Ireland is a country of great natural beauty, a friendly and welcoming populace and a cultural history that rivals all.
Ireland, In Brief
The Emerald Isle is in North-western Europe, mostly bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, but also the United Kingdom and other, smaller seas. The national language is officially Gaelic Irish, though English is most commonly used. Its capital is Dublin, home to around 500,000 people, a truly diverse, European metropolis.
Most are familiar with Ireland in one form or another and the idea of the country as being home to Guinness, leprechauns and St. Patrick’s Day are world-known, but these stereotypes do a disservice to the country’s great history, complexity and tradition.
Culture and Environment
Some of the greatest writers in the English language were Irish: Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, William Butler Yeats, Seamus Heaney and many more than we have the space to mention. Needless to say, Ireland’s landscape is imbued with a natural poetry and eagerness for something spiritual, ethereal.
Many of these writers were inspired by Ireland’s great history, including traditional Irish music, the Gaelic language, unique politics, folk stories and environment.
Being located next to the tempestuous Atlantic Ocean, Ireland will of course never have the climate of say, Portugal or Spain. Yet it is very temperate there, and undoubtedly beautiful in its own unique way.
Its rugged coastline is truly inspirational, while its broad open fields, intriguing mountainous regions and welcoming forests and rivers have led Ireland to be the setting for books, films and television shows that encourage adventure and exploration.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter each have sections filmed in Ireland, though the country is surely proudest of its own contributions to the cinema, such as The Quiet Man, My Left Foot or Hunger.
Proud Tradition of Education
Being the nation’s capital, Dublin is home to Ireland’s most prestigious universities. Trinity College Dublin was established in 1592 and is the country’s oldest university. It was modelled after Oxford and Cambridge and is regularly ranked among the best universities in the world.
University College Dublin and Dublin City University are two other capital based institutions, each well regarded by university ranking lists such as QS. Each support their students with a range of modern facilities and excellent teaching histories- the benefits of living and studying in Dublin are too numerous to list.
The Republic of Ireland is not simply its capital though, of course. Well regarded universities can be found across the country, like the University of Limerick, the National University of Ireland in Galway, and University College Cork.
Economy and Employment
Ireland is also a great source of employment potential. The Irish government has made a great effort in recent years to entice companies to Ireland, particularly technology-based companies, in order to build their economy for the future.
Businesses such as Amazon, Apple, Airbnb, eBay, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Uber all have offices based in Ireland, most of which operate as the European base of operations. There is, therefore, great demand for graduates in Ireland, not just in the technology industry, but in a vast majority of fields.
Ireland doesn’t have a very large population compared to say, Britain or France, meaning there is a greater opportunity to develop an international career there. When you also consider the that these world-renowned companies will provide a stable base for a career in any country, Ireland becomes a very valuable consideration.
A Wise Choice
Each of Ireland’s tradition, language, economy and quality of education would make the country a valuable consideration for any travelling student, but all in combination means that it simply cannot be ignored as a possibility.
The ease of application and affordable costs, especially compared with the United Kingdom, a country that shares lots of similarities with Ireland, make it even more potentially enticing. So don’t delay and see if Ireland can be right for you.
