Working in Ireland

My internship place is a Finnish related organisation in the city centre of Dublin. It is a small working environment, less than 10 people, with mostly Finnish staff. We do a lot of cooperation with international partners, which I find very interesting.

As the organisation is so small, they really need their interns. This means that I have got a very good image of the tasks that people have at the office, because I have been helping most of them. I feel like I am an important part of the working community as I have got so many responsibilities, and I really feel like my colleagues trust me. I think that is one of the most important factors when you are an intern!

My tasks include customer service in person and on the phone, which in theory means that I transfer phone calls to the right person or guide people to find related information on our website. Big part of my internship is also updating our social media, which means Facebook and Instagram. I actually succested creating an Instagram account for the organisation, and got the honour to create it.

The main part of my internship is coordinating different events that we have. My main responsibility is a two-day cultural event in September, and I am super exited about it! I have booked the venue, contacted the artists and agreed on the workshops with organisations, planned the menu, created invitations and programme poster, sent the invitations etc. It has been so much fun and I have learnt a lot!

In my opinion the working life here is different to what it is in Finland. Of course I have not worked in an office ever before, so I am basing my assumptions on what I have heard and observed.

Here in Ireland people tend to go to work later than in Finland. Most of the people who have flexible working hours go to work around 9 am, earliest. I usually start my days at 8.30 am here, which means that I take the tram at 8 am. I have noticed that there is a severe difference between taking it at 8 am or at 8.30 am. I really enjoy going a little bit earlier than most of the people, probably because I value my personal space on the tram.

Irish people are also a lot more relaxed than Finns when it comes to work life. They have this laid-back mindset that everything will go just fine, even if there is only a few days to organize it all. This is something that makes me very stressed sometimes. On the other hand, I think this is something us Finns could learn from the Irish.

Food, drink and the pubs

Ireland is known for it's pub culture. You can find Irish pubs in a lot of places around the world, but the best craic is in Ireland. There is at least one pub in every town, even in the smallest ones that doesn't even have a grocery store. Pubs in Ireland are like living rooms, places where people go to meet people and to have a chat.

In Dublin there is an area called Temple Bar, righ in the heart of the city, which is full of pubs, bars and clubs. It has become a very popular area among tourists. Not many locals go there, because the prices are higher and the pubs advertise themselves being a traditional Irish pub which unfortunately often means just stereotypes. The most famous pub in Temple Bar area is The Temple Bar.

In pubs there is very often life music. The most popular combo is a man and a guitar, and the songs are usually very well known hits and everyone is singing along.

Most of pubs serve food as well, especially during evening. The food in pubs is very typical Irish food, and it doesn't vary a lot between pubs. There is always burgers with Irish beef, fish and chips, Irish stew and beef pie, probably with Guinness. Most of the dishes are served with potatoes, because Irish people love their potatoes.You can find chips (meaning fries) and mashed potato as a side in almost every restaurant, no matter what's the style. You can also get crisps as a side when ordering a sandwhich.

Many pubs also serve full Irish breakfast during breakfast and/or lunch time. Full Irish breakfast includes bacon (or rasher as Irish bacon is actually called), sausages (also called bangers), black and white pudding and egg. Depending on the place it can also include potatoes, tomato or other vegetables and mushrooms. There is always a toast on the side and a cup of tea or coffee.

It is not something that locals eat every morning as their breakfast. It is more of a treat for a special occassion.

Tourism in Ireland

There were 9 million people visiting Ireland in 2017. That is almost a double of the population of Ireland. Most of the visitors come from the UK, USA, France and Germany.

The tourism in Ireland is built around nature tourism, which is no surprise in a country this beautiful. The Cliffs of Moher on the West coast, along the Wild Atlantic Way, attract 1 million visitors every year being one of the most visited places in the country.

A scene from Harry Potter - the Half Blood Prince movie was shot in the Cliffs of Moher.

Cliffs of Moher

Other popular destinations outside of Dublin are Killarney national park and the Ring of Kerry, Glendalough, the Dark Hedges, the Wild Atlantic Way and Blarney Castle, just to name a few.

The easiest way to explore Ireland is by car. You get the freedom to drive through the small villages, take the detour to see amazing coastlines and to stop to take pictures of the sheep. There is of course a public transport network connecting the biggest cities, and even some of the smaller ones. But if you want to see the nature attractions, which are usually not located next to the big cities, public transport is not the best or easiest choice.

If you can't drive, there is also an option to take bus tours around Ireland. There are several companies offering these services, from different citiees. Prices vary from 20 euros to hundreds, depending on the destination and the length of the tour. I find these tours a good way to explore the country without a car. There is usually a very talkative Irish driver who will tell you funny stories and interesting history along the journey.

Wild Atlantic Way

I have visited only a few of the most popular tourist attractions in Dublin. But to be honest, I think one should only visit places they are interested in, not because this place is ''a must see''.

In Dublin city there is Guinness Storehouse for beer lovers, Jameson Whiskey museum for whiskey enthusiasts and Dublin Castle and Book of Kells in Trinity College library for history lovers. I haven't visited any of these, but I have heard they are worth for a visit.

Kilmainham Gaol

The place I would recommend going to is Kilmainham Gaol. It is an old prison with full of history. This place got me really interested in the Irish history and is one of the most interesting places I have visited, ever. They have amazing guided tours, the prices are not bad at all and it is located quite close to the city centre.Tickets are likely to sell out so better booking in advance.

There are many museums in Dublin that doesn't take admission fee, a few nice large parks around the city and you can even paddle in the river Liffey. Grafton Street is a famous shopping street, you can join a James Joyce walking tour or go watch rugby, hurling or gaelic football in Croke Park. Dublin is a city that offers something for everyone.

''It's the warmth of the people, not the weather''

I came to Ireland for the first time in 2015, after graduating from secondary school. I stayed in Dublin for almost a year working as an au pair. Before coming to Ireland, I didn’t know much about it. I knew it was an English-speaking country, their currency is Euro and the capital is Dublin. Little did I know that I would absolutely fall in love with the country, and the amazing city of Dublin.

Now, four years later I got to return to this green island to do my internship. It is not so easy to think about my first impressions about the country, as it was already four years ago when I first came here.

Before coming to Ireland I heard so many comments about the rainy weather, and people were surprised I wanted to come here for a year. The day I landed to Dublin Airport was exactly what most people think about Ireland - it was raining heavier than I had ever seen. Everything was just gray, and I remember I couldn't really see out of the car when my host mum tried to point me landmarks and shops that we drove past.

Luckily, it wasn't like that the whole year but I learnt that it's very wise to always carry an umberella with you. You can never know when it will rain. Never. Trust me on this. But when the sun is out the Irish will stop everything they are doing and go out to enjoy the good weather as long as it lasts. This is one of my favourite things abour Irish people - they know how to live in the moment.

One of the first things I learnt was that Irish people are very welcoming and lovely. I remember being a shy 19-year-old standing at the bus stop trying to go to Dublin city centre without any clue how much the bus journey costs or where to take off. There was a lovely older woman at the bus stop who started to chat with me, and even before I noticed I sat on the bus next to her, listening to her life story. The warmth of the people here is something that still, after being here for more than a year, surprises me. 

Howth Cliff walk

Another thing that caught my attention straight away was the accent. It was nothing like in English books in school. I learnt to understand south Dublin accent quite fast, because my host dad spoke with that accent. It surprised me how much the accent changes when you pass the river Liffey in the centre of Dublin and go to the north side of the city. 

The accents across the island vary a lot. There are places in the country where the accents is so strong that it doesn't even sound English any more. For example, County Kerry in the South-West is a good example of a very strong Irish accent. 

There are some funny words and phrases Irish people use a lot. Here are a few examples

Having a craic = having fun, having laugh

What's the story? = how are you 

Banjaxed = broken 

Deadly = cool, great

I will yeah = I definitely won't 

The Big Smoke = Dublin