I love Ireland, though I’m not quite sure why. Perhaps its the lush, green countryside, the unpretentiousness of the people, the genuine welcoming attitude or the subdued demeanour that makes everything about North America appear loud and in-your-face. In any case, here are a few observations about the differences between Ireland and Canada that kinda struck me.
Economy
There’s been a lot of talk about how the “Celtic Tiger” is running into a brick wall as its economy slides. I can’t say I’m surprised, though I suspect few countries are going to be feeling sympathy for the Irish. For one thing, the current generation hasn’t been paying a fair price for what it gets from government. Compared to Canada, its healthcare seems to have better patient response times, especially in ER and citizens can buy private health care if they’re not happy with the public system.
There are no municipal taxes. No school taxes. No water taxes. I’m not kidding. I’ve been to places in the countryside where developments just pop up, far from the city core, and they have water and sewer services. These are paid from funds transferred by the federal government to local counties, as far as I can tell. I don’t understand how that could be sustainable in a country with a population of 6 million people. From what I can tell, the marginal tax rate is lower than Canada’s though the goods and services tax is higher (21% vs 15% in Canada), which explains higher prices, in general, but still…if I thought raising the Canadian GST to 21% and I’d get nicely paved roads, city water and sewer and better health care, I think I’d have a winning platform for any interested politician.
In New Ross, near Waterford, I saw a paving crew resurfacing a road…the half that had not yet been resurfaced was in far better shape than most of the roads I take to get to work. I think the Irish will soon realize how good things have been for them and, though they’ll grumble about it, they’ll need to adjust to the reality that is the 21st century for the rest of us.
Driving
If you’ve never driven on the “wrong” side of the road, you haven’t lived a full life yet. It’s not just that the steering wheel is on the “passenger” side, or that you seem to be driving in the oncoming traffic lane…it’s everything. I drove for 100 km without knowing what the speed limit was because I kept looking on the right side of the road for signs. On a 4-lane highway, the left lane is the passing lane. It’s like driving while looking in a mirror.
On top of that, it seems that most of the roads in Ireland were scratched out when the horse and cart were king, and haven’t been widened since. On top of that, signs for street names, when present (and that’s not too often), are on some vertical surface, like the side of a house or fence. Good luck finding one.
Good Neighbours
Fences, or rather walls, are omnipresent. Virtually every property is fenced in the front, most all around. And not some namby-pamby little white picket fence…a quarried stone fence sometimes up to 6 feet (2m) high. In a few places you’ll see a group of similar-styled homes without a fence out front…these are called “American style” homes. I’m sure there is a historical basis for this but it sure must add a few K$ to the price of a home. It looks nice, on an individual level, but when walking down a street, it’s a bit imposing. Mind you, from the inside, it must give a better sense of privacy, especially when the housing has a small footprint. At least the idea of a moat and a drawbridge is, thankfully, out of favour.