Moving to Ireland
Until recently Ireland and its capital Dublin was the unlikely Cinderella success story of Europe and a wave of potential Ireland expat suitors lined up trying to get a piece of its growing economy. Yet of late Ireland's storied economy proved to be a too-good-to-be-true fairy tale without a happy ending.
From 1995 to 2007 Ireland enjoyed enviable economic growth becoming one of the wealthiest countries in Europe and earning the moniker Celtic Tiger. Ireland became a sudden expat hot spot and global player. Yet, even quicker than its sudden rise was its recent economic collapse. With the worldwide recession and the resounding pop of Ireland's huge property bubble, Ireland's shrinking economy has fared worse than many others.
A lasting effect of the economic success is the wave of multinational companies that relocated to Ireland. Lured by low business taxes, EU status and comparatively low wages, many American companies set up European hubs and even more contributed through direct investment. Perhaps surprisingly, Ireland has stronger economic ties to the US than the UK with nearly 500 US companies located there. A wave of American and British expats headed to Ireland and many remain although newly arriving expats in Ireland have to fight through an unemployment line of ten percent.
However, grey forecasts, economic or otherwise, haven't kept expats out of Ireland who see a relaxed way of life and prospects for job growth. For how much clout the Irish have around the world, people forget the Island is home to only four million people, about half as many as New York City proper. This charming and resilient culture and strong ties to overseas companies continue to make Ireland a welcome job posting and expat destination.
From 1995 to 2007 Ireland enjoyed enviable economic growth becoming one of the wealthiest countries in Europe and earning the moniker Celtic Tiger. Ireland became a sudden expat hot spot and global player. Yet, even quicker than its sudden rise was its recent economic collapse. With the worldwide recession and the resounding pop of Ireland's huge property bubble, Ireland's shrinking economy has fared worse than many others.
A lasting effect of the economic success is the wave of multinational companies that relocated to Ireland. Lured by low business taxes, EU status and comparatively low wages, many American companies set up European hubs and even more contributed through direct investment. Perhaps surprisingly, Ireland has stronger economic ties to the US than the UK with nearly 500 US companies located there. A wave of American and British expats headed to Ireland and many remain although newly arriving expats in Ireland have to fight through an unemployment line of ten percent.
However, grey forecasts, economic or otherwise, haven't kept expats out of Ireland who see a relaxed way of life and prospects for job growth. For how much clout the Irish have around the world, people forget the Island is home to only four million people, about half as many as New York City proper. This charming and resilient culture and strong ties to overseas companies continue to make Ireland a welcome job posting and expat destination.
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