Best country for party city, Dublin & Cork vs Glagow & Edinburgh?

Hi again.

They are all cities in their own right; if the judgement measure is "most exciting nightlife cities for Bars, Clubs, raves", then all of them have all of that.  The only significant difference is cost, with Dublin being mouthwateringly expensive, closely followed by Edinburgh and Cork; Glasgow is not cheap - if I had to choose, I'd look for somewhere in between Glasgow and Edinburgh in the Scottish Central Belt where you won't have to pay through the nose just to live there.

There's a useful website called "Numbeo" where you can do comparisons between towns and countries, so I just did one comparing Atlanta to Dublin; this link will take you there.  I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Thanks for that website address will look it up and make the most of the information offered.
I find it intriguing that the smaller cities of Cork and Dublin seem to measure up pretty well against Edinburgh and Glasgow in your opinion for nightlife. At least you didn't have a outright no for them.

My question is if cost of living wasn't a over-riding factor would you still pick between Glasgow and Edinburgh over Cork and Dublin?

Which city has the friendlier people and more exciting culture for long term living?

I'm moving to one of these places for work but it would be great if I love the way of life.

Do you think Scotland is more accepting of Black Americans compared to Ireland in your opinion?


Thanks

Hi again.

Unless people are throwing rocks and shooting at me (it's happened), then I never have an "outright no" for any place; the Expat life is what you make of it.

People friendlier - this isn't Star Trek mate, there is no magic country where people wander around greeting each other with a smile and pleasant nod, where xenophobia and racism don't exist.  People applaud multi-cultural societies - look at what it's done to London, generally, it's a shit-tip in comparison to the place where I grew up and went to school.  That said, there are many places in our Capital where the nearest thing to crime is the milkman forgetting to leave the yoghurt, or Amazon leaving your shampoo next-door by mistake.  What I'm saying is you could move into any of those places tomorrow and it's Shangri-La, then some loon moves in next door who makes your life a misery, so you pay your money and take your chance.

I know many Scots people (I worked with a Regiment of them for 5 years and then later in life had a business depot in Cumbernauld), it's a great place with great people and lots of opportunities, but remember Shangri-La.

If I were in your place, had lots of money, then I'd probably choose Dublin and look for a place inside one of the gated communities there as close to where you work as possible (traffic in Dublin is like Boston on steroids), but we're talking about a quarter of a million Euro to buy such a place; Cork is about the same prices.  If this is too much, then Scotland would be a good alternative and start in and around Cumbernauld (it's in between Glasgow and Edinburgh).

The big mistake that people make is to expect their new home to be like the old one in terms of things like social integration and nightlife; it isn't and it won't be unless you make one like it.  They say that a pint of Guinness tastes the same in Cork or Dublin; my own opinion is that it doesn't travel that well, so if you like a glass of the dark stuff, you may be in for a pleasant surprise (or maybe be disappointed).

I just thought of something I experienced when I moved to Canada; I lived in a one-horse town that had a hotel, 2 bars and a diner; my first night out was to the hotel where they had some entertainment advertised, it was a Country and Western band; after the 1st set, my mind was a bit blown by non-stop hearing about someone's dog dieing, or his girl upping and out of town, so asked the guy if they played anything else, he gave me a big smile and said "sure son, we play Country AND Western" and they did ...... all night; 2 years later, I had a pair of boots, a Stetson and was 2-stepping with the best of them.  Moral of the story, life is what you make it, it isn't going to change for you.  Just think how you'll look with red-har in Dublin, or wearing a kilt in Scotland - but that's probably a bit too subtle to get a smile.

One last point - the peanut butter over here sucks.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

Great post and it made me laugh. Will spend time in both countries before making a final decision.

Thanks so much for your kind help.

PS, Surprised to hear London has changed for the worse.

Hi there,

Dublin is dubbed the city that never sleeps and has a great night life.

I hope that helps.

SimCityAT
Expat Team

ThereWentA3Pointer wrote:

Great post and it made me laugh. Will spend time in both countries before making a final decision.

Thanks so much for your kind help.

PS, Surprised to hear London has changed for the worse.

Personal opinion.  Many will tell you that the anti-social issues in London are no worse than any other place.  My response is, they didn't live there in the 60's; I did and fairly recently have been back to the tenement block where I grew up; my only polite comment is they have no idea what they are talking about.  The only thing that has changed is the cultural mix of the place.

Just to add to this discussion; nationality and culture were 2 distinct issues raised by the OP, below is something written elsewhere by a Scotsman which I found interesting:

Scotsman wrote:

It stems from there being NO Scottish people as a race. They/we are tribal by nature (Clans) - the latest of which is Polish - there are distinct religious divides (ever been to Glasgow?).  There is a clear 'us and them' when it comes to the 'central corridor' and anywhere else. Highlands and Islands are culturally different to Borderers and so the mix goes on - each with a locally defined sense of identity.

Interesting.

Hi

I thought New York was the city that never slept, but if Dublin is so active in the party department to have also earned that moniker then that is a very good sign. I like the Irish culture here in the States which might be a bit watered down compared to Ireland's culture. But the people seem fun loving.

I'm thinking Scotland is probably similar in nature.

I wonder what does Scotland have in the party department which Ireland can't compete with?

Hi again.

Both are Celtic nations and proud of it.  Both have a strong nationalist/religious background that differed to the rest of the British Isles.  If one has something the other doesn't, it's the people that make that difference.

In the party department, while New York may be open all hours, both Ireland and Scotland work in a licenced environment and any partying almost certainly goes on behind closed doors (hint - Google "lock in"); for some reason our system software doesn't like a direct link to it.

I can tell it's going to be a interesting choice deciding between Ireland and Scotland.  The Scots that I've met in the States have been a lively bunch. But the Irish party hard which makes me really curious about them. I work hard but I really try to enjoy my recreational time. Not sure which country has the better year round weather or the less severe winters. Lot to learn.

The weather,

That's a good question. I don't think there is much between them, of course, summer, it is better weather but even that does not stop it from raining but at least it's warmer.

Hi again.

My experience was that there is one common theme in the weather for both Scotland Ireland, that being rain; the west coast of both countries face the Atlantic ocean, so catch all the weather that comes in from the west.

According to the UK Climate website, a popular exam question of the past is ‘Britain does not have a climate, it only has weather: discuss'.

If you want to do a comparison of the stats (so facts, not speculation), there is a useful weather comparison website (link).

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

A bit of rain in warm weather sounds amazing. Just have to get use to exercising a little  more indoors during the winters. I wouldn't be surprised if there are gyms everywhere in Ireland and Scotland. Maybe even join a cycling club.  Sure there are a million fun things to do even in the challenging weather.

What type of heating systems do most homes have in Ireland and Scotland?