Family living in Ireland

To all those that have replied...

I do so very much appreciate the guidance you've provided. I couldn't agree more - moving abroad is not an easy life and getting to that point is often even more difficult.

I will plan a trip with my family to Ireland to see if it's a good fit for us.

For what it's worth, assuming most of you are living in Ireland or of Irish descent, my single pre-conceived notion of Ireland and it's people which is that the Irish are among the most friendly and helpful has been confirmed.

Thanks!

Jay

PS: Irish Coffee isn't truly Irish??? Next you're going to tell me that most Irish people don't have a pet Leprechaun and if THAT'S the case, I surely will not be relocating my family. ;)

Crei8jay
Your ancestors may have come from the 6 counties, Northern Ireland.
I believe your wife could do a year's "teacher exchange" with and teach primary school in Northern Ireland.
Google the Ministry of Education in Belfast and inquire there. I know of some Canadian teachers who have done this in the past.
Google the Belfast Telegraph and look at job listings for yourself.

From what I have heard form my relatives in Ireland (North and South) you'll be able to reconnect with your eastern European heritage also. And it wouldn't hurt to brush up your Polish! I joke but the whole island has changed immensely these last 10 years.

Your deam is an exciting one. I hope you can manage it.

Read as many books as you can on Ireland, and by Ireland, I mean both Eire and Northern Ireland.
Maybe Thorntree posters ( Barry Hennessy) could give you some suggestions?
God knows Ireland has enough wonderful wonderful contemporay novelists and short story writers, whose work would give you a taste of today's culture.

Actually, I would probably suggest the books by the popular economist and social commentator, David McWilliams.

Whilst his work is definitely controversial, and he's a bit of a quote-whore and a pop-economist, there's no denying his intelligence and the conviction with which he presents his case. It would certainly be worth reading what he has to say.

I'm not such a fan of McWilliams (though he looks gorgeous!) for the very same reasons Barry mentioned.

I would recommend "The End of Irish History" by Colin Coulter and Steve Coleman. It's a more serious account of the state of modern Ireland (imo) with essays on almost every aspect of Irish society.

An ordinary travel guide would do for a start as well, where at least one learns that the Great Famine wasn't in the 1880s...
And you'll get an overview over regions.

Hmm I think McWilliams might scare him off with his breakfastroll men and discussions on people's obsession with decking! Would dispel any romanticism anyway!

Great posts by the way Barry, your stage Irishman comment sent me off thinking about John Bull's Otheer Island by Shaw, but I digress!

I just wanted to add a few websites that might help you see what your salary expectations would be and how much renting/buying a house would cost:

www.irishjobs.ie<BR>www.monster.ie<BR>www.jobs.ie<BR><BR>and for accomodation: www.daft.ie<BR><BR>One other point I might also make (and I know this is just an idea at this stage) is to think about your children's education. Putting them in Irish schools for a few years then moving back to Canada could give them a distinct disadvantage as although I am no expert there would be distinct differences in the two education systems. In subjects like history they would have spent a few years learning about Irish history (especially primary school, you don't do much bar Irish history!) and be behind on the Canadian syllabus when they returned. Also depending on their age they might need to learn Irish (I think if you are over 12 when you move over you are exempt from learning Irish, I'm sure someone can verify?). If French is taught as a second language in Canada they would be behind on this also. All this depends on their age, if they are younger it would not be such a worry but if they are in secondary school it could be very tough for them say having to do the Junior Certificate then moving back to Canada and not having a clue of the syllabus.

Good luck with your plans

Hi there!

I would say Galway would be the perfect location to set up. It's a nice sized city, with everthing a young family might need. There are some nice areas to live around the city. You can check www.daft.ie for rental information. It's probably the best website to use. There are a lot of IT companies in or around Galway as well, so you should find a job no problem....but get in there quick, before the economy topples!!! :)

Also as some people mentioned above your wife will need a qualification in the Irish language to teach in a primary school here. As well, there are so many qualified primary school teachers and not enough jobs to match, it's a highly competitive field to get in to. But i suppose your wife will have a few years experience on her side, which will be an advantage.

I do agree with Barry's post above. Many people have this idealistic, perfect view of Ireland and the culture. You might want to come over here on a holiday first and see how you like it, before moving lock stock over and only being disappointed. Sorry this is sounding quite negative...but some of our culture has been killed by the celtic tiger!

Jobs sites you should check:
www.monster.ie<BR>www.jobs.ie<BR>www.fas.ie<BR>

And it looks like paddypackpacker is back talking to me after we kind of crossed swords on the emotive issue of Shannon a while back. Suddenly love has broken out on the Ireland board! I think I'll just go and hug a few random passers by. Thanks for the nice comments everyone...really appreciated!

yeah, it's all forgotten. we can't hold grudges forever can we....even though, i think i was proven right on the whole matter! :)

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>yeah, it's all forgotten. we can't hold grudges forever can we....even though, i think i was proven right on the whole matter! :) <hr></blockquote>

Oh you Irish! I love you just for that attitude! ;-))))

(that's why I never fell out of love with Himself ...)

here are the websites I used to find job & flat in Ireland :

job website : www.thejob.ie<BR>& to find accomodation : www.daft.ie<BR><BR>