I’m headed back from my first few months in Ireland - here’s how we got here, and what we’ve been up to!
Heritage
In reference to my heritage, I’m likely somewhat less than 1/4 Irish. I do however, like many, attribute some of my family roots to the Emerald Isle. As the story goes, members of Clan Conan departed Ireland during the Great Hunger, sometime in the mid-19th century, and landed in Canada. Attempts to trace the family tree back to a village or town of origin in Ireland have been historically unsuccessful, but it’s a pursuit I’m considering revisiting during my time living in-country.
Quarters
I’m writing this entry on a flight back to the United States just over 3 months (1 quarter for those counting) after picking up and moving to Dublin back in September. I’ve never been one to blog and it has been years since I’ve been particularly active on social media, but during this interesting and unique period of my life I thought it would be helpful to record a few thoughts and experiences from across the pond.
Background
Moving to Ireland this year is the actualisation of many dreams and plans over the past decade. During my time at Oregon State University studying accounting and interviewing with the firms, I met a number of PwC staff who had participated in the firm’s “Global Mobility” program - an opportunity to transfer to PwC in another country for 2-3 years to live and work abroad. The potential for this experience was one motivating factor in joining a Big 4 firm and staying over the last 6+ years. The excitement about this type of opportunity grew significantly after Marisa and I did international exchange programs with the business school in our final year, studying in Norway and Spain, respectively.
After conversations, opportunities, applications and rejections in Bermuda, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK over almost 4 years, I finally was approved for secondment in the PwC Ireland Data & Analytics practice based in Dublin. Thankfully, Marisa works remote (often with colleagues in the UK) and Intel has operations in Ireland which made it feasible to transfer her over as well.
Moving
Transplanting our lives from Tigard to Dublin was a bit of a process. While we’ve taken a few calculated steps to avoid additional barriers like waiting to get a dog (sorry Marisa) and finding a home for our foster cat (thanks Anna), our roots at home run pretty deep. Besides a lifetime of family and friends in the Portland area, we had to donate, sell, store or ship a house full of stuff (minimalism hasn’t caught on in our family); rent out our home; sell our cars and spend a few weeks between our parents’ homes making final preparations to leave.
Once we made it to Ireland, but for the stress of our house taking 2 months to rent, things were pretty smooth. Despite one of the worst housing markets in Europe, we found an amazing spot within a few days (and below our budget). Despite significant backups at the residency office, we were able to get an appointment within a few weeks, which would become important once we learned Marisa couldn’t start work without her stamp. Despite Ireland being a particularly non-religious country (interesting given its history, more on that another time), we visited a church on day 3 in the country that welcomed us warmly into their community and is everything we were looking for.
Exploring
It’s no secret that the Irish love to chat. In particular, the Irish love to complain about the weather. Now winter has only begun, and we’ve certainly had a few rainy days, but by and large the weather has been grand*.
*Irish vocabulary note: The term “grand” is not used to mean grandiose or even great.
I’d say the best American equivalent would be “fine” - “How are you?”, “Ah I’m grand thanks”.
In general, the weather has been pretty dry and mostly comfortable temperatures, which has given us plenty of time to explore.
As we’ve been getting established in Dublin, and knowing we have years ahead to see the country and continent, we’ve spent much of our time exploring the city and surrounding towns. A few highlights to recommend:
- Coastal Towns: up and down the coast of County Dublin, and easily accessible by train, are loads of cute coast towns with nice hikes (cliff walks), views, restaurants and (of course) pubs. We’ve made it to Bray, Howth, and Malahide so far, and have many more to explore. If you’re up for a popular Irish pastime (and a shock to the system), bring a towel (or dry robe) and go for a (sea) swim - and don’t forget to tell your friends that you did afterwards.
- City Parks: there are some great parks in Dublin - Phoenix Park to the west, St. Anne’s Park just north, and Bushy Park a bit south have been some of our favourites. Most have activities (Tennis in Bushy and St. Anne’s, the Zoo in Phoenix) and local food options as well. Show up at half 9 on a Saturday morning in one of probably 20 parks around town and you can join a casual 5k with Parkrun.
- Pubs: it is Ireland right? A few things we’ve learned:
- Most pubs don’t serve food, or at least food worth eating. Eat something before you go to the pub, (and/)or plan for some late night take-away from one of the many pizza, kebab and burger places nearby
- Pubs get busy. Especially when there are major events or matches. Thankfully, many pubs offer table reservations if you’re willing to plan ahead - especially helpful if you have a larger group.
- Plan for live music. While most pubs have live music, it’s generally only certain nights and starts a bit later in the evening. If you’d like to hear someone play live at the pub (which I’d highly recommend), look online ahead of time to see when they’ll have music and if you need to buy tickets.
- Have fun! If you’re feeling competitive and in the mood for some craic, do your best to “split the G” - sip your Guiness down to the middle of the “G” in the Guiness logo in 1 go!
Christmas
The Irish love Christmas. Enter a pub any December night and you’ll find a swath of Christmas jumpers; “Fairytale of New York” played on repeat (especially as Shane McGowan passed away this year); and a mix of games, challenges, and sobriety levels depending on which of the “12 Pubs of Christmas” the group is on.
We’ve loved experiencing Dublin for the early weeks of the Christmas season, but We’re also quite excited to be home in Portland with friends and family for the holidays this year.
Next Time
In the new year, I’ll plan to blog a bit about the experiences at work, making friends, and starting to travel Europe - especially with what is looking to be a quite favourable snow year for the Alpes.
Until then, cheers!