ireland, and it's better to do it like this:

• Sveta and I followed, as it were, in the footsteps of our fathers. Sveta began to study biology, as her father worked in nature reserves all his life and participated in the creation of the most unique zoo in Russia.


• I, like my father, who graduated from the Institute of Water Management and drove river liners along the Ob, Yenisei and other mighty rivers of Siberia, also chose a similar specialty: "Management of river transport and port facilities."


• We lived in a dormitory (campus) on the very shore of the Atlantic Ocean and, as a child, we always spent all our free time together. And before that, we were just sincerely friends and nothing more. But, having found ourselves in a completely different country, a feeling of such tenderness and love for each other woke up in us that by the end of the second year, just during the session, our first son was born! We were incredibly happy, although we officially formalized our family relationship in the form of a luxurious wedding during the summer holidays in our hometown.


• And, despite the difficulties of combining studies and caring for a small child, Sveta decided not to take maternity leave, and we did it ourselves, which we are still proud of.


• It is interesting and very correct that in Ireland students are allowed to earn extra money, unless, of course, this interferes with their studies. I did this all subsequent years of study in Ireland and, moreover, whoever I was not then! And as a postman, a loader in a seaport, a computer and other electronics repairman, a courier, an orderly, you can’t remember everything, and you can’t even count it.


• And now I am convinced that this is what gave me such a rapid development of the Irish mentality. And, you know, only then I began, while timidly and secretly from Sveta, to think about the possibility of staying here for permanent residence forever.


• When we successfully completed all our years of study in Ireland, received diplomas, and only then, completely ignorant of the laws of this country, I confessed to my wife that I dream of staying in this “our painfully in the heart” country forever. To my frank surprise, Sveta immediately burst into tears and said that she had been dreaming of exactly the same thing as myself for a long time!


• And we, not really hoping for a positive result, went to the Russian embassy in Dublin and to our great joy, they told us there that we just have every right to do so! Kan was explained to us there that if our child was born in Ireland, he "automatically" becomes its legal citizen.


• And his parents, that is, Svetka and I, must submit all the relevant documents to the Irish Migration Service and very soon we will legally receive a residence permit, and a little later, permanent residence. And we can work immediately after the submission of documents! You just need to find it and that's it.


• Needless to say, we did all this in the same Dublin on the same day. And, you may not believe it, we immediately received stamped papers giving us the right to legally work in any enterprise of this "Wizard Emerald Isle".


• And now it will soon be exactly six years since we live and work in what is now truly our Ireland. I'm at the Coastal Navigation Authority, Sveta studies and protects the fantastic flora and fauna in the largest and most interesting Irish nature reserve called: "Karra". We have everything we need for a simple, happy life. The real stories of our emigrants - life, problems, work in Ireland without embellishment, they are not only here.

We already know many former Russians who also live in Ireland, we are friends with many of them and now dream of luring our parents here. They will be stubborn for good, but we believe that it will soon be so. As the Irish say: "You should not contemplate quietly, you must actively act"!