I received a huge amount of support and excellent advice when moving from London to Dublin. Some of this has stuck with me and I thought might be helpful to share:

  • Firstly, it’s good to know that moving to Ireland is protected from Brexit in a different way to other countries: “The UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU) will not affect the rights of Irish citizens and UK citizens within the Common Travel Area” (1922) citizensinformation.ie. Essentially, as far as anyone knows, Brexit will not affect residential status of citizens from the UK/Ireland living abroad in the UK/Ireland. ¯\(ツ)/¯.
  • Banking:
    • I use Revolut and it has been great.
    • Once you have a residential address you can get a local bank account online using your passport, e.g. a “Basic Bank Account” with AIB.
  • Housing:
    • Unfortunately, just like London, the Dublin rental market is very expensive and properties get snapped up quickly.
    • Keep in mind that Dublin is fairly walkable so a 30 min walk to work might be ok and will likely save you a fair bit.
    • …On the plus side there is no council tax in Ireland.
  • Public transport:
    • Get a Leap Card (Oyster equivalent).
    • Buses will generally cost you €2.25 for a fare within the city limits dublinbus.ie.
    • The Dublin Bus app works reasonably well, giving “real time” arrival estimates.
    • There is a tram (“Luas”) which serves much of the city.
    • Dublin Bikes is cheaper than London’s bike share system. It’s worth brushing up on the Irish Rules of the Road before cycling.
  • Health Insurance:
    • Ireland has a public health system for anyone “ordinarily resident” and the Common Travel Area agreements also guarantee access to healthcare for UK citizens. I’m not sure how this fully plays out though.
    • About half the Irish population holds private health insurance; this is primarily due to long waitlists for the public system.
    • It is important to note that pre-existing conditions are commonly excluded from insurance for up to five years.
    • To make matters worse in this regard, it is common for waiting lists for specialist referrals to take over 52 weeks … yep you might be waiting for a year or more, so it’s worth finding out if your prospective employer will provide health insurance.
  • Community:
    • Moving country can be isolating - I found the advice of one friend to “Do it now!” extremely helpful. I was struck by their story of moving countries and how engaging with their community versus waiting to fully settle in significantly impacted their time there. The point was “Do not put off engaging with your next community of friends”.
    • Find your people - they exist! The Meetup app is a good way to go.
    • Social dancing is a great way to meet people, especially other people new to Dublin, and can be found across the city. I must recommend Mind The Step.
    • I used to referee for roller derby teams in London so looked up the local team in Dublin (https://www.dublinrollerderby.com)[Dublin Roller Derby]. I found them really welcoming and there are roles in the league for both skaters and non-skaters.
    • Fancy a coffee? Hit me up on LinkedIn.