There is a lot of debate in the media at the moment regarding the drive to attract Irish ex pats back home. Shouldn’t that be easy…? Isn’t the economy booming, aren’t the streets paved with jobs? Houses are going up everywhere, new office blocks, we’ve even got the cross city LUAS in Dublin!
As a native of Lancashire, I first came to Ireland in 1987, having spent time before that working in Germany and as a Ski Instructor in Austria. I still find travel exciting, but my younger experiences tended to carry more risk and include more exotic locations. Even since my time moving to Ireland, I have seen a dramatic change in the demographic of the population, with countless nationalities living and working together in the city of Dublin. In my company, and over my career, I have never considered it strange to ring a guy in Latvia, Poland or Portugal to offer him a software development job in Dublin. Everyone loves Ireland, they all have a story about some Irish guy they met in Riga, Krakow or Lisbon, and the fantastic Irish bars in Munich.
So why Ireland rather than the beaches in Kenya, Barbados or Mauritius; the Beer gardens of Germany; the Austrian or Swiss mountains; Boston, or French vineyards… So any regrets? What is so special about Ireland to have won me over and to provide a home for our family…
Ireland has a very strong culture and what can only be described as “joie de vivre”. There is a strong family based society which has in some ways developed from a more liberal approach to our relationship with the Church and the integration of a multi-cultural society. It’s important to ignore the climate and embrace everything else that country has to offer. Cinema, film, theatre, literature, music, dance are all a massive part of everyone’s Irish heritage. The culture of storytelling and performance is much stronger than in England – I had to learn to sing and do a party piece as part of my initiation many years ago.
Yes, there is a drink culture, but that can be carefully managed into embracing the Irish love of sport and the outdoors. There are countless beautiful heritage sites, castles, beaches, mountain walks, cycle tracks, horse riding, surfing and watersports opportunities on offer. And then there is the main stream sport. Rugby, Soccer, and GAA clubs form the backbones of all Irish communities and provide a passionate sense of belonging for all, from a very young age.
As an English supporter, I always get a hard time during the Six Nations rugby, and that is just from my own family! Of course if I’m feeling homesick, just a short flight away is the English Premier League, Twickenham, Millennium Stadium, Murrayfield, Cheltenham and Wembley stadium.
For people considering a move to Ireland as part of their career path, I can offer a whole-hearted endorsement. Ireland is leading the way in many technology areas, such as Financial Technology, Pharmaceutical R&D and Digital Transformation. My own company, Aspira, were listed as one of the Fastest 500 High Tech growth companies in Europe last year by the Financial Times, and are always keen to reach out to talented individuals who are passionate about their careers. Get in touch and we’ll offer you a hundred thousand welcomes! www.aspira.ie
Author: Russell Moore, HR & Resourcing Manager, Aspira.
