-Where were you born?

South Africa, Pretoria

-In which country and city are you living now?

Ireland, Dublin

-Are you living alone or with your family?

With my Polish girlfriend

-How long have you been living in Ireland?

Since 2001

-What is your age?

39

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Ireland?

A friend of mine worked in Ireland & the opportunities were much better! As a chef, the pay and hours are very bad in South Africa and I always wanted to live abroad in order to make it easier to travel through Europe; while working on cruise liners I picked up the so-called travel bug...so this suits me just fine.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

Not at the time...but now it's very difficult.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

No, I don't have any. It's not required in Ireland, although it can be expensive if you need treatment.

-How do you make your living in Ireland? Do you have any type of income generated?

My friend worked in a historic house linked with http://www.irelands-blue-book.ie, so I applied. The establishment I applied for made the permit application and through that I was contacted the second time when I returned home for 6 months. The only way it's done is if you get someone to sponsor you...there's no other way.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language? Please add your thoughts on local customs and whether it's important for expats to respect/observe local customs.

Well, it's an English-speaking country...so it's second nature to me.

Same as any other country you go to...respect the local customs and you'll be grand.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

Yes & no...10 years out of the country...this is my home now. But I would like to go see some of the family as I've not been back since 2004.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

Not sure yet, but we are looking at Switzerland for 1-2 years!!

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

Glad I didn't buy when I wanted to...recession & all. We are renting, and it's come down somewhat. A 3-bedroom house with small garden for 1,200 Euro. But having said that, if you live in the countryside, a similar house with a bigger garden would probably come at half the price?!

-What is the cost of living in Ireland?

In Dublin mainly, it is expensive if you are a drinker and don't count your pennies. We go shopping up north often, and even with the cost of the petrol it still saves us money.

-What do you think about the locals? 

Irish have become a bit racist lately...and I don't like the change. But you do get the good ones.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Ireland?

Positives:

Safe, good for golf, friendly people

Negatives:

Expensive all over, weather, jobs not easy to find, and the damn ash cloud

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Ireland?

First come over and decide for yourself.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Ireland?

http://e-edition.metroherald.ie

www.rte.ie

-Where were you born?

Rio, Brazil

-In which country and city are you living now?

Dublin, Ireland

-Are you living alone or with your family?

Alone, with flatmates..

-How long have you been living in Ireland?

11 months

-What is your age?

Just turned 32

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Ireland?

Came here to do a 1 year working holiday type of thing intending to save money and see a bit more of Europe that I didn't get to see in my previous experience here.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

No.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

No, I have it though I've never had to count on it...so I couldn't tell any better.

-How do you make your living in Ireland? Do you have any type of income generated?

Currently working 2 part time jobs as the recession is really punishing this country as far as work vacancies are concerned.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

I dont speak 'Irish' as the bright locals have put it, by that they mean their slang stuff, and not the celtic Irish language which is not spoken by all Irish anyway.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

I miss them all the time now, it's almost a year and I can't stop thinking of going back or to somewhere more like home.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

I will open my own business but at the moment I'm working towards further education; I will definitely settle down as soon as I can. After this experience I don't want to relocate again.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

I house-share with others. The real estate bubble has gone bust and prices have fallen, it's a tenants's market.

-What is the cost of living in Ireland?

I average 800 euro per month just for the basics: housing, food, bills, prepaid mobile, transport.

-What do you think about the Irish?

I absolutely have nothing good to say about them. Hospitality and freindliness in Ireland are a guidebook thing to me. I haven't met one Irish person who is friendly. They are extremely aggressive and rude, they always make clear you know you're a 'f***** foreign'  and they lead a life that makes you feel sorry and wonder how this country is still standing.

There's lots of different nationalities in the city of Dublin and 90% admit they are no longer interested in having any relationship with the Irish. I also had the worst type of experience regarding labour law in Europe. I have also worked in the UK and Spain and have never seen so much disrespect for their own labour laws as I have here. Before anyone argues, I have only worked in Irish companies with Irish bosses.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Ireland?

The positive: with the bubble burst housing price is going down, so those who already have a full time gig will manage to find well cheaper rents, anyway it was real over the top before the crisis. People were paying 400 euro/month to share a tiny bedroom in some city centre flats.

Even with the recession there's still jobs going around though I couldn't really tell how hard it is to get them, it took me some hard work to get my 2 part time ones and they're far from dream jobs. 

City center is quite easy to learn and get by...there's lots of offers on Ryanair to fly to other European locations...summertime does bring you nice sunny days...i like the tram.

Negative: Irish people, Irish services, dirty streets, aggressive Irish people, some prices still over inflated, bad weather most of the time (but that shouldn't count as this has always been this way, right), very boring, there isn't much outdoor activity for obvious reasons, the general mood here is one stressed out mood.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Ireland?

I would recommend not coming here unless you already have a job/friends here. It's expensive and hard to get a job right now. I don't intend to return here after I leave.

-Where were you born?

Madrid, Spain.

-In which country and city are you living now?

Dublin, Ireland.

-Are you living alone or with your family?

I'm living with my boyfriend.

-How long have you been living in Ireland?

3 years.

-What is your age?

35 years old.

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Ireland?

During 2005, we were very upset with the job situation in Spain (too many working hours, low salaries, poor benefits...) and when we tried to start our company, it was a disaster (huge taxes, lots of bureaucracy...) so when my boyfriend got a good job in Dublin, we made up our minds, closed our own company and moved to Ireland.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

As European Citizens, we don't need any visa or work permit for working and living in Ireland.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

Not really because both our jobs have medical insurance (it's one of the benefits).

-How do you make your living in Ireland? Do you have any type of income generated?

My boyfriend got his job while still in Spain, in an IT company; however, I was searching for a job for about four months in Dublin.

When I  was searching for a job I brought my CV to all the recruitment agencies that I could find but I didn't get anything in that way. At the same time, I was applying to several jobs by Internet (websites like: www.jobs.ie and www.irishjobs.ie) and almost every day I usually received some phone calls or interviews.

Nevertheless, I also found out some differences between Ireland and Spain in jobs application process. For example, in Spain you usually send a very complete CV to all the vacancies; but not here, unless you want to lose the job because you're overqualified.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?  

You must be able to understand, speak and write in English. English is the official language although you can find many Spanish people not only in Dublin. There are many languages schools although there is not any free classes.

In the public libraries (www.dublincitypubliclibraries.ie) you can find, apart from learning books, DVD's and some conversation exchanges. Needless to say, many of the Spanish people who come to Ireland want to improve their English but, sadly, some people just don't  and they prefer to speak always in Spanish. It's easier but very sad because they don't give themselves any chance to meet Irish or other foreigners.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes? Describe your favourite recreational activities there or those that are available.

Of course I miss friends and relatives sometimes but I keep in touch with them by email, phone, facebook and so on. There is also a big Spanish community in Dublin (http://spaniards.es) and there are meetings once per month.

Dublin is not a big city like Madrid or London, but there are many gigs that you can attend, some theatres, nice and inexpensive restaurants and so on, however, there are only a few cinemas.  If you like European or Asian movies you could join the Irish Film Institute (for about 20 Euros per year): (http://www.ifi.ie) and if you prefer commercial movies, you could get the Unlimited card (http://www.cineworld.ie/unlimited), with it you can go every time you want to a multi cinema for only 19.99 Euros per month.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

Since the recession is hitting Ireland hard, my boyfriend and I are thinking about moving on to a different country. Maybe just for a couple of years, I don't know.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

We're renting a two-bedroom apartment in Dublin 4. Our rental is very expensive but the contract was made last year (rents were very expensive then but now they are much cheaper).

-What is the cost of living in Ireland?

Dublin is very expensive. It's as expensive as Madrid and now it's getting worse every day. The taxes are getting high as well.

-What do you think about the Irish?

Generally speaking, Irish people are friendly and warm.  They are quite open with foreigners because they used to be immigrants as well. However, they don't like people that don't want to learn English or not to integrate.

In my opinion, it's easy to get along with them but you need time to become friends. When you have an Irish friend, he's a true one.

The only thing that surprised me is not many of them have hobbies (they only live for working, drinking in the pub, go shopping,..) but when you find an Irish guy with hobbies, he or she usually is a very interesting person.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Ireland?

Positive things: Dublin and Ireland in general is a very safe place for travelling and living. The countryside is impressive. They have a very relaxed way of life.

Negative things: Dublin is a small city so the cultural offerings are few.  The public transport is not very good and doesn't go to everywhere. It's very expensive, too.  And, of course, the weather!

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Ireland?

If you want to come to Ireland, I'd recommend you to learn English and save money before coming. The recession is hitting hard in Ireland at the moment, so there are not a lot of job offers. However, it's beautiful country and it's worth seeing it.

-Do you have any favourite Web sites or blogs about Ireland?

Spaniards:  Spanish abroad forum: http://spaniards.es
Easyexpat: http://www.easyexpat.com
A place to call my own: http://blog.crisopeya.eu -- My personal diary.

-Where were you born?

USA

-In which country and city are you living now?

Northern Ireland

-Are you living alone or with your family?

Living with family

-How long have you been living in Northern Ireland?

15 years

-What is your age?

41

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Northern Ireland?

I wanted to come to Northern Ireland for my postgraduate studies. I happened to find my ultimate spouse, and we decided to stay.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a work permit?

To get a student visa, no (if you're able to financially support yourself while in the UK). Upon marriage, an Irish passport was straightforward, but the UK is being awkward about me changing my status from student to dependent of a UK citizen; I've since abandoned any desire for a British passport.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

All non-tourists are covered under the UK's National Health Service; non issue.

-How do you make your living in Northern Ireland? Do you have any type of income generated?

Full-time employed as Director of a non-profit organisation.

Gaining full-time employment is very difficult for non-EU nationals. It is as difficult for non-EU nationals to be employed in the UK as it is for EU nationals to be employed in the USA. There's no "right" for non-EU nationals for any job in the EU.

I gained my employment through replying to newspaper advertisements. However, the job application in Northern Ireland is the most bureaucratic I have ever known, worse than in Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland.

-Do you speak the local language and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

Yes, I speak English, the local language. The idioms are different, of course. I believe it is useful to learn them and use them appropriately. But this takes time, for me, about two years to figure out.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes? Describe your favorite recreational activities there or those that are available.

No, I don't really miss home. But I do miss seeing my relatives. I get back to America about once or twice a year.

My favourite recreational activities are running and photography, which I can pretty much do anywhere in the world.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

No drastic plans for the future. Just working to make Northern Ireland a cohesive society.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

We have a mortgage for our home. Housing is relatively expensive here, partly due to higher population densities, but I blame the complete lack of planning, which causes excessive speculation during booms. Northern Ireland had one for about 13 years. Even in the current downturn, housing is too expensive; two working incomes are required for a modest house. The price for an average sized, two-bedroom house would be about £160,000 (or $220,000).

-What is the cost of living in Northern Ireland?

As I like to say, in America everything costs less, but you pay for everything (like health insurance and university fees). Higher taxes here cover more essential costs, but luxuries here cost more (cars, appliances). Less conspicuous consumption, yet people enjoy going on holidays abroad more often here (including me).

-What do you think about the locals? 

Locals are very friendly, with a dark sense of humour. You need to adapt to their sense of sarcasm.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Northern Ireland?

Positively, Northern Ireland is a beautiful place with friendly people. Cost of living higher than America, but less than surrounding areas of Ireland and Great Britain.

Negatively, the lack of political leadership can be infuriating. Decisions can take 5-10 years to make. Media is pretty pathetic too, with the local news usually just reporting the police incident sheet (burglaries, car accidents) and rarely being investigative or challenging the status quo.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Northern Ireland?

For Northern Ireland, do not present yourself as if you fully understand the political situation, even if you know it well enough. People are content with their identities, and no one would appreciate being queried about who they are.

More practically, don't walk around wearing blue jeans and white trainers (tennis shoes): you'll immediately stick out as a tourist!

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Northern Ireland?

Mr Ulster takes a positive outlook on Northern Ireland politics and its future:
http://mrulster.org

Northern Ireland Foundation is working for a shared and better future:
http://nifoundation.org

Slugger O'Toole is a popular site of the whole spectrum of political opinion:
http://www.sluggerotoole.com