Living on the Irish Waterways?

[rusty69]

28 minutes ago, Bacchus said:

 

Ahem... wouldn't Brexit have killed living in Ireland too? Or are there enough inland waterways in Northern Ireland?

 

Yes. Don't know.

[magnetman]

I don't know either don't you know.

[Tony1]

1 hour ago, Bacchus said:

 

Ahem... wouldn't Brexit have killed living in Ireland too? Or are there enough inland waterways in Northern Ireland?

 

 

My info could be out of date, but I read somewhere that the Common Travel Agreement between UK and Ireland allows free movement, and also access to medically necessary healthcare with the same rights as a native.

Pardon my brief but necessary diversion into politics here- it is my opinion that the NHS in England has been deliberately run down over the last 12 years, and that it will be very difficult for a future Labour government to reverse the damage- so I have a very pessimistic view of the quality of healthcare provision that will be available to working class people in this country over the next 10 years or so.

One of the benefits of residing for 5 years in Ireland, providing you can prove residence) is that you might be able to apply for an Irish passport, and thereby obtain the excellent standard of healthcare that is available in countries like Germany. 

For a man approaching 60 and not in the best of condition, the prospect of obtaining what I believe to be a far superior standard of healthcare than I could ever get in the UK has a significant appeal. It could end up being the sort of thing that adds a number of years to one's life. At the moment this country is struggling to even get critically ill people transported to hospital, and with 7 million people on waiting lists, even routine elective surgeries might be two years away. 

For balance, I should add that other opinions about the state of our NHS and its future are available. 

So to be honest, a move to Ireland would not just be about the lovely scenery and the wonderful people, I am also being a bit selfish in a way. 

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Tony1

[magnetman]

Ireland looks great. I like the look of Lough Erne. No idea what the practicalities are but it looks like a nice place. 

 

[GUMPY]

1 hour ago, Bacchus said:

 

Ahem... wouldn't Brexit have killed living in Ireland too? Or are there enough inland waterways in Northern Ireland?

 

No there is a free travel area between the UK and Ireland that predates the EU. So we can come and go as we please.

 

[Tony1]

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Ireland looks great. I like the look of Lough Erne. No idea what the practicalities are but it looks like a nice place. 

 

 

In fairness I don't think an actual move to Ireland would be for everyone. It is a hard move to make when you have family and friends in the UK, and especially if you are getting older.

But it might make a nice change of scenery- the ferries are surprisingly cheap for foot passengers, so regular visits either way (via public transport) would be very affordable. It's only when you try to get a car on the ferry that the price gets steep. 

 

 

 

[magnetman]

I'm getting younger so it

 should be okay. 

[magnetman]

Also quite keen to be able to say "top of the morning to you" when seeing people rather than "alright?". 

[Tony1]

55 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Also quite keen to be able to say "top of the morning to you" when seeing people rather than "alright?". 

 

My understanding is that 'top of the morning' is no longer legally mandated as a greeting in Ireland.

I could be wrong (it has been known), and it seems safe to continue using it (of course in a simulated Irish accent) until we have certainty. 

 

However, as a flight of fancy, imagine having coffee on a Spring morning looking out over miles of the beautiful Lough Erne, or from the Shannon, from the very spacious saloon/lounge of this 45ft GRP beauty: 

 

https://www.apolloduck.com/boat/aquafibre-ideal-45-for-sale/684771

 

 

[Dav and Pen]

Upper lough Erne is really lovely with lots of Islands and one had a restaurant were we stayed the night. The lower lough is not so interesting. There are a lot of Hire boats on the Shannon itself but there’s plenty of space and the Canals and R. Barrow are worth exploring. the Iiwa organised some good gatherings and the owners of the original grand canal barges also have meets to which we went as our NB was very traditional with is Lister engine which attracted attention. It’s an expensive place especially food . The Irish boat owners are a great bunch one of them had an old wooden cruiser with twin gardners and he would start one up at breakfast time so he could have toast. Don’t know about top of the morning but everybody speaks and there was only one place where we felt uncomfortable where a group of women were encouraging the singer to sing anti British songs so we left. The owner apologised and asked us to come back the next evening. Our Airedale terrier was a great source of interest and the greeting was often “what sort of dogs that den”.

[Tony1]

58 minutes ago, Dav and Pen said:

 

 there was only one place where we felt uncomfortable where a group of women were encouraging the singer to sing anti British songs so we left. The owner apologised and asked us to come back the next evening. 

 

 

I think it is an important point that one should never be tempted to engage in political discussions in the Republic- it is such a hugely complicated issue, and has been causing not just friction, but deep hatred and hundreds of savage murders- for many decades.

My only feelings about it are based on instinct and personal opinion, as I don't know enough of the history or the suffering.

Over the centuries our history with Ireland has been a typical example of a more economically powerful and heavily populated country trying to gain advantage over a less populated neighbour. That was what they did back then. 

But times have thankfully moved on, and looking back with our modern perspective, we can see the clear injustices and offences that were committed.

Although we as today's UK citizens are not responsible for the offences of our earlier governments or their military, we cant expect an Irish person whose great-grandfather was killed by a British soldier to just forget about that part of their family history.

At certain times, the historical feelings of resentment against an oppressor will come out.

I don't have an answer for it, although I can understand that occasional resurgence of historical anger towards English visitors to the Republic.

All I can say is thank God for the Good Friday Agreement, but it will take many, many decades to heal those wounds, those memories, and that anger. 

For balance, I have to add that my viewpoint is coloured by the fact that I see myself as being a Scouse European, rather than English.

And even more so now than I did back in the dreadful 1980s.

 

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Tony1

[MtB]

2 hours ago, magnetman said:

Also quite keen to be able to say "top of the morning to you" when seeing people rather than "alright?". 

 

 

I generally say "Ow do?" 

 

Caught it off an old boater mate of mine, donkey's years ago....

 

 

 

[sueb]

Travel insurance I found had to be for Europe which has stopped us going. For health reasons we can't get travel insurance so it's put paid to a trip to Dublin.

[Tony1]

18 minutes ago, sueb said:

Travel insurance I found had to be for Europe which has stopped us going. For health reasons we can't get travel insurance so it's put paid to a trip to Dublin.

 

I know that some travel/health insurance providers now make it much more expensive for older people to get health insurance for travel around  Europe, but I would have thought the UK/Irish CTA (with its reciprocal health agreement) superseded the need for health insurance in Ireland- which tbh was why I was thinking of Ireland anyway.

I can no longer afford health insurance cover for long term travel within Europe, so I was hoping Ireland would be the affordable option to spend longer periods of time abroad.

Oh God, how small have our travel horizons become when we cant afford a trip to Dublin.

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Tony1

[ditchcrawler]

Sandra took her boat and dogs to Ireland about 3 years ago here is one of her blogs The Happy Hippie Convoy by Daquiri | Golden Boyz Narrowboat Blog (wordpress.com)

[magnetman]

Being someone who hates insurance I am quite intrigued by the elf unsurance thing. 

 

What actually happens to you if you have a terrible emergency ? Do they just let you die in incredible pain or does something else kick in? 

 

 

[Tony1]

29 minutes ago, magnetman said:

Being someone who hates insurance I am quite intrigued by the elf unsurance thing. 

 

What actually happens to you if you have a terrible emergency ? Do they just let you die in incredible pain or does something else kick in? 

 

 

 

I don't know, but my guess is that if you had a medical treatment in the EU and you had no insurance, they'd treat you and send you home with a huuuuge bill afterwards. 

The problem is that as you get older, the price of medical/travel insurance goes up- and its probably even more if you have pre-existing conditions too (except for youngsters of course, who are indestructible, so their cost will be much more affordable). 

I can imagine there are probably a few people who just take a chance travel without insurance, maybe with the idea that if they have a bad episode they can immediately fly home.

But you might then be risking coming home with a bill in the tens of thousands if you can't find a flight home in time and you need urgent treatment, or if you're in a car accident, say.

I would bet there are now many older people for whom the need for health insurance cover makes travel abroad just too expensive. 

Some of the older van lifers, for example, who want the full 90 days of cover, are now effectively confined to the UK, or can only afford shorter trips. 

This is what makes Ireland so attractive, although if any sectarian trouble kicks off again, Ireland might be off limits as well. 

One of my parents was half Dutch, and there is currently an effort being made to establish the right to Dutch citizenship, so I may regain an EU passport that way.

But I am also hoping Scotland will gain independence, as they will offer citizenship to any English folks who want it as part of the separation deal, and they will end up back in the EU at some point. 

So there might a be a future escape route via Scotland- although I suspect they might struggle to cope with the population influx- there will be millions of English who take that chance if it is ever offered, and they will have to put a cap on the numbers. Imagine how many hundreds of thousands of English youngsters would jump at the chance to regain an Eu passport via Scotland. 

 

 

[haggis]

11 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

But I am also hoping Scotland will gain independence, as they will offer citizenship to any English folks who want it as part of the separation deal, and they will end up back in the EU at some point. 

 

I wouldn't count on either gaining independence or joining the EU 🙂 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

Being someone who hates insurance I am quite intrigued by the elf unsurance thing. 

 

What actually happens to you if you have a terrible emergency ? Do they just let you die in incredible pain or does something else kick in? 

 

 

 

In Europe if you have an unexpired EHIC or the new GHIC you get emergency/urgent medical care deemed necessary while there. Depending on the country you may get that care free or at reduced cost, but you are still likely to have to pay something so travel insurance would still be deemed necessary unless you are particularly wealthy or choose to take the risk.

[Tony1]

Just now, haggis said:

I wouldn't count on either gaining independence or joining the EU 🙂 

 

Scots opinion does seem to be very close on the issue of independence, and the polls seem to fluctuate as the months go by.

If a referendum is held at a time when opinion is swinging towards independence, who knows what might happen? 

But I'm certainly not counting on it- my best hope at the moment is to obtain Dutch nationality, but that is also up in the air. 

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

24 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

In Europe if you have an unexpired EHIC or the new GHIC you get emergency/urgent medical care deemed necessary while there. Depending on the country you may get that care free or at reduced cost, but you are still likely to have to pay something so travel insurance would still be deemed necessary unless you are particularly wealthy or choose to take the risk.

Our new cards arrived today

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Our new cards arrived today

 

Our EHIC's expire before we go to France in June so about to apply for our GHIC's.

[ditchcrawler]

Just now, M_JG said:

 

Our EHIC's expire before we go to France in June so about to apply for our GHIC's.

Came within a week

[Guest]

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

Came within a week

 

The web site is saying there are delays, but then the passport office said the same for passport applications last year and they came in about two or three weeks.

[sueb]

The EHIC only pays for treatment. It doesn't pay to get you back to the UK or your partners expenses. We went on holiday with a healthy elderly friend. He had a heart attack. His bill ended up in six figures so don't underestimate the cost.