How does Dublin compare to London?

[georgina3]

Hi all! I joined Teleport because of the uncertainty regarding my UK residency after Brexit, and Dublin was one of my top matches. I've never even been to Dublin, so I figured I'd ask here for advice.

First of all, how different and/or similar is Dublin compared to London? I don't mind the smaller size, but I'm curious about the tech industry (I'm currently working as a data analyst) as well as how international and diverse the city is.

Are there any other pros or cons I should know about (not necessarily compared to London)? I don't really know what to expect, so it would be great to hear about your experiences living there

Thanks,
Georgina

[Joao_Martinho]

Hi,

It's pretty small compared to London. I mean, London has more population than many countries, while Dublin is roughly 1.5 million people if you take into account the commuter areas around. This has an impact in the number of events available and the sort of buzz that goes with it (coming from somebody that has never lived in London).
The tech scene is alive and well. Plenty of job opportunities, good salaries and benefits and some startups too, if you're into that.
The transports are not great, there's only Dublin Bus, Luas and 3 train lines into the city. If you're gonna be going from one suburb to another everything pretty much comes through the city centre which is a pain.
As for your other question about diversity, I live in the city centre and sometimes is hard to hear English. Plenty of Spanish, Italian, Brazilian people around. Polish community is big too, but usually are more established. The younger crowds come mostly from the aforementioned countries. Maybe years ago Dublin was more secluded and was mostly Irish people but nowadays it's got the feeling of any other European capital.

Hope it helps,
João

[Garrett_Burns]

One major difference is healthcare. The Irish system is almost identical to the US system, with public coverage for the old and less well off. Everyone else needs private insurance, which often doesn't cover most consultant-level bills or procedures--so bills can pile up quickly. This can be a major shock if you're used to the NHS free-at-the-point of service system, but it is speedier and more flexible than the NHS in the Irish private system.

Bureaucracy in Ireland can often be exasperatingly opaque and incoherent compared to other northern European countries, so you might need to steel your nerves when dealing with public servants who give you different answers to the same question.

The other major cultural difference is that people in Dublin are more flexible and spontaneous than London. Often you don't make definitive plans till the last minute, and it's totally acceptable to flake out of arrangements last-minute -- something which would make you persona non grata in London.

Public transport could be improved (and is being improved) so it's best to live within walking distance of your workplace.

Overall though, Dublin is a lot more liveable as a city with cheap taxis and the kind of 24hr deli supermarkets you usually find in the US rather than the UK.

[Paul_Michael_Watson]

Tldr; If you got on fine in London then you'll get on fine in Dublin.

I am a web-developer from Cape Town, South Africa and have been living in Ireland for 11 years, the last 5 in Killester in Dublin. I am mid-30s, my partner is Irish, and we have 2 young children so my perspective of Dublin is shaped by this. I lived in London for a few months in my early twenties and visited it regularly.

There is a good tech community in Dublin and plenty of jobs. It is smaller than London and you will get to meet and know the community quite well. The leaders are accessible and very giving. There are overlapping meetups every evening of the week across all areas of tech. Google, Facebook, AirBnB, and many other multi-national tech firms have their EMEA HQ here and they get involved in the local tech community. It is an alcohol centred culture though so events are often in pubs or have free beer.

The Irish culture is friendly and robust which also means you can't be thin skinned. Having an Irish friend, not acquaintance, already helps a lot. I had two children with one which really opens doors into the heart of Irish culture. Without it you will find the Irish friendly up to a point and then you are unintentionally excluded. This is purely related to personal relationships. Business relationships are very open here and there are many multi-cultural partnerships.

Being from South Africa I find the diversity lacking but at the same time there is a good percentage from outside of Ireland. Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Syrian, Iranian, English, Polish, Scottish, Welsh, Croatian, Spanish, Lithuanian, Estonian, Ukrainian, Brazilian, Canadians, and people from the USA amongst other nationalities. Caucasians do dominate though. Gender diversity is still a challenge. The LGBTQA community has improved dramatically especially with the passing of same-sex marriage in recent years. It's not perfect but it is better than many other cities.

There is a housing and office shortage though which means rents are high in the Dublin county. Though London is still more expensive even with BREXIT. I pay €1475 a month for a 3 bed town house near the DART (commuter rail) which gives me 10 minute access to the city centre. I would highly recommend living near the DART.

I would recommend Dublin over London personally. The size is Goldilocks, just right, the tech community is booming, you have easy access to London and the rest of Europe as well as North America. A short walk and you are at the beach, a 30 minute drive and you are in the countryside. There are festivals, conferences, film, music, and art events, international tech leaders visit often, and the Guinness is good.

[Paddy_Walsh]

Have you looked into Galway, or does it have to be Dublin?