He lies!!! The weather is crap, the minimal acceptable standard of food is lower than anywhere else in Western Europe except Britain (on a par) and it's quite expensive to live anywhere considering what you get out of it, whether in the West (where the weather is bad from even an Irish POV) or in Dublin (the capital and Ireland's only credible claim on a city).

If I ever move back to Europe I'm heading to Berlin. Ireland's weather is awful and it's depressing as hell to be in a country where everyone is leaving.

I've been working in Cork a couple of years ago (callcenter…), and wasn't too excited about the living conditions. Very high rent for pretty bad apartments, and the city itself was a pretty bad mix between some money spent on the inner city and pretty rundown estates all around. Granted, once you leave the city, it's gorgeous…

Ireland is a bit more expensive (salaries + living expenses) than Scotland though, isn't it? I am just basing this on what I remember from being in Ireland a few years back, and on being from Scotland.

One problem with being out west is that it can be hard to find staff. Even in Dublin its hard to find staff. You may need to pay someone lots to get them to move to Ballygobackwards.

which city particularly in the west?