MOVING TO IRELAND

Our Moving to Ireland Guide is available from upon request.

The Moving to Ireland Guide is available online and has been created to help expatriate families moving to Ireland .

The following pages are a sample of the type of information provided in the Moving to Ireland guide:

Receive The Full Moving To Ireland Guide

The following web pages are a stripped down version of the full information that you can access as an Interdean customer.

To receive your Moving to Ireland Guide for your relocation, make sure that you request your complimentary copy as part of your move quotation.

KEY FACTS

Official Name: Ireland

Capital City: Dublin

Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy

Official Languages: Irish, English

Area: 70,282 sq. km/27,136 sq. mi

Population: 4 million

Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant

Currency: Euro (€)

Number of Time Zones: 1

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT); Eastern Standard Time (EST) plus 5 hrs. Daylight-savings time is observed.

Weights and Measures: Metric system

Country Domain: .ie

Country Tel Code: 353

AT A GLANCE

Ireland is a country that blends the old with the new. Modern development occurs next to age old structures. Once a country whose nationals would move overseas for opportunity, Ireland now retains its own nationals as well as attracting foreign visitors and investment. As a member of the European Union (EU), Ireland is able to capitalize on all the economic benefits this association affords.

Government

The Republic of Ireland is a parliamentary democracy. Legislative power rests with a bicameral National Parliament, Oireachtas Éireann, with a 60-member Senate or Seanad, and a 166-member House of Representatives or Dáil. Members of Oireachtas serve a five-year term.

The head of state is the President, whose position is largely ceremonial. Executive power rests with the Prime Minister or Taoiseach, and Cabinet, appointed by the President on recommendation of the Dáil. The Taoiseach and the cabinet are responsible to the Dáil. Ireland’s legal system is based on English Common Law with an independent judiciary.

Economy

While some Irish still choose to emigrate, many young Irish are returning home or choosing to stay. The cities of the Republic are not only bustling with a bright young population, but the economy is humming with new technology, increasing investment, and growing per-capita income. High-tech business has quickened the pace of life. Ireland’s reputation as a center for modern business and culture has grown rapidly.

Ireland joined the euro currency system in January 1999 as a founding member, which encouraged international investment. The Irish economy sustained an impressive growth record during the 1990s with lower inflation, markedly lower unemployment rates (from a record high of 17 percent during the mid-1980s), and a national budget surplus. Over a 30-year period, starting in 1973 when the country joined the EU, Ireland received billions of euro in funding from the EU to improve roads, bolster education, and support local industries. International investment has increased dramatically as a result.

Northern Ireland

The six northeastern counties of the island are collectively known as Northern Ireland, and are part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland has long been a source of controversy. Talks have gone on for years between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and its political wing, Sinn Féin, and the northern Ulster Unionists.

After years of intermittent negotiations and violence, a peace treaty was signed in April 1998. In addition, significant compromises have been made on both sides of the conflict in recent years. The Royal Ulster Constabulary, long considered to be a Unionist force, was renamed the Police Force of Northern Ireland and assigned equal Catholic and Protestant hiring ratios. The Irish Republican Army announced an end to its armed campaign in 2005, and international weapons inspectors supervised their disarmament. These actions have done a great deal to stem the violence of “the Troubles.”

Traditions

Ireland is rich in tradition, much of it related to the Roman Catholic Church and centuries-old grievances against the English. Although some things stay the same – many pubs remain as they were a century or more ago – many things have definitely changed. Attitudes toward the Roman Catholic Church and its social positions are changing also, with younger Irish tending to attend church less and considering Church positions on abortion, contraception, and divorce dated.

The Irish love to sing, talk and embellish a story. They are warm and hospitable to the many expatriates who live among them.

UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE

Population

Ireland’s population tends to fluctuate depending on economic conditions. The population is currently estimated at 4 million people, an increase that reflects a healthy economy. In other times, however, many young and well-educated people left the country each year; almost 50 percent of Ireland’s population emigrated over the past century, and most did not return.

Population density is concentrated in the south and east of the country. Nearly a quarter of the Irish are located in the Dublin metropolitan area and over 40 percent lives within 100 km/60 mi of Dublin. The population is young, with roughly 43 percent under age 25 and 27 percent under age 15.

Ethnic makeup

Ireland is quite homogeneous. Most Irish are of Celtic origin, although there is a strong Norman influence. Peoples of other extractions, mainly English, are a minority.

Ireland has a number of diverse physical types. The legendary red hair is found in only a small percent of the population; dark hair and light eyes are the most common physical characteristics.

Cultural traditions

The spoken word

At the heart of Irish family life and cultural history is the story. Wonderful storytellers and poets, the Irish have excelled in the literary arts throughout history. Notable Irish writers include Bram Stoker, Jonathan Swift, Edmund Burke, W.B. Yeats, Edna O’Brien, John McGahern and James Joyce.

Dramatists such as Oliver Goldsmith, Richard Sheridan, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, J.M. Synge, Samuel Beckett, and Brendan Behan have greatly influenced English-language theater, telling their stories on the stage. Dublin is a center for the dramatic arts. In the fall it holds the Dublin Theatre Festival, which hosts drama groups from around the world. During the balance of the year, six to ten plays are performed per week in Dublin’s many theaters.

Folklore has always played a prominent role in Irish culture. These oral tales of good and evil, magic, and mystery have been passed over generations, and helped keep Irish culture alive during its suppression in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Music and dance

Music plays a large part in the life of the Irish, as demonstrated by the harp on the national emblem. Nearly every city, especially Dublin, enjoys the presentation of several concerts each week. Irish folk music remains quite popular and there are many opportunities to listen or to sing along.

Traditional Irish dance, or céilí, has been enjoying a resurgence of popularity. International audiences have been introduced to it through touring companies and television broadcasts.

Graphic arts

The Celts and early Christians in Ireland were superior metalworkers, stone-carvers, and manuscript painters. Throughout the country many fine abbeys, castles, forts, and megalithic tombs attest to building skill, while decorative objects display the distinctive motifs and intricate designs.

The Book of Kells, considered by many to be the finest surviving illuminated manuscript of the Middle Ages, was produced by Celtic monks in the ninth century. It is on permanent display at the Trinity College Library in Dublin.

Religion

The Roman Catholic Church has played a monumental role in the history and culture of Ireland and continues to wield great power and influence. Approximately 95 percent of the population is Roman Catholic, with the other 5 percent belonging to the Anglican or other faiths or claiming no religious affiliation.

In Ireland, centuries of turmoil have fused religious affiliation with political sentiment. Anti-Catholic persecution, which began in the 17th century and persisted until independence from British rule early in the 20th century, endowed the Irish with a fervor for Roman Catholicism. The religion is so deeply imbedded in the lifestyle and the laws of these people that controls on abortion are actually defined in the constitution. Abortion is illegal, as was divorce until November 1995 when a national referendum was held. By a narrow margin, the Irish people voted to legalize divorce.

Almost all primary and secondary schools are denominational, managed and controlled by the Church; religious instruction is an integral part of the curriculum, although parents may have their children exempted from such instruction.

Despite the traditional influence of the Church, the Irish Constitution provides for freedom of religion and does not establish a state religion. There is no government interference with the teaching or practice of any faith.

Language

The first official language is Irish, a Celtic language, native to the island. It is now spoken by fewer than a third of the population. English, the official second language is much more widely used. Therefore, it is not a necessity to learn Irish in order to live and work in Ireland. For instance, both Irish and English appear on official documents and on road signs in most areas.

The only areas where Irish is used on a daily basis are in the Gaeltacht areas along the southern and western coast. In these areas, some signs are printed in Irish only. It is also taught in the local schools throughout the country, in an attempt to strengthen the fluency in the native language.

It is important to note that English-speakers sometimes refer to the Irish language as “Gaelic” or “Irish Gaelic”, which sounds similar to the Irish term for the language, Gaeilge. However, the English term “Gaelic” actually refers collectively to all Celtic languages – including Scottish, for instance. Therefore, the correct term is “Irish”.

CITIES

Cork

Cork, Corcaigh in Irish, meaning, “swamp,” is an 800-year-old city on the River Lee 225 km/140 mi southwest of Dublin. Cork boasts one of the world’s greatest natural harbors and is a thriving and prosperous center for electronics and information, pharmaceutical, and other high-technology industries.

History

Cork was developed as a seaport and trading center by the Norse and granted a charter in 1172. It remained an independent entity until the Anglo-Norman invasion in the twelfth century. In the early twentieth century, Cork became a hotbed of resistance to English rule, and the English retaliated against every act of politically-inspired murder.

Cork today

Although Cork is Ireland’s second largest city with a population of approximately 120,000, the city center is located between two branches of the river and remains compact and lively.

Residents of Cork enjoy a good quality of life and highly value their leisure. Many leisure activities, such as golf, water sports, and equestrian sports, are easily accessible.

Dublin

This lively city on the Liffey River is the capital of the Republic. As Ireland’s main commercial, cultural, and administrative city, Dublin is a municipality of nineteenth-century charm combined with twentieth-first century modernism.

History

Dublin’s early history was marked by war and conquest as successive waves of Danes, Irish, and English held the city for various periods. The Act of Union in 1801 saw the prospering economy decline, while the nineteenth-century potato blight and famine brought about the legendary devastation of the city and countryside.

As a center of nationalist rebellion and the attempt to free Ireland from British domination during the late nineteenth century, Dublin witnessed terrible carnage. It emerged, however, as a center of Irish culture and established such institutions as the Abbey Theatre, founded by William Butler Yeats in 1902, and the Gaelic League.

Dublin today

Historically known as the “second city” to London, Dublin has changed remarkably in the past years. European Union grants were used to refurbish the urban areas in preparation for the millennium celebrations in 1988. As a result, large parts of the old city have been painstakingly restored and landmarks like the Customs House have been rejuvenated.

Dublin’s industries include textile manufacturing, brewing and distilling, and shipbuilding. Pristine Georgian squares are built on a grand scale; Dublin’s Georgian core is filled with beautiful homes with brightly colored doors and is encircled by the Grand and Royal canals.

Dublin has become a very popular place to visit as well as a desirable place to live. At least one-quarter of the Irish population lives here. Housing is affordable, the city is not congested, there are large shopping malls and award-winning restaurants, and the surroundings are pleasant with water on one side and mountains on the other. The city itself is home to over 500,000 people; when the Greater Dublin Area is counted the population is 1.6 million.

Galway

Galway is located on the west coast of Ireland, approximately 210 km/130 mi from Dublin. Galway is the provincial capital of Connacht with a population of approximately 72,000. It is the fastest-growing urban center in the country and is considered the most attractive residential area on the West Coast of Ireland.

History

Galway is known as the City of Tribes, ruled for centuries by a number of Irish patrician families. It is said to have been the last port of call for Columbus, en route to the New World, who prayed at the Church of St. Nicholas, built in 1300.

Galway today

Galway is a beautiful medieval city with a small, compact city center. It is enhanced by a leisurely lifestyle with many cultural and recreational opportunities, excellent infrastructure and educational facilities, road networks – free of traffic congestion, a pollution-free atmosphere, and a booming economy.

There is a small expatriate population primarily comprised of U.S. citizens and Europeans employed by multinational companies in computer and other high-tech industries.

Limerick

A successful urban renewal program and an effort to attract more tourists have resulted in a new vitality in this 1000-year-old city. A major port just a half hour from Shannon Airport, Limerick is the major western gateway to Ireland, and its third largest city with a population of just over 92,000.

History

King James II captured this quaint city on the River Shannon estuary at the end of the twelfth century. The 1691 document granting religious and political freedom to Irish Catholics was signed on the Treaty Stone, which is preserved in Limerick.

Limerick is also the home of the limerick. This famous five-line verse is based on the rhyme-scheme “aabba” and was devised by the 19th-century nonsense poet Edward Lear.

Limerick today

Refurbishing of public buildings and the development of a large industrial park have drawn many businesses to Limerick, resulting in the creation of new jobs. This has brought about an improved and enthusiastic lifestyle that includes many sports and cultural facilities.

Some original industries such as lace making, food processing, and fishing continue to sustain Limerick’s economy.

CLIMATE

Winters are wet and mild, and summers are relatively cool, creating ideal growing conditions for the emerald green grass that covers the countryside. Although Ireland occupies a northerly latitude, the warm currents of the Gulf Stream give it a temperate climate.

Winter temperatures average around 5ºC/40ºF and summer ones around 15º – 17ºC/60º – 65ºF, rarely exceeding 25ºC/80ºF. Humidity is fairly constant, averaging 78 percent.

There is considerable rainfall throughout the year, but snow is rare.

Information provided in association with Living Abroad