Q&A with an American living in Ireland!

[@attrezzopox]

Our family has the same motivation. My wife/kids are German/American dual citizens so we’ve toyed with the idea of a European life. Our final straw came yesterday ofc. Can you remake a video like this from your perspective currently? What is the Irish sentiment toward foreigners leaving for these reasons? One of my big fears is raising our children so far from family. The closest family we have in Europe would be in Germany, but I think I would regret setting them to miss out on family events like birthdays, holidays, and gatherings. Is there common culture of friend “adoption” in Ireland? In that, once your friendship gets to a certain level the lines blur a bit between friend and family? You might see this in smaller communities in the states where friends and neighbors are invited to Christmas dinner or thanksgiving. That kinda thing.

[@mcginnsteph]

You guys I forgot to say our cell phone bill too! Smh lol; anything I forgot: -we pay 80 euro a month for internet and service for 3 phones (calls, text, unlimited data). Don’t have cable (just a couple streaming services) -23 euro a month for waste collection -we haven't got out first water bill yet

[@eimeargargan2071]

No water charges in Ireland so no water bill😊

[@mcginnsteph]

@@eimeargargan2071 oh thank you! That’s what I thought, but when I asked Gary and he said we had not got a bill yet, I thought he meant that we would get one eventually lol but I guess that makes sense cause we have been here for a few months so we would have got one by now! Lol

[@luckyugochi1651]

@@mcginnsteph plenty of rain forecast this bank holiday so you can tell them you're using your bucket of rainwater if they try billing you lol 😄☔💧

[@greekxstitcher5379]

You did the best for your girls! Bless ❤

[@leffe4ever]

You are beyond amazing Steph, love all your posts. YOU ROCK ❤

[@mcginnsteph]

❤️❤️

[@kerrygraydon5352]

Hi there! I am in the process of obtaining my dual citizenship in Ireland (my family is Irish) and am seriously considering leaving the States. I would love to get an updated video discussing expenditures!

[@LaJessieMarie]

Thank you Steph for taking the time to make this video! Your responses were great ❤ I totally forgot to ask what are some closet staples you recommend as an American moving in to Ireland? Would love a video on your suggestions!

[@timward3116]

Great, informative video! I particularly found the healthcare part interesting. In the U.S., of course, medical bankruptcy is the most common type of bankruptcy. And here, even if you have insurance, the insurance can choose what it will pay for and what it won't - just as the hospitals can charge whatever they want to and you never know what it will be until the bill comes. One "non-profit" hospital in Phoenix pays its CEO $2.4 MILLION/year and each of its ten executive board members over $1 MILLION/year. That same hospital, in 2012 (eleven years ago) was billing $27,000 for a single dose of scorpion anti-venom (could be $50,000 by now?). And routinely, the hospital charges over $500,000 to the state for a one-week hospital stay for a child with a disability (and that's on top of the child's other insurance company's already-paid amount). Unfortunately, the healthcare/pharmaceutical cabal bribe all of our politicians through campaign donations and sponsor all of the network news programs, which therefore will never do negative stories about the practices of these huge companies/industries. And because both parties feed at the same trough and define the requirements for who gets on the ballot, nothing can be done by the American people other than weep into our pillows at night.

[@mcginnsteph]

Thank you, I was worried I wouldn’t be informative enough, but I just did my best LOL; yeah, the healthcare system in the US is not so good (to put it ever so simply lol) you said it better than I. It is sad because I think it should be a human right to have health care and not need to go bankrupt etc.

[@timward3116]

@@mcginnsteph Hi Steph! Yeh, in free, civilized, advanced countries, healthcare without impoverishment is considered a human right - but that's not where I live LOL. Sometimes, it seems as though our politicians and newsmedia would rather talk about "freedom" and "rights" than allow us to have it. It shames me that, as a dual citizen with my head in one country and my heart in another, to see sooooo many politicians (of both parties) and people on "news" programs who have Irish names but no sense of decency, fairness, or honesty. I guess, as would be true in every group, there are good ones and bad ones - and the bad ones get ahead.

[@ssiddarth]

Great one 👌 Pretty informative (but how much did we miss out on if the original unedited version was 38 mins long 😅). Regarding the “having the option/privilege of moving to another country” - Yes, I do agree that it's a privilege but at the end of the day I don't think you should be feeling guilty at all as one should look for the best possible option for themselves & their loved ones (especially when those individuals are dependent on them), this matters even more in cases like yours (as well as mine I suppose) where one just has to take such a decision as it simply doesn't look or feel like that the local situation is going to improve anytime soon. Your kids will probably be pretty thankful to the both of you too in the future for taking such a decision, take care 💕

[@mcginnsteph]

Thanks for this 🥹 really appreciate it! 💞

[@luckyugochi1651]

💯💯👌

[@luckyugochi1651]

Good informative video steph, I really liked your added little clip how you feel you'd like it to be a little more diverse,it is actually an improvement since I was in school,I only had 1 Asian and 1 Indian,1 Canadian riend in the class,you could count on 1 hand how many children were in the schools whose parents were from other countries in the 90s compared to now, there wasn't even much diversity back then, I always loved having friends from different places,I used to love when I was invited to their birthday parties to taste the spicier foods,listen to the music etc it's so good that the kids are growing up with friends from almost every corner of the world I know in our school anyway, and yes the west is a really great place to go 😎👌

[@mcginnsteph]

thanks ☺️…. Yeah I’ve had other people share similar experiences to yours; very appreciative and thankful to have our kids grow up in a more diverse environment. 💞

[@luckyugochi1651]

@@mcginnsteph 💯💯👌

[@michoost]

Thanks so much, this is very helpful.

[@mcginnsteph]

No prob! I was actually feeling like I didn’t know if I liked it. Lol I thought maybe I could’ve done a little better 🤣😆 I’m an over thinker lol

[@faithv127]

cool to see another michigander! thanks for all the info in this video, very helpful :)

[@noeleen5250]

You should mention the family drugs card which caps the amount a family pays monthly for all their prescriptions combined. Its around 100 -150 euro monthly

[@paulkinsella6536]

Steph, you said if your kids get sick, it would cost €65 to visit the doctor. I'm not 100% sure, but I think kids up to the age of 6 have free G.P. visits.

[@mcginnsteph]

I know, when I was editing it back, I was like, I think, I remember someone saying something like that? Lol…. Maybe it was even at the doctors office but I don’t know why we didn’t qualify at the time? But my older daughter is about to be 10 and my younger’s about to be 7 so now both just beyond 6 😆 thank you though! ☺️

[@abcoh4440]

@@mcginnsteph I was so surprised to hear this, it is always free in Spain, thought it was like that in Europe.

[@mcginnsteph]

@@abcoh4440 I do think he is correct in his comment but I know I paid with molly (multiple times too) 🤔 not too sure why (maybe because I don’t have their PPS numbers on file because it took us a few months to get them when we first came over?) and every time I would visit the doctors I forget to add them. You guys must be correct but I don’t know where I went wrong lol

[@abcoh4440]

@@mcginnsteph I am not familiar with Ireland, but I meant that it is always free in spain no matter the age

[@luckyfriend82]

Okay wow this was super informative! I'm 29 and I want to move so bad. I think it's mainly finances (I'm a waitress so I don't necessarily have a secure job) and also I have a pet here in the states.

[@charityf888]

Awe big 🤗 hug. I know I have wanted to go to Ireland since I watched the films leap year and ps I love you. I know that the food is better over there and not so many chemicals or processed foods and they have banned a lot of chemicals in products and foods that the USA hasn’t. Also I know it’s safer over there with the strict gun laws.

[@mcginnsteph]

☺️💞

[@jasminecommercemusic]

Interesting to hear your very different experience of Ireland. :-) I’m married to an Irish man, too, and we have a place in Kilkenny, which we stay in when we visit, but after living full time in Ireland for two years, I would never ever choose to do it again (full time, that is). I was never more grateful to have US citizenship than I was after I lived in Ireland for those two years. It’s amazing how differently people can experience the same place. There are things I absolutely adore about Ireland, but I found (and find) so much of it just a deal breaker. I do love watching videos like this though, because it’s really interesting to hear how people perceive and experience the country! ❤

[@mcginnsteph]

I hear you; I have my ups and downs for sure. There are times part of me wishes we didn’t move and then days I’m glad we’re here. I appreciate hearing your perspective as well! 💞

[@sazagorski]

Hi! Can you share your deal breakers? Thank you!

[@jasminecommercemusic]

@@mcginnsteph sorry, I never saw this reply until today when I got a notification of the comment below. I hope you are still happy and enjoying life there. It seems that no place is perfect, but that you’ve found Ireland to work well for you. 🩷

[@jasminecommercemusic]

@@sazagorski sure, although I have to be honest, I don’t want to bag on the place, in particular because my husband, who I love so much, comes from there, so there are plenty of great things about it. ;) That said, number one deal breaker is the weather. I know, I know. But for me personally, it’s just miserable. Plenty of people would think that colder places are more miserable, or hotter places. My daughter is in grad school in Texas, and that also seems like hell to me. :-) I’m admittedly a weather wuss, but Irish weather is beyond depressing to me. I lived in rural Galway the first year. I moved there and it just rained and rained, and when the sun did come out, most of the time it was too windy to really enjoy time outside because I wear contact lenses and the wind would just dry out my eyes and they’d be tearing up, and my hair would be plastered across my face. ;) I LOVE to be outdoors, and found that while Ireland has so much beautiful nature to offer, eight times out of ten the weather ruins the outdoor experience for me. We moved from Galway, where it rains on average nine months a year, to Kilkenny City “the sunny southeast” 😂, where it rains as much as Seattle. I did notice it rained a bit less and was a bit less windy, but it was mainly still just wet and gray all year. Any time I’d post on IG is bc there was a break in the endless gray and rain. Not a whole lotta days a year! Another deal breaker is a general attitude of being content with mediocrity. I have heard this is more a general European attitude, but I don’t have experience living in any other European countries, though I have visited them and not found them to be anywhere near as laissez-faire as Ireland. Things that should take three weeks take three months in Ireland, mainly because people just don’t seem to care. It’s such a small island, and there’s not endless competition, so people don’t feel pressured into excellence. I’m aware if people read this comment who are from Ireland they may take offense, and of course it’s not everyone in Ireland, and definitely not my husband or his family. But my experience is that it’s like pulling teeth to get anything done there in an efficient manner. I’m from D.C., and have lived in a few places in the USA (NY, CA, SC, VA) and while there are rural locations where I’ve seen this attitude, I experienced it in the cities in Ireland as well as the rural places. Healthcare is another deal breaker. The amount of tax paid should mean the healthcare is good. I’ve found it ATROCIOUS. We pay private (as well as being taxed for public), and for example, we haven’t been able to get a GP (public or private) for a YEAR AND A HALF. As in, zero doctors were taking new patients. I could go on and on and on about the healthcare system because I’ve had terrible experiences myself and watching my mother in law try to navigate her illnesses, but Irish healthcare is an absolute dealbreaker for me. The American healthcare system is pretty bleak in some ways, and no one gets it totally right, but there really is just no comparison in my experience between Ireland’s healthcare and America’s. I never realized just how great the care was that I had gotten in the US until I compared it with the care I got/didn’t get in Ireland. I probably could go on with deal breakers but one final one I’ll say here is the “crab mentality” thing. This may be changing some, but it’s a small-mindedness around others’ success. My husband (again, who is Irish) always noticed this growing up. He says, “the Irish will cry with you when you’re down, but they’ll try to drag you down when you’re up”. He has found that because he grew up in a very small village, but went to college and got a master’s degree, a high paying job, married an American and lives back and forth btwn Ireland and the U.S., some people think of him as “having notions”. He is the most humble man, generous to all, gentle and quiet, and to think that people begrudge him simply because he had ambitions other than local ones, makes me realize that I don’t want to spend my time in places where that mentality is pervasive. So that’s the final deal breaker. There are actually a good many more, but I’ll leave it there. I *loved* the nature, the animals, the architecture, certain friends I made who aren’t annoyingly consumeristic like a lot of us Americans are, and who have more globally informed world views, the incredibly sharp WIT that each Irish person seems born with, lemon curd yogurt and Guinness. And I actually like the older Irish people FAR better than the people my age (46) and younger. But I feel that way about the world in general. Most of the older generations in the world value kindness and civility. Not so much these days! Feel free to message me if you’re thinking of moving to Ireland and I can tell you more of my experience of the good, bad and ugly. 🩷

[@bridodonnell6698]

​@@jasminecommercemusicI'm irish and I fully agree with everything you say. Especially the contentment with mediocrity

[@AthDara62]

I suppose even if your children aren't directly involved in a shooting they are aware of it, they do drills at school etc. That is not an issue for Irish kids. Plenty other thins to worry about, but not that. It's just not on anyone's radar, especially not theirs. Just be kids

[@timothyclark-sl4il]

Any other Americans here trying to escape the Turd Reich?

[@DaRk_UbIqUiTy]

Now, since the election, we are seriously considering moving. My wife and I have 2 young children. We’re frightened of the mass shootings for sure, but now with Trump in office, we believe that violence will only increase, as he is such a chaos agent and polarizing figure. However, we are very mindful of the fact that we will be leaving family. That’s weighing heavily on us, but we know that we have to prioritize our children and their long term well being and safety.

[@_alienblood]

I hope you dont find it too expensive here.

[@mcginnsteph]

im finding life getting more and more expensive 😆 but I don't think its just here lol

[@billygray8363]

Very interesting

[@bridodonnell6698]

Im sorry that your mom is not supportive. I hope with time, the lines of communication open

[@Diana-02.02.]

Can you discuss about any issues with influx of illegal aliens?

[@michealferrell1677]

Ever notice that the shootings mostly occur in gun free zones

[@mcginnsteph]

Im curious if you are trying to make a point? …. I mean, what would you classify as the areas guns should be?

[@michealferrell1677]

@@mcginnsteph they should be in the hands of anyone who would defend this country against a tyrannical government ( as in the us constitution) and also for the purpose of protecting personal and private property. If we disarm the private citizen than the only people who will have guns will be the government officials and the criminals ( who do not obey laws) .

[@mcginnsteph]

@@michealferrell1677 The US constitution? Written by only white slave owning men? I’m not committed to conserving what that group of men thought would be beneficial for themselves (hundreds of years ago when it was okay to classify another human being as property) so I’m not really sure why people refer to that, can’t relate…. I didn’t ask WHO should be allowed weapons anyways; I was curious about the ‘zones’ you mentioned.

[@michealferrell1677]

@@mcginnsteph Slavery was a common way of life back then , but our founding fathers laid the seeds for the eventual freedom that we possess here . Have you ever seen the pictures of all the “white “ men who laid down their lives to make that freedom guaranteed to all men . I think it’s a bit anachronistic to have all the social ills of our day to be blamed on them . Most of the oppression in our present day comes from the left who want to end that very freedom . As for where we should harden our targets do to gun violence I’d recommend schools , hospitals, daycares, anywhere where those most vulnerable would be protected from terror . My wife and I will be making a trip to Ireland in the future and we find your content to be very helpful , I’ll keep watching and learning from you .

[@mcginnsteph]

@@michealferrell1677 it was a common way of life because white men created the social construct of race to get away with mass atrocities for the financial and power benefit of themselves. the reason people of color and women have rights this day and age is bc people of color and women fight for their rights. (and by the way, people are literally still fighting for their rights as I type. Women don’t even have complete autonomy over their bodies; just to name one instance) Also, don’t forget the brutality the Native Americans, people indigenous to North America endured for the colonizers to take over the land. also, I never specifically blamed “all the social ills of our day” on the founding fathers. I pointed out how they were very problematic, and I don’t agree with upholding their beliefs. take care, no sense in going back-and-forth, I avoid making assumptions, but I can’t see this conversation going anywhere productive.

[@MsDF936]

Don't blame you at all for not wanting your kids to deal with the fear of mass shooters. I live in the US and I don't have kids but I think it's the worse thing here.

[@michelelavender1967]

You had some face-work dome,lots

[@mcginnsteph]

Just Botox, can’t afford to do any more