Living in Ireland – Beautiful Island

I loved Ireland, especially my life in Dublin, so much that I wrote the post “Living in Ireland, beautiful Island.” It has been a great experience living and working in Dublin.

To travel is beautiful because you get to know other countries, cultures, and people. Well, to live and work in another country is completely different. Getting to know another culture and the people, to learn how things work in another country can be a challenge for some people. Otherwise, it is a great decision to help us to stretch our horizons. It has been a challenge for me, for sure.

An Irish Lady I have been friends with has told me that it takes nearly 4 years to get used to another culture and settle, feeling finally at home. She has lived in Africa for years and has helped people emigrating to Ireland with settling and finding a job by giving them advice.

Working and Living in Ireland

When I made my mind up to move to Dublin in Ireland, I felt really blessed from the start of my decision.

An Irish friend who has lived in Germany moved back home to Dublin to live with her mother and her little daughter, born in Germany. She needed her mother to help her with her daughter because she wanted to restart her work. Her mother minded the little granddaughter. Being a fantastic, helpful friend, she invited me to live with them. I was so grateful! It has been one of the best times of my life! There was not one moment left where I have not enjoyed Dublin and Ireland.

Another friend from Germany traveled with me, accompanied me all the way to Dublin. We drove the car, took the Ferry, and drove in the night through Dublin to get to my friend’s mother’s house. Driving on the left side was a real challenge at that moment. But I always go with God, and I have felt blessed the way from Germany to Ireland, crossing France where we took the ferry from Cherbourg to Rosslare.

All my life, I have been attracted to the northern part of Europe, and I have embraced Ireland so much. Of course, there have also been difficult moments. Life is like that! However, I felt so content in this country that I didn’t have any bad memory of a cold, wet country like others have.

But it hasn’t always been easy. One difficulty has been the registration as a nurse. I am a pediatric nurse and have never been confronted with a registration till then. The first difficulty has been my exam. Having trained to become a pediatric nurse but always worked as a general nurse, I had no experience working as a pediatric nurse in a hospital.

I could only register as a pediatric nurse because of my diploma, but my working experience has been of a general nurse. This fact brought a lot of trouble with it. Finally, I registered as a pediatric nurse but found work in different nursing homes as a general nurse, a perfect way to work a job in my profession. Anyway, my time as a nurse working in a hospital was over, and I have been very disappointed in the beginning and angry about myself.

Why did I not inform myself?

Because I have been quite ignorant of the fact that my profession could be different in Ireland. Stupid! I know! It is all Europe, but not the same!

If you would like to move to another country, I recommend doing your research and inform yourself about what you need to bring with you; skills, profession, and money, before you find out that there is no work for you.

Now, I can laugh about this episode of my life. It is funny that I recommend doing your research, but actually, I would always jump on the train again and see where it will stop. That is me. I love adventures! 🙂

Feeling blessed, I  left Germany without having heavy thoughts. Of course, I had my friend who gave me a hand. Initially, there has been a lot of insecurity due to my new life in Dublin. Still, I made friends very soon with other beautiful people, American, German, Peruvian, and Irish, by joining a church. The Irish are great open-minded people, relaxed and easy-going! I love them!

My Experience in Dublin

The first two weeks of my arrival, the end of the year 2001, have been so calming and beautiful. The winter showed his most beautiful face, frozen temperatures, and sunshine. We have walked a lot along the beach in Portmarnock.

I have taken my car with me to Ireland and felt blessed to drive everywhere where I desired.  This independence gave me so much freedom. But I needed to find work, and it didn’t seem easy in the holiday weeks around Christmas and New Years Day.

In Ireland you need contacts and a good social life will help you to get around. They call it to have Vitamin B.  My friend has talked to a Lady who worked in a garden center, in a restaurant. She offered me a job as a waitress in this restaurant. What an experience? I have never worked before as a waitress. However, when my friend came home this specific evening telling me that she has found a job for me, I felt so blessed. The very next day I went to the restaurant I already have known from my visits to the beautiful garden center.

I remember my colleagues were lovely and helpful, even though I worked very slow, not used to this kind of work. It has been a great and lovely experience so far.

Very soon, I found myself a job via an agency as a care assistant in Beaumont hospital. My registration procedure was still active. My friend helped me to get a job as a care assistant in a nursing home for older people, where she also has worked. I started with working nights, giving me space and time to travel and visit different places in Ireland. I loved it very much! Well, I loved the Irish way of life, so much more relaxing than in Germany.

However, finally, the blessing came in my nurse registration approval, and I could start working as a nurse. Being able to pay my rent for my own apartment and my other expenses, I finally felt like an Irish citizen, paying my taxes, earning my own money. Fantastic!

Luckily, I have a profession that opens doors for me. As a nurse, I can work everywhere. Nurses are desperately needed.

Ireland has welcomed me so much; beautiful people made me feel like being at home.

I loved the country, the language, nature, the cliffs, the beaches, the houses, Dublin. The rain didn’t bother me. It resonated with me very much, what I have never experienced while living in the Netherlands, a completely different country.

I had moments where I missed Germany, my friends, the forest, and life there, but that is normal. We are emotional beings, and we easily complain when we don’t feel in balance. 🙂 But altogether, it has been a beautiful experience feeling like an Irish citizen and living in this beautiful country.

If you are considering to move to Ireland, you could try the Jobs in Ireland – Best jobs Ireland has to offer | IrishJobs.ie

for finding a job.

To find yourself an apartment or a house, you could search this Irish website  Search Ireland’s No. 1 Property Website | Daft. ie

I don’t receive any commission from my recommendations; I just want to give you a hand!

The Art of Living a Free Lifestyle in Ireland

If you have an online business, you can live everywhere. Earning a passive income opens the doors for us to a world where we are our own boss, and making our own decisions based on our heart,  is real financial freedom. How much money we will earn depends on our motivation and willingness on how many hours we will invest in our business. Maybe you would love to look into the chance of setting up an affiliate marketing business that will help you to live a financially free lifestyle.

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There are so many ways of working online from our home. If we search the Internet, we get bombarded with advice and people who want to help us.

Writing content for companies is already a great step to earning money while being at home or everywhere where we have an internet connection. I know a platform where you could find yourself such a job. It is Textbroker.com, and applying with them; you need to send in a text in your language. They are always looking for native speakers.

In Dublin, I have worked mostly nights as a nurse, two nights a week. So I had five days off! Can you imagine having this time off in the week? However, I could only work two nights because I had a well-paid hourly income in Ireland as a nurse. If I needed more income, I have been working for my colleagues when they took their holidays.

For me, it was living a dream. My time off was absolutely quality; walking a lot, driving to other counties, visiting friends, visiting church conferences, bible study, prayer meetings. I had so much time for myself, and I enjoyed every second.

People say that Ireland is expensive, and that is true. Groceries are quite pricey. But if you know how to get around for less money, it is not expensive. I know my places where I could go and get quality products for little money.

Dublin is the capital and not cheap. House prices did jump up at that time, so paying rent was a challenge for many people. But I believed in God and paid my tithes. I have been really blessed throughout my stay in Dublin. And I have learned to trust God what is essential as a believer.

I have great advice for you that helped me very much. Do what the people of a country do.

Ask them about everything, about reducing the living costs; they will help you.

Irish people are helpful! They have helped me so much! And also my friends from other countries were helpful with everything. Ireland is a country for social people who love to be in contact with others. And still, you could spend enough time alone.

Traveling in Ireland – Art of Living?

I  traveled a lot when I have lived in Ireland, but I would say that it is normal if you stay in another country, at least for me. Some friends live abroad and never really investigate the other country.

Owning a car is a plus point to get around, but of course, we can take the bus, the train, the bicycle or walk.  I often went by myself, traveling to Belfast or other counties close to Dublin, but I also took friends with me. It is easy to rent a house or find a room for the night, but I also slept in my car, something that gives me the ultimate free feeling.

However, houses and flats are often furnished, very convenient when you need a place to stay for a longer time. You save money on furniture.

In the time from 2001 to 2005, there has been a boom in building houses in Dublin. The houses are often lovelily furnished, like English cottages. You can find something you like very easily, but the prices at that time went through the roof. I haven’t checked the house’s prices lately, so I am not up to date.

If you love ‘adventures,’ you might want to rent a camper to get around. You feel more independent, and they are actually comfortable. In this manner, you take your house with you. Wild camping in Ireland is still allowed, but it is safer to stay in a special camping place for caravans. I would always prefer to stay in a house or apartment nowadays because I need a kitchen to prepare my food.

Airbnb is an excellent possibility. I have had great experiences in other countries where we stayed in apartments or houses.

In Dublin, I have lived in Howth and Killiney, near Killiney Hill, where prominent Irish Singers have their houses, like  Enya, U2, Sinead O’Connor. I don’t know if they still have their houses there.

My view from my window in the sitting room was stunning; over Dun Laoghaire, I could see the sea. Beautiful! This whole area of Dublin is so lovely.

But I also loved Howth, the cliff walks, the area around the golf hotel where my friends have lived, and the village.

What I love is Irish hospitality. They are open-minded and giving. I love Irish music, and it is so beautiful when you are sitting in a Pub, and some people come in with musical instruments, playing Irish music.

Even though people in the pub don’t know each other, all people are sitting together, chatting, listening, singing, and dancing. That is the Irish way of living, and I have enjoyed it very much.

Final Thought

If you would like to live in another country, there are many possibilities to stay and work. The only thing you need is courage, determination, and motivation. You can always find a job to earn money to pay the rent of a room, studio, apartment, or house. It depends on the job and how much money you want to spend, and how expensive the country of your choice is.

Suppose you have not a problem with the wind and rain you might choose to live in Ireland. It is still not overcrowded, and if you like the landscape and the quietness, you could live in a county like County Clare or Kerry, where you still have beautiful beaches.

However, maybe you prefer it more lively; then,  Dublin or Cork, but also Galway is an excellent choice. The cities offer a social life, where you could be visiting  Theatre or Museums, classical concerts. There are restaurants and cafes you could enjoy.  Life in a city has much to offer while you still can enjoy the nature around the cities.

In Ireland, you will find the Irish art of living and experience the Irish people’s hospitality if you are open-minded. Irish people are great friends. Many artistic people are living in Ireland who try to live themselves.

To travel to Ireland is a beautiful experience. There is still so much nature, the cliffs, and the beaches, the lakes. Someone who loves to feel free will love this country. Nature is amazing!

I would love to hear if you have been to Ireland and what your experiences are. Have you lived in Dublin or another place in Ireland? Please let us know your experiences.

All the best,

Sylvia