Moving Abroad: A Personal Journey to Ireland
I first fell in love with the idea of moving abroad five years ago after spending a semester in England. I met incredible people, tried new things, and focused on what I wanted most out of life while temporarily letting go of everything stressing me out at home. But after I returned to the US, the stress came back, and I realized I’d do anything to make my dream of living abroad a reality.
Picking up and moving to Ireland rather spontaneously a few years later has presented many challenges, but I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Here are some of the things that surprised me when I first got to Ireland. From the Irish names that no one outside of Ireland can ever seem to pronounce to the varied accents that I need live subtitles to understand, it’s been a real personal journey getting where I am today with Irishisms.
Irish Language and Slang
I thought a lot of the phrases in Ireland would be similar to what I heard in the UK. But the Irish have their own national language, and it tends to bleed into everyday conversational English. For instance, the national police force is called An Garda Síochána, which translates to “Guardians of the Peace,” and officers are referred to as the Gardaí. To better explain the complexities of Irish slang, here’s an actual conversation that occurred in my group chat when I first moved:
Person 1: “Are you coming out with us tonight or not?”
Person 2: “Sure look, put me down, I’ll pop along. And I better not get the vid of anyone. Scooops! Also shurrup, Person 1, ya bleedin’ tick.”
They had me in the first sentence. After that, I was frantically and unsuccessfully searching through Irish pages on Urban Dictionary. But I knew I finally adapted to the language when I found the words “thanks a million” (or “thanks a mil”) and “bye bye bye … bye bye bye bye” after any phone call slipping off my tongue.
Exploring Ireland
Ireland is home to RyanAir, meaning we have cheap flights to nearly any European destination at our fingertips. This results in the urge to take a weekend abroad as often as possible. Ireland itself is also packed to the brim with stunning natural landscapes. Although the Republic of Ireland is pretty small — it’s a little smaller than the state of Indiana — its 26 counties all vary greatly from each other, leaving many wonders to explore.
Trek the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher in County Clare; explore the Neolithic monument, Newgrange, in County Meath; and spend a week (or a lifetime) in my favorite part of the country, County Kerry, while driving through the spectacular Dingle Peninsula.
Irish Lifestyle and Culture
The Irish pride themselves on being “great craic” (fun), but, unfortunately, this way of life often leads to losing track of time. If you find yourself perpetually late to everything, you’ll feel right at home in Ireland. If not, prepare to spend long stretches of time staring at your phone while waiting for your mates.
Although it’s been an adjustment, unpredictability is what makes Ireland feel like things are still run by people, not by algorithms and advancement. It’s precisely what makes a tremendous difference in the overall work-life balance here compared to the US, where my life constantly revolved around work schedules, promotions, and little time off.
In Ireland, pubs are more than just places to have a pint of Guinness. They’re more like a community center where people go to meet and catch up with old friends, have a hearty meal, sing along to live traditional music, and catch an Irish jig. Sharing is caring here in Ireland.
I’ve never considered myself much of a drinker. In the US, I would go out maybe once or twice a month. But my alcohol consumption has definitely increased since living in Ireland because socializing here often happens exclusively at the pub. Despite being the capital city of Ireland and housing a lot of the country’s population, Dublin has a small-town atmosphere.
I’ll never forget the first day I moved into my house. I was waiting outside in the rain with my luggage for my landlady, and my next-door neighbors ushered me in and carried my luggage into their house. After offering me several cups of tea (which I naively declined), we chatted in their sitting room until my landlady arrived.
Life in Ireland
From the small-town feel to the unique cultural traditions, living in Ireland has been a truly eye-opening experience. The country’s
