Living in Ireland

Living in Ireland

Introduction:

Ireland also known as the Republic of Ireland is a country in north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the eastern side of the island. Around a third of the country’s population of 4.9 million people resides in the greater Dublin area. Ireland ranks among the top ten wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita, and as the tenth most prosperous country in the world according to The Legatum Prosperity Index 2015

Economy:

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy. It was among the initial group of 12 EU nations that began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002. GDP growth averaged 6% in 1995-2007, but economic activity dropped sharply during the world financial crisis and the subsequent collapse of its domestic property market and construction industry during 2008-11. The Irish economy continued to grow in 2017 and is forecast to do so through 2019, supported by a strong export sector, robust job growth, and low inflation, to the point that the Government must now address concerns about overheating and potential loss of competitiveness. The greatest risks to the economy are the UK’s scheduled departure from the European Union (“Brexit”) on March 2019, possible changes to international taxation policies that could affect Ireland’s revenues, and global trade

Climate:

Ireland has a mild but changeable oceanic climate with few extremes. The climate is typically insular and is temperate, avoiding the extremes in temperature of many other areas in the world at similar latitudes. Rain falls throughout the year but is light overall, particularly in the east. Inland areas are warmer in summer and colder in winter. Usually, around 40 days of the year are below freezing 0 °C (32 °F) at inland weather stations, compared to 10 days at coastal stations. Rainfall is more prevalent during winter months and less so during the early months of summer

Currency:

Ireland adopted the euro currency in 2002 along with eleven other EU member states

Notes are €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200 and €500. Coins are 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, €1 and €2.

Remember, higher denomination notes such as €100, €200 and €500 will not normally be accepted in retail outlets, so bring cash in lower denominations when you’re coming to Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the pound sterling is the local currency. One pound sterling consists of 100 pence.

Credit and debit cards

Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted throughout the island of Ireland; American Express is accepted in some places but not all. Credit cards can be used for purchases and also to withdraw cash from ATMs (although this usually is accompanied by a fee)

Banking services

Banks in Ireland generally open around 9.30 am and close about 4.30 pm Monday through Friday; 5 pm on Thursday. Selected banks may open on Saturday mornings

Capital:

Dublin is the capital and the largest city in Ireland. As of 2018, the city was listed by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) as a global city, with a ranking of “Alpha −”, which places it amongst the top thirty cities in the world. Dublin is the largest center of education in Ireland and is home to four universities and several other higher education institutions. The University of Dublin is the oldest university in Ireland, dating from the 16th century, Trinity College (TCD), was established by Royal Charter in 1592 under Elizabeth I. The National University of Ireland (NUI) has its seat in Dublin, which is also the location of the associated constituent university of University College Dublin (UCD), which has over 30,000 students. Dublin is also home to the Royal Irish Academy, membership of which is considered Ireland’s highest academic honor

Sports:

Gaelic football and hurling are the traditional sports of Ireland as well as the most popular spectator sports. Soccer is the third most popular spectator sport and has the highest level of participation. The success of the Irish Cricket Team in the 2007 Cricket World Cup has led to an increase in the popularity of cricket, which is also administered on an all-Ireland basis by Cricket Ireland. Golf is another popular sport in Ireland, with over 300 courses countrywide

Transportation:

The road network in Ireland is primarily focused on Dublin. The M50 motorway, a semi-ring road that runs around the south, west, and north of the city, connects important national primary routes to the rest of the country. Dublin is served by a network of nearly 200 bus routes that cover the city and suburbs. The majority of these are provided by Dublin Bus, with a modest number having been transferred to Go-Ahead Ireland in 2018, but several smaller companies also operate. Dublin once had an extensive system of trams but this was largely phased out by 1949. A new light rail system often described as a tram system, the Luas, was launched in 2004 and is run by Transdev Ireland. A metro service is proposed under the name of Metrolink, and planned to run from Dublin’s northside to Sandyford via Dublin Airport and St. Stephen’s Green, with construction projected to start after 2021. In 2014, Dublin Airport was the 18th busiest airport in Europe, serving over 21 million passengers.

Education:

Ireland has three levels of education: primary, secondary and higher education. The education systems are largely under the direction of the Government via the Minister for Education and Skills. There are approximately 3,300 primary schools in Ireland. Also, 37 percent of Ireland’s population has a university or college degree, which is among the highest percentages in the world.

To know more about the education system in Ireland, click here

Top cities:

Some of the top cities in Ireland are as below

Dublin

Galway

Cork

Limerick

Belfast