Life in Ireland by Male

Hello everyone!

My name is Malena, I’m from Argentina but I lived in Dublin, Ireland for two years and a half. I’m in Poland at the moment teaching English at Sophies Holmes- Meet the World.

In this article, I want to share my experience in Ireland: the culture, the weather, the English accent, and so on.

Let’s begin!

I moved to Ireland in 2018 as an AuPair, for those who are unfamiliar with the term, AuPair means to work as a nanny. I worked and lived with an Irish family for nine months. It was a lifetime experience. I felt very welcomed and comfy from the beginning.

What I loved the most about living with an Irish family, it’s that I got in touch with the culture as soon as I arrived in Ireland. I started to have dinner at 18 instead of 22 at night as I used to in Argentina.

After nine months working as an AuPair, I changed my job and started to work in an office. I worked as a content moderator for a year and a half.

Irish weather is windy, rainy, and cloudy. However, I enjoyed amazing sunny days going to the beach, doing road trips with friends, cycling around the city, and so on.

The best trick to enjoy Irish weather is to wear proper clothes, which means, raincoat, waterproof trousers, waterproof shoes, gloves, and a hat. there’s no need for an umbrella given it’s too windy. So, you better have a hood in your jacket.

In my experience, I didn’t know how to dress up at the beginning, I arrived from a South American summer to a European one, so, it was cold for me but after few weeks I started to warm up and get used to the weather.

During summer, I was surprised by how late the sun was out! In Argentina, the sun comes out at around 6 or 8 in the morning (depending on the season) and the sunset is always between 7 and 9 in the evening. In Ireland, during summer, the sun comes out at 4.30 am and the sunset is around 12 pm. I mean, WHAT? I can´t have dinner while the sun is shinning…

Anyways, don’t let the weather ruins your trip and keep in mind, Ireland won’t be Ireland without its rain… The island is known for its green landscapes, so enjoy the weather, enjoy the culture and enjoy a good hike in Wicklow!

Let´s say that Irish are fun, they love to hang out with friends in a pub and enjoy a pint while listening to live music. Beer and whisky are words that describe Irish culture, so don’t be surprised if you are invited for a beer at 14 or 16 pm.

Regarding locals, I have never met such friendly, kind, and lovely people. Irish are very generous and helpful, they love people who are interested in their culture and history. Although they are a conservative country, they are open-minded, at least, the new generations or the ones I met.

Dublin culture

When it comes to the city center, you will find a melting pot. Many people from South America, as well as from Spain, France, Italy, and Poland are emigrating to Dublin. So, though you still will find the typical Irish pub, you’ll see many foreigners and even tourists from the United States. 

Something I can’t deny is that even though Dublin is a “small” city, it’s always crowded. Walking on Grafton Street, where all the top brands shops are, won’t be nice if you are in a hurry even on a Tuesday afternoon. 

A piece of advice, if you want to explore more Irish culture, go beyond Dublin. Visit Cork, Galway, Donegal. Those cities are big, beautiful, and with a particular Irish style. 

Cork is one the biggest cities of the Republic of Ireland after Dublin; Galway is another major and typical Irish city; and Donegal, knowing that part of its county belongs to the UK, has a strong Irish feeling and worthy landscapes. 

What I found difficult was the Irish accent. Even today I have some difficulties understanding some people. With time I learned some vocabulary and phrases, I have to say they are very funny.

• What´s the CRAIC? (How are you? How´s things going? What´s up?)
• That´s GRAND (That´s fine, you´re ok)
• HOWAYA? (How are you?)

Pronunciation tip: the U in the Irish accent is pronounced as O, for example, instead of saying DAblin (UK English) they’ll say DOblin (Dublin), or instead of saying BAs (bus) they say BOs.

I think this pronunciation tip is very useful because you might not understand them the first time or you won’t get what they mean.

I used to wake up early in the morning, do some computer jobs like writing, or study for my CELT certification (Certificate in English Language Teaching), I used to go to pilates or dance lessons.

I started work at 12.30 pm, I went by bike so I started cycling at around 11.30 pm and arrived half an hour before my shift started in order to have a shower and get ready after cycling.

After work, I cycled back home, had dinner, and went to bed. Sometimes I read or watched a movie or a series.

During weekends, I was exploring around the city or the country! I used to cycle 45 km every Saturday and every Sunday to visit some places in Dublin or I rented a car with friends and went to spend a lovely weekend outside Dublin. I’ve been everywhere in Ireland but Cork and Kerry.

I hope you enjoyed this article. I highly recommend this beautiful, green island surrounded by the ocean. Have a lovely day!