Parents in the world: Ireland

Traveling on business gives the chance to meet many people and each of them can let you discover new worlds and different points of view. In our case we have John Halloran, a dad met at Campus Seoul during Google for Entrepreneurs Exchange Program.

Today we talk about John’s life as dad in the Irish capital Dublin, after the stories of parents from the UK, Philippines and Mauritius.

John, a mobile game developer, is a very enthusiastic dad, especially after the birth of his first child. We remember well how many photos of the youngest version of him, shown us with joy and how long he wandered to find a onesie for babies in the Korean markets.

He and his family are lucky enough to live in front of a beach. However, John tells us that in Dublin there is a shortage of housing, which is the reason of very expensive houses.

John is satisfied with his life, thanks to a good balance between work and family. But it is not always the case, he says. Sometimes hours and commutes can be long.

As for health care, the access is free to everyone in Ireland. But this causes crowded hospitals and long waiting time for medical service. Many people in fact, prefer (who can afford it) to get private insurance to decrease waiting times.

Education in Ireland is good, says John. But in Dublin is not easy to get access into schools: besides the high cost, religion is a factor to consider in school choice.

In fact, most of the schools are Catholic, and if you are not Catholic, options to study at certain institutions are limited. Many parents choose to baptize their children simply to get them a place in a local school.

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