Ana returned from visiting her brother, who has lived in Ireland for about ten years, and revealed what daily life looks like for Croats in Dublin, from food prices to housing estates that are nearly impossible to enter by car.
Between 16,000 and 17,000 Croats live in Ireland today, and their emigration intensified after Croatia joined the European Union. Unlike many other member states, Ireland did not impose restrictions on Croatian citizens who wanted to live and work there, so Dublin became a new home for many.
The numbers clearly show this: in 2013, 440 Croats moved to Ireland, with the peak recorded in 2016 when 5,312 Croatian nationals chose this country. In the meantime, the situation has changed, and due to rising living costs and expensive real estate, some people have started returning, but many have stayed and adapted to a different way of life.
For Dnevno.hr, Zagreb native Ana spoke about the differences between Croatia and Ireland, having recently returned from visiting her brother, who has lived in the country for about ten years.
Ana was surprised by many things, from the layout of housing estates and public transport to the range of products in stores, but food prices particularly caught her eye. She showed receipts from the Dunnes chain, Ireland's largest retailer, which sells food as well as clothing and household products.
"For them, Philadelphia is the cheapest cream cheese spread, costing 2.65 euros," Ana said. The receipt shows she paid 2.50 euros for cooked ham, while chicken fillets cost 10.99 euros. Two containers of carrots were 1.09 euros each, with a 40-cent saving on each; fresh parsley was one euro, lettuce 95 cents, parsnip 43 cents, celery root 1.49 euros, stock cubes 2.80 euros, and a net of onions 1.19 euros. The total on the receipt was 36.37 euros.
The second receipt shows prices for items often bought in Croatia as well: two packs of Kinder products with five pieces each cost 4.35 euros, milk 1.75 euros, and sourdough bread 3.99 euros.
Besides prices, Ana was also surprised by the range of products. "One morning, I wanted to buy 3-in-1 coffee, but that turned out to be an impossible mission. I looked everywhere for a wooden spoon because they have these big plastic spoons, speck, and a drink like Cedevita, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Later, I saw online that they do have wooden spoons, but they're really hard to find," she said.
She was particularly appalled by what she saw in the fruit and vegetable section. "One day, I wanted to make soup, but in the store, I couldn't buy a soup starter pack like we have back home; I had to buy everything separately. Carrots, parsley, celery are all individually packaged-you wouldn't believe how much plastic they use."
While Croatia often debates the import of fruits and vegetables, the situation in Ireland is even more dramatic. "Everything you see in terms of fruits and vegetables is imported. However, they have a lot of their own milk and butter, although the butter is salty, so I don't know how they make cakes," she joked. She added that stores have a lot of lamb, while pork is nearly impossible to find.
Her Irish acquaintances told her that few people cook there; most buy ready-made meals that they just pop in the microwave for five minutes. "Few people will spend time after work standing in the kitchen for hours at the stove," Ana relayed.
Croats living and working in Ireland often point out that they miss dm, Müller, or similar chains that exist in Croatia. "There's nothing like that there, except Boots, which didn't really impress me with its range," Ana said.
She was also surprised that on Monday, when the kindergarten was closed and many people were at home, the city center was full, and shops were operating normally. "The kindergarten was closed, but the shops were open as usual, and the center was packed," she said.
She was pleasantly surprised by public transport, especially the tram network, but living in large housing estates where no house costs less than a million euros has its downsides. "These estates are designed so you can walk through them. But it's really inconvenient to enter them by car because you have to drive kilometers on a detour, which can be a problem for people. It's good for the residents, but bad for everyone else," she described.
During a visit to the zoo, the family met an Irishman who asked where they were from. "He asked where we were from, and when we told him we were from Croatia, he just said there are a lot of Croats in Ireland. By the way, from what I've heard, our people have done quite well for themselves there, and many live in very expensive neighborhoods," Ana said.
Among all the differences between Croatia and Ireland, she particularly highlighted one: water bills. She learned from her family that in Ireland, they don't receive water bills because water is free. "They told me that for a while, they had to pay for water, but people rebelled, and the government had to back down, so water is free again," she concluded.
