Hi my advice to you is to have a good set of ear plugs when you
come to Ireland. The news is constantly depressing with this
Recession. However, I suggest that you rent a house for example in
the South West for 3 months and then relocate to another region for
another 3 months. Then you will get the feel of the place. Self
Catering can be very reasonable off season, as they are now so many
houses vacant you should get a good price. Then at least, you will
know if you want to make move for certain. Keep your options open.
Regards Siobhan

Not exactly on the topic, but like the OP, I'm a writer and I have a suggestion of a place for you to visit in Northern Ireland. I've been to Ireland at least five times and have seen a great deal of the island.

My favorite memories are at a self-catering artist's retreat called Limepark. (www.limepark.com) It's near the Antrim Coast and DP and I are in love with the natural beauty of that area.

The 300 year old cottages are beautifully restored, and with their original stone walls and wooden beams, they feed my romantic notion of Ireland to a tea.

In case anyone is suspicious ... I have no ties with Limepark. Just sharing a place I love. (You'll see that I've done countless trip reports.) I've spent glorious hours in front of a roaring fire there, gazing out at the horses and the rolling green hills while writing.

FYI, the weather has never been a big issue. Yes, it rains sometimes; then it clears up and has rainbows ;-). I've visited during various seasons and only had one time where it rained heavily for four or five days in February.

Personally .... I could be very happy living in Ireland. OMG, now I'm REALLY wanting to return!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy6e3...layer_embedded

Copy the above video into your browser to get a more balanced view of what is good about Ireland. Yes there is a downturn but based on all my travels its still one of the best countries in the world to live. Dublin is not a wet city by any international comparison and in fact avoids most climatic extremes. Costs have also tumbled - and the scenery is still outstanding - as is the quality of the welcome.

"the health care system scares the heck out of us."

Some people do scare easily.

Life expectancy Ireland: 79.9
Life expectancy USA (where this hysterical claptrap was written): 78.4

Might the author's overwrought imagination be better used doing something about his home country's system for making doctors rich and patients die than inventing fear-mongering gibberish about Ireland's ability to keep its citizens healthier, longer (and less pointlessly scared), for half the price?

Or do Americans just die young because they're scared to death on such inane evidence?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm from the US and spent a year in Dublin and the weather bothered me immensely. It's not just that it rains all the time (it does rain more than most places, but usually light rain), but that even when its not raining it's GRAY. All. The. Time. The Irish people I met didn't seem bothered by it, but I found it extremely depressing.

Of course some people are more affected by weather than others, and I consider myself on the strongly affected end of the spectrum, so you may not have the same experience. The fact that you're worried about the weather, through, strikes me as a bad sign.