An Irish Craftworkers Good Life

Just found this blog - can't remember how - but it's by a lady who moved back to Ireland from the UK . She and her partner are making a living by making and selling hand made craftwork from their base in rural Leitrim. Great insight into how you can live the "Good Life"


An Irish Craftworkers Good Life

Dublin Living Costs

Dublin is the eighth most expensive city in the world in which to live, according to a survey out this week .London was calculated to be the most costly for goods, services and rent, followed by New York, with the Irish capital in eighth place in the survey of 71 major cities. But - Dublin people were found to have the 3rd highest net wages - only beaten by Zurich and Geneva.
.In the cities of western Europe and North America, workers in 14 different professions earned a gross hourly wage average of €14.The study found the winners in the international comparison of wages to be English-speaking Europe, with Dublin and London newcomers to the top 10.The “Prices and Earnings” study carried out by global banking and financial group UBS looked at purchasing power worldwide.The study, which is published every three years, revealed that Dublin had risen to the eighth most expensive city since the survey was last carried out in 2003.The research also compared how long it takes workers to earn enough money to pay for a Big Mac burger.In Nairobi, one and a half hours’ work is needed to buy the burger, while in the US cities of Los Angeles and New York a maximum of 13 minutes’ labour is needed. In Dublin it takes just 15 minutes of work to purchase it.Food costs the most in Tokyo at €560 for a basket of 39 food items, while the basket in Dublin costs €373, €367 in London and €430 in New York.Public transport in general was most expensive in western Europe. While the price of a single ticket for a train journey of 200 kilometres was only €31in Dublin, it was €70.75 in London. In New York it was €40.70.A city break was calculated to be most expensive in London at €915, while it cost €714 in New York and €636 in Dublin.The bill for a three-course restaurant meal was €50 in London, €38.80 in New York and €41.10 in Dublin.

Dublin came out quite well in this survey - showing that prices are not as bad as people think - especially when you take earnings levels into account.

Private healthcare in Ireland - why bother?

Irish Hospital consultants have questioned the benefits of paying for private health insurance. Some claim going private does not necessarily ensure a fast-track to the operating table and that chronically ill patients are often better off in the public system.Citing the reduction in procedure waiting times under the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), the private sector’s inability to treat patients and the escalating cost of health insurance, they believe the benefits of having private health insurance are diminishing.Consultant neurologist Dr Orla Hardiman, director of neurology at Beaumont, and a medical adviser to the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, said that in some instances her public waiting list is actually shorter than her private waiting list.‘‘For some neurological conditions people can actually be seen more quickly in the public sector. Most neurologists have small private practices, so the number of private patients we can take is quite small. If someone has a problem that requires ongoing management and multi-disciplinary care they are better off in the public system,” she said.