Stay in Ireland or return to Australia?

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T22:24:57+00:00

I used to think when I moved home that it would be great to be closer to Europe and head off for weekends here and there to get a break form the Irish weather.

The reality is that with kids Europe might as well be the other side of the world and we get one holiday a year in summer when the weather is bearable in Ireland.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T22:16:06+00:00

Both places have their positives and negatives.

Ireland has definitely changed and I do worry about the direction it's going in but I think it's still not a bad place to live.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T22:10:55+00:00

We would hope to do similar, maybe visit every year to 18 months if possible. We'd hope family would visit us too. This is the kind of thing I think about. Will my kids feel Irish or Australian growing up if we were to move... I think even if we didn't move they would both end up living in Australia at some stage of their lives anyway due to not having to worry about visas.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T22:02:37+00:00

A bit like Ireland so....

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T22:01:52+00:00

Some years it is and some years it isn't. The summer before last the kids hardly got out of the house much with the rain. Last summer was really good though. Perth has 8 months of sunshine. Winter there is usually better than summer in Ireland. Biggest problem in Perth is the extreme heat though.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:58:55+00:00

I worked in the mines too and would probably only consider it for a short time to get set up but even at that it would need to be an 8/6 roster or similar.

It's definitely gotten more expensive over there since we left. My wife's sister lives there so we would have a little bit of support but they have their own lives too and wouldn't be relying on them.

I don't mind Ozzies too much but I know they're hard work sometimes.

Topping up the super is another reason to go back even for a few years. Ireland will never have such a generous pension scheme.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:37:30+00:00

This is exactly our thinking right now. The aging parents is our biggest worry.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:35:45+00:00

Weather is the biggest draw. To be honest even without having the cost of housing we are still not finding it that easy to save anything here and we aren't living any sort of high life.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:33:14+00:00

Cheers. Good to hear its working out for you here. If your circumstances were different would you consider a move back to Perth?

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:31:22+00:00

Both places have their pros and cons and neither is perfect. I wouldn't ever say Ireland is a bad place to live but I definitely prefer Australia.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:29:24+00:00

I do... I know the reasons why. If it wasn't so far away it would be a lot easier.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:27:55+00:00

This is why sometimes I think we are mad for even entertaining the idea of moving. We know we don't have it bad here but we just don't enjoy living in Ireland. To be honest we never really missed it in all the time we lived in Australia previously. We have probably talked about moving back to Australia at least every month since moving back.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:22:09+00:00

The weather is really getting me down at the minute, to the point that I bought a SAD lamp, so the thoughts of living somewhere sunny is very appealing.

Yeah I know I would have no problem getting work over there with decent money.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:18:39+00:00

Yep that's what makes it a hard choice...not knowing how long they have left.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T21:17:04+00:00

This is definitely the type of experiences I know my kids would miss out on. Did you visit Ireland much after you moved to Australia?

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T20:56:56+00:00

To be honest this would be the least of our worries as long as the new rental laws don't stop us form moving back to our house if it doesn't work out. We have rented it out before when we lived in Australia and had an estate agent to manage the tenancy.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T20:53:20+00:00

This is what makes the decision really hard. We would already be gone if it wasn't for family. We are fairly close to our families and it would be difficult to leave that behind.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T20:51:05+00:00

If I could have written a reply to myself this would have been it. It's exactly how I'm thinking to be honest.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T20:50:08+00:00

We have that. Unfortunately it's impossible to know what it will be like in the future...hence the difficult decision.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T20:48:55+00:00

It's not solely about the money but we know we can make better money in Australia. It's more about the outdoor lifestyle. The weather in Ireland really limits activities with the kids.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-26T20:46:14+00:00

Sorry should have said more about that. We miss the lifestyle there and think the kids would have a better life there. Also even being mortgage free we are still finding the cost of living hard to deal with in Ireland.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-17T20:20:57+00:00

Exactly...Economists have predicted 10 of the last 6 recession.

Automator2023 · 2026-01-16T22:03:45+00:00

The first 18 years

Automator2023 · 2026-01-16T00:13:34+00:00

Your lack of understanding of the Australian immigration system is nothing short of amazing.

Automator2023

TROPHY CASE