A few weeks ago, my friend, who had been au pairing in Dublin for the last few months, took me to a pinball bar called Token, a few days before it closed. While we were catching up, we ran into people she knew from the arcade. Even with my egregious attempts at pinball, they somehow still invited us to the next tournament the following week despite my reservations. After the tournament, I began chatting with a now-good friend at a nearby table. She explained that she’s originally from the States but moved here 10 months ago, struggling with employment while looking for a job in architecture.The next week, we sat down for coffee, and she shared more about her situation and the connections she’s made in Dublin. I was interested in her perspective as a neutral outsider regarding her acclimation here, the culture, and the difficulties she faces due to Dublin’s high prices.
“From what I’ve kind of seen here in Ireland, housing is always a big problem. And it’s been going on ever since the country started building up.. It’s become more and more lucrative for businesses,” she said. She mentioned that a lot of investment companies come in, buy property, and rent it out at prices that are not accessible to locals or newcomers. “It’s more than €2,500 to €3,000, maybe even €4,000, depending on where the property is located.” This, of course, depends on how nice the property is and how much the investment company wants to sell it for.
“It took me a month to find a place to stay, and I got lucky. I’m with a friend, and she’s able to give me an affordable price for a room. A box room,” she clarified. “Not even, there’s barely any space. I went to so many different areas that were in my price range, but they were super sketchy. And I did not feel safe in any of those places.”I asked her if there were any initiatives in place to help reduce the disparity in housing costs. She said they are working to create more affordable housing, but it’s mainly for people who are really struggling to make ends meet, particularly in very poor areas. The middle class still has to rent and ends up spending half of their income or more on rent, leaving people feeling as if there aren’t many options.“Even to get a mortgage, they make you jump through these crazy hoops just to be able to get a loan, coming up with any reason to deny you. When paying the mortgage can be out of people’s budgets in general,” she said, bringing up an example of a couple trying to acquire a home but ending up needing to rent due to the high prices.
Last week, I also made a keen observation: the majority of the surrounding buildings were vacant. As I waited for my friend to arrive at Token, I decided to take a walk around but realized there wasn’t much to see. Moving away from Temple Bar, Dublin’s most expensive and tourist-ridden area, I noticed street after street with only a few businesses. “There’s a lot of planning permits, so… unless they are given permission to take down those buildings and build up again, they can’t do anything with it,” she explained lightly, highlighting the connection between bureaucracy and corruption that makes it nearly impossible to demolish, repurpose, or renovate those buildings. “It’s always a question of money and who wants it and why.”
“I know it sounds pretty bleak,” she exclaimed, “but here, it’s all about networking, getting to know people, making good friends, and talking to them about your situation. That’s how people get by—through friends and family. That’s why tight-knit communities are really important.” I asked how people who are not from Dublin might manage if they’re having trouble finding a network. She said, “It’s all about who you know. If I hear about something, I’ll ask if you want to come with me. You look for events in your price range on Eventbrite or Ticketmaster or check things on billboards. It’s hard to find things to do here unless you know people who know about things. I found out about some great venues like Busy Street and the Sugar Club for comedy or concerts. During the summertime, there’s a lot going on. People love music here; it’s part of the culture in Ireland, so that’s a great way to meet people. Getting a pint, walking around, talking to people—you make some really good friends. That’s why people make friends here through other people; they don’t often just talk to random people unless they’re really drunk.” She says, but that makes a good starting point.