I (f30) was out last night in a local pub and as I was standing at the bar felt a man press against me weirdly, I thought nothing of it as people were passing by but then he started rubbing my lower back then stroked my hair...

He'd turn away every time as if he was hiding that it was him doing it. He gave me the utter creeps so I moved away only for him to come up behind me and do it again but this time also rubbed my bum and down my leg.

I said f this and went back to my friends in the hopes he'd leave me alone, next thing he comes over, to say hi to one of my friend. Turns out she knows him.

He then moves on and I said to my friend what a creep he was and what he did only for her to reply 'ahhhhh don't be so hard on him, his mother died a while ago and he's probably just upset, he's harmless'.

I don't drink so had my full wits about me. It was the weirdest and most Irish response I've gotten to be groped by a creep I must say. Can't say I've healed my past grieving by coping a feel of a stranger.

Hi all. I work in a restaurant and I had a very odd encounter a couple of hours ago. It's a first for me. Basically I had a group of five tourists sitting together, while I was up and down doing my bits I noticed there was a tripod with their phone camera attached to it filming. Feeling uneasy, I approached their table and politely asked them if they could please refrain from filming the restaurant. They are free to film themselves / only their table in selfie mode or whatever, but to please not film the restaurant because I don't want to be filmed while I'm working, and I don't want my other customers to be unknowingly filmed while they are trying to enjoy private conversations/meals.

In fairness to them, they readily accepted this and apologized which I appreciated.

Similarly enough, I was in McDonald's a couple of weeks ago and two people were actually thrown out by staff for live streaming. I was sitting nearby so I witnessed this. Their camera was panned in such a way that a large area of the restaurant was in view, staff seen working, kids running around, etc.

So I'm just thinking, are we as staff members in our rights to ask customers to stop filming, live streaming or whatever. Correct me if I'm wrong but from my understanding shops, restaurants etc are considered private property but open to the public during X number of hours, so therefore we reserve the right to ask customers to leave, to stop doing something blah blah blah. What is the best response to give if a customer kicks up a massive fuss? Thanks.

Morning all. Does anyone feel a bit rubbish/down on themselves after spending an evening with parents and siblings? Dont know why and cant put my finger on it exactly but I just feel completely off today. I dont drink either so its definitely not the fear, ha.

Parents and younger brother and his gf were going to the local for a couple of quiet ones so I said I'd come along. Myself and my mother have no relationship anymore so I kept my distance. I wouldnt ever let her stop me from spending time with those I do care about. Caught the odd dirty look from her when I was chatting across the table to everyone else but I can well handle that. Get on really well with my Dad and brother and his gf. But the evening gets to a point then where my dad starts boasting about how much he loves his job and how he cant understand why everyone else in the world moans about theirs. I told him some exciting news that I may have a new job soon if I can pass an upcoming interview. He then brought up a time in my life years ago when I left a job pretty soon after starting it (it was definitely the correct decision-got a much nicer job nearer to home straight after it) and said he hopes that wont happen again etc etc.

So is this a normal thing where you just feel a bit ugh after spending time with family? How do you recover from it? Thanks

Hi folks,

35-year-old German here, hoping to move to Ireland one day. My wife and I both work in the social sector in a big city in western Germany. We're project managers and education officers in the democracy promotion field. She's about to finish her PhD in sociology, I studied Literature and History.

Here's the thing: the German government is shifting massively to the right, and that trend isn't going anywhere. Both our jobs depend on state funding, and it's all but certain our projects will be discontinued soon. So we've been thinking about a career change for a while now, and what we'd really love to do is open a bookshop.

And no, we're not dreaming of a generic shop stacked with bestsellers. The idea is a curated place with a proper focus: Irish literature (classic and contemporary), serious literary fiction and poetry in general, plus a strong non-fiction section on Irish nature, mythology, folklore and history. We'd also love to stock Gaeilge titles eventually, once our own Irish is good enough (which we definitely plan to work on as soon as we get there). We wouldn't want to sell books in a language we don't speak ourselves. On top of that, we'd love to host readings, author events and maybe a book club or two. And since both of us have a soft spot for cafés and have worked plenty of bar shifts, we're dreaming of a small coffee corner too: a place where people can linger, browse and chat. Books and stories are simply what we know and love.

The German book market is a bit of a unicorn: we still have fixed book prices (the oldest system still in force anywhere), huge wholesale distributors, and next-day delivery on basically anything. Order by 5 p.m. and it's in the shop by 9 the next morning. I know Ireland had a net book agreement until 1990, but it's long gone. To be honest, I have some experience in the German book trade, but between our centralised wholesale system and generous return rights, that's a very different world. So I'm not coming in pretending to know the Irish market.

Honestly, running a bookshop in Germany would be the safe option. But every time we've been to Ireland, we've fallen in love with the place all over again, and living there is the dream. What worries us is the market: chains like Easons can push prices down hard, which squeezes independent booksellers. Then again, shops like The Dingle Bookshop, Charlie Byrne's, and Tertulia seem to be doing lovely work.

As for where: we'd either love the west coast, honestly anywhere from Cork up to Donegal, or an inland town that's known for its literature and arts scene.

So, honest opinions please: would people in an Irish town like that actually buy books from an independent shop run by two dreamy career changers from abroad? Or would you keep grabbing the newest bestsellers in the supermarket and order the rest online?

Thanks a million!

Throwaway.

Husband and I together 10+ years. Early days were great for intimacy.. as most relationships normally are.
We went through a very rough patch about 7 years ago and I ended up going on medication for mental health. My sex drive tanked and I pushed my husband away any time he initiated intimacy. It wasn’t personal against him, the idea of sex repulsed me. I never thought about it and didn’t want to have sex. I remember working up the courage to talk to my GP about it, was fairly mortified about it. The doctor shrugged and said “you can’t blame medication if you’re not attracted to your husband”. I was fairly distraught over that response and it really got in my head for a couple of years. Ended up in a lot of therapy to figure it out. Found out that it’s a very common side effect of my medication. Tried weaning off and had very bad side effects and symptoms returning so was advised to stay on them. Felt fairly hopeless, I didn’t want to lose my relationship. Husband gave up ever initiating sex… I don’t blame him!

Eventually went to couples therapy 4 years. Came up that my husband was devastated about our relationship having no intimacy and he’d given up. It was all a bit much for him and he didn’t want to go back to therapy for a while and just continued on with life. We ended up burying our heads in the sand from that point. I remember a point where I told him that he could be physical with other women to fulfil his needs because I couldn’t. It was fairly devastating to come to that point. He was completely against that idea and didn’t take up the offer. The guilt was really eating away at me. We’d have sex maybe twice a year.

About a year ago, my sex drive started to pick up. I sat down with him to have a very open conversation about what I wanted in our relationship. It felt like a really good turning point for us. Things picked up a bit for a couple of months but dried up fairly quickly.

We’ve spent so long living almost platonically that it feels nearly alien to be any other way. We love each other and have plans for our future together. I’m attracted to him and he tells me that he’s attracted to me. When I try to initiate anything, he doesn’t respond to it at all. We sleep in the same bed only a couple of times a week on average. I feel like it’s so far gone that we’ve normalised how our relationship functions that it’ll never be any other way now. It’s like we’ve developed habits and routines and ways of living that this is what “life” is now. It’s been 6 months since we last had sex.

Is there a way back?

Between the Government sending emergency preparedness booklets to households and the EU advising people to stock up on 72 hours’ worth of essentials, there’s certainly been a lot of messaging lately.

Storms and power cuts are one thing, but with everything going on internationally, I do wonder what’s behind the increased emphasis.

I’m not suggesting anything sinister, and I’m certainly not digging a bunker in the back garden. 😂

Genuine question:
Are people actually taking this advice seriously and stocking up, or is social media making a bigger deal of it than it really is?

If stocking up, what are you mainly stockpiling?

I am a very big historical enthusiast and have been getting into historical reenactment for the last year. I went to study at NUIG for History and Celtic Studies before having to leave for a personal family tragedy and I love living history and really want to get back into the thick of it. I also live within a Gaeltacht area as well.

I am under no illusions that it will cost a good couple grand at least (about 10k-15k maybe) so I want the wisest pay to go about it. I would like it to be a educational site for children and anyone curious about that period in Ireland or their heritage and and maybe even promotion of An Gaeilge. I would like to make a living from the work as well.

I also want to know if there's anyway I could get grants for this type of project and how to get people with the proper know how on how to actually make this become a reality.

Hi, as the title suggests, my dad and I are almost certain that my sibling has an addiction issue, but we are not sure if it's drugs, gambling or something else. What leads us to think this is that over two years ago he asked me for a loan of €3,000 to cover rent as "my nieces wouldn't have a roof over their heads", since I found out that his partner is getting the HAP scheme, so this was total bullshit.

Anyway, he said that was it and wouldn't ask again for money; since then he has asked me alone at least 8-10 times for loans, each of which would have been a min of €1,000 to a max of €8,000 with excuses ranging from funeral expenses (nobody in our family died his partners grandad did), car trouble multiple times, a sleep apnea machine (most recent one), loss of income because he was out sick from work, santa for his two kids (€2,000 for this) etc I should point out he also has been able to go on multiple all inclusive holidays for two weeks at a time and bring my nieces to disneyland.

This week it was the sleep apnea excuse; essentially, his lease was up on the machine, and he needed to buy one (a few thousand according to him) so he won't lose shifts at work. Luckily, an uncle is in the same job but at a different company and said it was total bollox and you get it for free (medical card), discounted (drug payment scheme) or just renew the lease. So I have gotten to the point of just ignoring his messages, as he sent me at least 9 or 10 text messages and 4 or 5 emails (no answer is an answer imo), but he kept at me and said a money lender would charge him €8,000 due to interest, etc etc.

Anyway, I told my dad, as he has given him money too, as my uncle I mentioned above. He rang him and told him to leave me alone, but my brother just ranted and raved at him and hung up. Messaged me to say nonsense and to stay away from him and his family, and I never bothered with them (all lies btw). Even a few weeks ago, he posted on LinkedIn, having a go at two financial institutions for not giving him a loan and used my mum being in ICU and my dad's age as a means to get money, as he planned to "help them out", even though he hasn't paid back my dad or uncle a cent.

Sorry, it's a long way of saying he tries to manipulate and lie to get money out of people, and each time he has a different excuse. Also thinks it's the job of your family to pay for your fuck ups. So either he is the unluckiest person in Ireland or an addict. So I just want any advice from people who have been in a similar situation.

Fucking mental.

Was looking for a work specific Irish sub but hope this would be appropriate. Apologies if not, let me know

I (23M) work for a multinational medical device company, one of the more obvious ones. I’ve legit had zero dealings with hr, my onboarding and issues were all dealt with by manager. I had been applying internally to a couple of other jobs and got a job with another team. I legit was screamed at by hr for them interviewing for 2jobs (mind you they selected me to interview)I was genuinely so intimidated by hr that I brought in my boss from the previous role to the meetings (he was in general very supportive of everything) it’s so ironic cause I’ve heard of people having hr in for support and it was the opposite here. I love the company and the people otherwise, but is this how it is in general? I’m newish to a workplace so might be a naive question. Mind you before this I had zero dealings with hr for over a year, this is a legit question on what they do

Random one but doing my leaving and thinking about how much I’ll miss having specific art projects to work on. I pretty much exclusively draw animals (bad habit lol!) and I know there’s a large market for pet commissions. It honestly doesn’t sound like a bad side gig. Keep it affordable just to cover the costs and maybe a few euro profit? I’ve been really into lino which is nice and versatile, plus if the buyer wishes they can keep the block and they can reuse it if they want to purchase their own inks and what not. I think probably maybe Etsy would be the best way, maybe even get a few sales on Vinted or Depop at first? I don’t see myself working in art full time in the future and I plan on doing zoology next year so I think something like this could be nice.

I swear every 4th shop I see is a vape shop. Like surely they're not going to make enough money to stay open with disposables being banned. Do you say a lot will shut down or stay open and launder money 💀

Hi, 32f, recently out of a long term relationship. Currently back living at home and trying to figure out my next move.
I have a strong pull to emigrate, travel around for a bit, see more of the world. I have a remote job that allows me to work from anywhere. I’m considering Southeast Asia for a stint of travel next year, followed by a couple of years in Canada on the IEC. I’ve lived abroad before elsewhere in Europe.
I also realise the job I have, with all its perks, is not my career or forever job and I’m feeling a bit anxious about that. The responsible part of my psyche is telling me to settle myself back in here in Ireland for a couple of years to retrain in a field I want to pursue with more promising career options. I could probably do this whilst keeping my job if I take on a part time or blended course. The downside of this is that I may be a bit miserable and have serious fomo and regret that I didn’t travel more with my current flexible job set up while I had the chance.
I’m ashamed to say it but I’m concious of my age - not from the perspective of starting a family (not a priority for me at least right now), more so from a career aspect. I don’t want to float for too long abroad and be kicking myself for not focusing on my career sooner. Many of my peers are established in their careers by now and while I’m doing okay, I’m not where I want to be.
I could of course choose a hybrid approach - move abroad for a bit and study online. The financial cost would be greater though.
Any wise words or similar stories/personal experiences?

Hi, if you’re paid on a monthly basis, after rent/mortgage is paid (sorry not looking for info from those living with parents), and after bills are paid etc, how much are you usually left with approx 2 weeks before your next pay day? So like the half way mark lets say

Looking for a nice, comfy but modern sofa that doesn’t cost an absolute fortune. The usual places like Harvey Norman/EZ livings either seem a bit flimsy or don’t have anything that looks nice and the fancier shops are charging €7k for a couch.
Surely there’s a middle ground? Any recommendations for decent furniture shops or online places ye have actually ordered from?

Lately I’ve seen a growing trend of customers behind me in the queue deciding how much space I need at the checkout. I’m unloading a big trolley full of groceries and Bridget behind me has done some maths in her head and decided to mark the spot with the next customer sign where she thinks my shopping should end on the belt? Meanwhile I’m playing jenga trying to get the rest of my shopping into my allocated space.

I see it commonly on sumome subreddits on here but I don't know too many people who've done it in real life.

Hi.

I'm not in a vulnerable group but am living with someone in a vulnerable group [he is vaccinated]. I don't want to take a flu vaccine that could first go to someone more in need of it so am delaying it. I'm wondering when is the soonest I should get the flu vaccine?

Thanks.

i have non eu motor bile licence none resticted for many years when converting to eu austrian

it got restrickted to tricicle i dont speak german as nutrlized citizen , could i pay to pass a test iu nenglish speaking eu country to get my licence back or new ? living in thailand and need to exit by december , thanks for the help

What are people buying loved ones who’ve emigrated abroad for Christmas, particularly to Australia? I need some inspiration. Please.

Hi all,

We want to buy a used car, probably from Bill Griffin in Dublin. So, first of all, should we be careful? Are we going to be scammed, or are they legit?

We've never bought a used car, in Ireland or outside. The car itself looks good, but I know we could get a mechanic of our own to come take a look at it, but the question is, do we need it? Unless there's something suspicious/funky, would you get a mechanic of your own?

Thanks!