Relocating to Dublin
Moving to Dublin from Canada places you in a small town feel that happens to be the Silicon Valley of Europe. It is European headquarters for Apple,Facebook, Google, Linkedin and more.A fundamentally English environment, BREXIT implications, its respected top caliber universities and low cost flights supplied by the Irish based Ryan Air, have made Dublin a multinational hub for businesses. The financial implications of this success have certainly driven up the cost of living in Dublin but that natural Irish love of life offsets what other cities with similar high costs experience. For example, the local police are called Gardaí (i.e. short for Guardians of the Peace), they accept and support strict gun laws, the local pub often sees people buying rounds rather than running individual tabs, folks notice each other and frequently share a cup of tea along with local gossip. You feel safe in ways unfamiliar to North Americans.Located between the sea and the mountains there are constant reminders for the need to balance work life with day trips to experience nature. Social life revolves around sharing at the local pub and cheap weekend visits to close by European cities. Another balance North Americans seldom see.
Windy and rainy days dominate the winter. A third of each years days are rainy and many are windy. Moving to Dublin usually sees possessions go via container across the Atlantic. In winter it can be problematic for things like lacquer finished furniture or oil paintings and securely packing the container more important to deal with the shifting caused by the winter oceans and Atlantic winds.
Dublin is safe. Ireland was 3rd among the safest countries (i.e. behind Iceland and New Zealand) in a recent worldwide ranking. Surveys of tourists and residents consistently show the vast majority of people felt safe walking through the city at night.
Coordinating your move in, registering for your PPS card ( a Personal Public Service number is used for tax purposes, healthcare services, get a drivers license, etc), open a bank account and all the other things part of living in any city, make having a cell phone number already established a real benefit.
The Irish do speak English, along with Irish. Irish names can be difficult to pronounce and the Irish accent takes a bit to get used to. Irish phrases bleed into daily conversation. It takes awhile for the Irishisms to fit into understanding. Until then Bekins is here to help those moving to Dublin.
To make a call to Dublin:
• Dial 011 (outside North America)
• Dial 353 (code for Ireland)
• Dial 1 (Dublin area code)
• Dial the local phone number
In Ireland use 112 or 999
for emergency calls