People often ask me: “What’s the best part of living in Ireland?”
Well, of course the Irish are lovely people; crime wise this is heaven compared to South Africa as I can actually walk in the streets without the constant fear of being mugged; and the European pastries are seen all over my thighs and butt because I just can’t seem to say no.
But the past weekend I came to realise the best part of living in Ireland, is seeing and meeting other South Africans.
That joy you feel when you found someone from home, is undescribable. It’s almost like the two of you are running towards each other in slow motion, hugging and laughing.
Finally you found someone that really understand what you’re going through: the hassle of wearing a jacket every single day because the Irish summer is not at all like a South African summer, the challenge of actually understanding the Irish because of their thick accents and then, of course, the longing for the two B’s: Biltong and Braai.
We experienced it again this past weekend when we went to Limerick to watch the Pro14 rugby match between Munster and our beloved Cheetahs.
The last time I cheered that loudly for any team was during our school athletics about 10 years ago when we realised we actually stood a chance to win the spirit trophy.
It’s Tuesday and my throat’s still sore and somewhat rusty after all the cheering on Saturday. I sound like a caberet singer who smokes about 3 packs a day.
But it was all worth it. The game didn’t end like we wanted it to (when your team fails to make any points in a match of 80 minutes it can be quite embarrassing) but we stood there proudly. Cheering our guys on and irritating the hell out of the woman in front if us. I don’t know what was more red: The brand new Munster cap on her head or the anger in her eyes, but it was actually fun being extremely loud – especially in Afrikaans.
Afterwards our team came over to say hi. We were greeting each other like old friends and laughing and chatting.
Outside the stadium, while walking back to the train station, we came across a man and woman. It was like meeting family. They’ve been living in Ireland for 25 years but their South African accents are still strong and their hearts just as warm.
In that moment, you don’t care about names. What matter is that this person standing in front of you is probably the closest you’ve been to home in a long time.
Afterwards you just part ways, with a warm heart and a big smile on your face.
The irony is in South Africa you wouldn’t even have looked at each other twice, nevermind talking.
But when you’re both strangers in a foreign country, that few moments you spend with each other is enough to keep you going a little while longer.
An Irish South African 
Lovely to read your story. We are in the process of getting my passport and moving to Ireland. My grandmother was born in Dublin so we are going that route. But we are not young anymore, we are 66 and 67 so just want to get out of this country and retire to some lovely little place there where there is no crime and they look after the pensioners etc.My girls and families are also going to move although probably to the UK as they have british Passports through their father (my ex) so I think it will be easy for them.
Tell me about housing over there, small 2 bed places not too expensive if you know of some and what you would recommend. We will also look for small jobs to keep ourselves busy.
Look forward to hearing from you,
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It’s so nice to hear from you – even though we haven’t met.
It’s very good if you can get here with an ancestral visa. It’ll make the move a lot easier with a lot less admin.
Housing in Dublin is VERY expensive. We live in a 1-bedroom apartment and its almost €1500 we’re paying. But if you want to live in the country side, you’re more likely to find some place bigger for far less. So if you don’t have to live in Dublin, rather look for a place in the country side. Have a look on the website daft.ie. Every hour places to rent or to buy is listed there and you can get an idea of prices. And by having an Irish passport means it’s going to be a bit easier to find a job than with a South African passport.
Good luck with everything ahead 🙂
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