Cork has a north/south divide but it is as nothing to the chasm in Dublin. The river Liffey separates the largely affluent south from the largely less affluent north. My husband’s family are from one of the most prosperous southside suburbs. We will be living in the north inner city. A 30 minute drive (off-peak), the river and a whole world separate these locations. May I share some sample conversations? Of course I may, it’s my blog.
Relative (you know who you are): You must join the [local] library, it’s wonderful for the children.
Me: But it’s miles away [for me].
Her: Of course [smiling encouragingly] they must have libraries on the Northside too.
I took myself off to the house of my new friend from the cafe along with herself and Daniel. She was charming and delightful but disappointed that we would be living so far away.
Me: It’s not that far, really.
Her: Mmm.
Me: Honestly, we move back to Dublin and it’s like the Northside is further away than Brussels.
Her: Of course, in many ways, psychologically, it is.
This weekend we are very Southside as I have taken the children to Cork while Mr. Waffle wraps things up in Brussels. Maybe he will be able to sell the car (hollow laugh).
I heard the Princess explain earnestly to her brothers: “Now we are in Dublin, Ireland but we are going to take the train to another country, Cork.” Clever girl.
The train ride was rendered less hideous by the charm of the teenager opposite who shared crisps and buttons with my offspring. She was travelling with her mother and several siblings. Her mother was a large lady with an IRA tattoo (and, people, I don’t think that this is an individual retirement account), so it just goes to show – you should never, never get a tattoo.
Reminds me of that US series years ago about the Civil War….Saying that, as a born and (mostly bred) south Londoner (don’t laugh) these things do assume an odd kind of importance. Sounds like you’ll be doing a lot of driving….or becoming a poster girl for the ‘nouveau’ Northside.
When we moved to Dublin, as people who had no previous experience of Ireland and had been spoiled by the comparative affordability of rents in Scotland, I found us a pleasant new-build house in Finglas. I thought it was dreadful snobbery when I mentioned it to colleagues and they began to hyperventilate. After having our car broken into three times in a month, written off and the battery stolen (the battery stolen!), we were glad to move Southside. But Finglas does have a very nice public swimming pool, much smarter and closer than the public pools round here. And if we had gone for the flat I found and rejected in Sutton maybe things would have been different.
Actually, have I left a similarly dull comment on your blog before? I can’t remember. But I’ve been reading for a while. Welcome back to Ireland and keep up the good work.
The ILAC centre library is probably the best of them all, and the one in Marino is small but very pleasant. I work near there and I know lots of middle-class people around Fairview, Clontarf, etc. who would never want to live on the Southside.
If anyone in your family is into the GAA the house will no doubt be handy for Croke Park. This is always supposing you want to feed a bunch of hungry match-goers.
You are likely to have less horrific commutes than the denizens of the southside suburbs, too.
Hang in there …
The exact opposite of the north/south divide in London. I live in the less affluent but infinitely more interesting south. That’s what I tell the north-of-Thamesers, anyway …