A shot of the Cliffs Of Moher on the west coast of the country, incredible spot.
Table Of Contents
- Some Background
- My Recommendation For Digital Nomads & Reasoning
- The Positives Of Ireland
- My Favorite Cities
Some Background
My thoughts on Ireland are nuanced, I like a lot about this country, but I also have a responsibility to tell you guys the truth.
When I built this brand the hope was to inspire you all, but also tell the truth about this lifestyle and it’s drawbacks. Here’s an entire blog category devoted to the less shiny realities of nomadding, if you’d like to learn more.
Honestly, I was supposed to stay in Ireland for a month. However, for the reasons below I cut that trip in half and I’m writing this now from Lisbon Portugal (stay tuned for a digital nomad guide for Lisbon).
Overall, would I recommend Ireland to digital nomads?
No I wouldn’t, not because I hate the island but for the following reasons
- There was little to no existing digital nomad community here / co-working culture you’re likely going to be working alone a lot
- Hotel prices (at least as of August 2022) are completely outrageous, specifically for Dublin
- Prices for regular hotel accommodation started at 175 euro and went up to 350 euro
- The weather here is very poor – even with August being one of the better months, it’s still mostly cloudy and not crazy warm
- IMO – Ireland is more suited for English speaking older couples looking for a safe, easy country to travel around
That Being Said
I did enjoy Ireland, the people and the landspaces. While it won’t ever be a digital nomad hub, you can still have a good time here working remote.
For those interested in giving Ireland a shot, here are some positive thoughts & tips
Positive Point – Good Wifi
- I got great Wifi across the country, even in more remote spots the wifi was generally quite fast. Below are the averages for the country, along with a table
- Avg. Download Speed – 119.72
- Avg. Upload Speed – 82.58
- Avg. Latency – 21.6
- Not sure what these metrics mean? Check out my guide to getting fast wifi anywhere, here
| Type/Device | City | Name | Download | Upload | Latency |
| Cafe | Galway | Wyld | 312 | 91 | 13 |
| Hotel | Dublin | StayCity – Tivoli | 311 | 193 | 7 |
| Hotel | Dublin | StayCity – Mark | 154 | 229 | 8 |
| Hotel | Cork | Ashley Hotel | 76 | 9.5 | 21 |
| Cafe / Cowork | Dublin | Zanzibar Locke | 73 | 103 | 7 |
| AirBnB | Galway | Misc. AirBnB | 54 | 42 | 25 |
| Cafe | Dublin | EPIC Museum Lobby | 50 | 43 | 42 |
| Cafe | Dublin | Pog Bachelors Walk | 35 | 8.9 | 34 |
| Cafe | Dublin | Shoe Lane Cafe | 9.2 | 20 | 38 |
Positive Point – The People Are Super Outgoing
Irish people are super outgoing and friendly, it’s really easy to spark up conversations with them, they’re very witty and even as an American there isn’t (too much) of a language barrier.
From time to time I did have a hard time understanding what they were saying but for the most part it wasn’t too tough to understand them.
Positive Point – The Landscapes In Western & Southern Ireland Are Incredible
There are a lot of beautiful landscapes in Ireland. Anyone researching Ireland will know about the Cliffs Of Moher, and those are incredible but there are also other outdoor spots to check out!
Here is the list of spots I’d recommend (I was only in the South and only there for 2 weeks, so I’m sure there are some I’m missing)
- Killarney National Park – Probably my favorite place in Ireland, lots of hiking and incredibly lush, green landscapes.
- Coumeenoole Beach – pretty sweet spot on the tip of the Dingle Peninsula. The beach is pretty incredible here, closest thing to the Caribbean you’ll find in Ireland.
😂
- Hold A Baby Lamb – Pretty sweet drive from Coumeenoolee Beach to here, some cliffs and super tight roads.
- Connemara National Park – This place was sweet! Lot’s of beautiful landscapes, a pretty sweet castle/abbey at the base of a mountain, etc. The hiking was pretty sweet as well!
- Mountain Biking – There are lots of excursions you can find around Ireland, my sister found a great one with motorized mountain bikes on AirBnB experiences. It was a killer time, and I’d highly recommend something like that!
My Favorite Irish Cities
While I did like Dublin, there is a huge shortage of housing which affects housing and hotels, so the prices there really aren’t worth it. IMO you’re better off going to London or Paris you can pay the same if not less, and experience far more.
My Favorite Bigger City
I did enjoy Cork, which is one of the larger cities in Ireland. It’s lively, the weather is better and the hotel prices weren’t as exorbitant as Dublin or some of the other spots we stayed at.
My Favorite Smaller Town
I loved Killarney, really awesome town that’s right next to the National Park, lots to do here, and the hotel prices were reasonable.
Looking For Awesome Digital Nomad Spots?
Check out my list of digital nomad guides for the top spots in the world here