Category Archives: Irish Life & Society

Why Do The Irish Like Being Told How To Live? Immigrants Expectations and Real Life Are Often Quite Different

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Glenn Kaufmann

My lesson for prospective immigrants reading this post is: you cannot always believe what you see, hear, or read when you are on the outside looking in.  The reality in country is likely to be quite different. Beyond the logistical … Continue reading →

Posted in Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, Irish History, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Why The Irish Drink: Is Ireland A Country of Alcoholics Or An Alcoholic Country

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Glenn Kaufmann

The world knows Ireland as a country of pubs, and happy, hard working, hard drinking folk.  Right, wrong, or indifferent, that’s the world’s impression, and it’s not entirely undeserved.  In fact it’s often a proudly displayed badge of honor for … Continue reading →

Posted in Irish History, Irish Life & Society, Pubs | Tagged , , , , | 97 Comments

Bank On It: International Banking For Immigrants

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Glenn Kaufmann

When the idea of moving overseas became serious, I, of course, had fantasies of multiple bank accounts spread around the world.  Perhaps we could even find a use for a Swiss bank account.  But the reality of arranging functional banking … Continue reading →

Posted in Dublin Life, Immigration & Emigration, International Moving, Irish Life & Society, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Let’s Talk About The Weather – How Weather Affects The Immigrant’s Way Of Life

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Glenn Kaufmann

For an American “southern boy” who has developed a serious allergy to heat and humidity, moving to Ireland has been a godsend.  To say that the Irish look at me like my head is on fire when I tell them … Continue reading →

Posted in Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, International Moving, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life, Pets | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Seeing The Sights: Learning To Be a Tourist In Your Own Home

Posted on September 11, 2012 by Glenn Kaufmann

Like many who enjoy traveling to new places, when we moved to Dublin, I deliberately distanced myself, mentally, and often physically, from the millions of tourists who visit Ireland each year.  “I live here now. I’m no tourist.”  I realize … Continue reading →

Posted in Dublin Attractions, Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Irish Countryside, Irish History, Irish Life & Society, Things to See in Ireland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Patriot Games: Watching the Olympics in a New Country

Posted on August 26, 2012 by Glenn Kaufmann

For the last month or so, watching the Olympics and thinking more and more about life in a new country, I’ve found myself contemplating loyalty to country and differences between patriotism and nationalism. When you grow up in America watching … Continue reading →

Posted in Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Calling The Euro Home

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Glenn Kaufmann

In the lead up to this week when Ireland votes on the Austerity package, I’ve given a lot of thought to the things that hold the EU together, and it occurs to me that, as much as Ireland is in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bureaucracy, Dublin Life, Friends & Family, Home & A Sense of Place, Irish Life & Society, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Love of City Not Country – Dublin vs. Ireland

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Glenn Kaufmann

Ever since the controversial Five Things I Hate About Dublin, Ireland post, numerous well meaning (I’m sure) people have asked me why we don’t just leave.  The simple answer is, Dublin.  The post, I now realize, was misnamed.  Most of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bureaucracy, Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, Irish Life & Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Feeling Other – Racism and Racial Profiling in Ireland and Elsewhere

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Glenn Kaufmann

In Backwards and Forwards, one of my favorite books on writing drama, David Ball says that two connected events create one action.  By this he means one inciting event invites/invokes/encourages a response event that becomes the inciting event for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 42 Comments

Who, What, and Where Will Be Next

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Glenn Kaufmann

It strikes me that the reason most people emigrate from the country they’ve always called home is to find a “better life”.  Granted there are as many ways to define better life as there are people emigrating. Often that means … Continue reading →

Posted in Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, Irish History, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments