Economically speaking

Fear not, I won't be starring in a tragic opera anytime soon

There is a traditional and romantic image of writers being poor, malnourished creatures living in a draughty garret, in Paris or some other place of cultural renown. They spend their time huddled around the dying embers of a coal fire, scratching out a living, leaving their writing only to drink cheap red wine with other artistic types. They will die cold and alone, probably as a result of alcoholism, or tuberculosis exacerbated from smoking too many Gauloises.

My life is not that shabby, although I do share a predilection for wine (or Guinness) and socialising. But having given up my job in the NHS to follow my husband to Ireland to further his career, we are now living off one salary, and my three million job applications have not been successful – yet. It is great to have the time to devote to my MA and to my writing, but it is a little tiresome to have to be so mindful of a much reduced income. Whilst we are far from poor, we are not in the position to be extravagant; and there really isn’t anything romantic about that.

At least we are not alone in this situation. Ireland is going through some serious economic difficulties and the news is depressing to watch most of the time. In amongst the increased violent activities of the dissident IRA, there are numerous stories of companies going out of business, people losing their homes, threatened hospital closures, and droves of young Irish graduates leaving the country to try their luck elsewhere.

To cope with the reduced spending of consumers there are frequent sales and bargains galore in the shops, so I don’t think that clothes and food are very expensive. Public transport is also far cheaper here than in the UK, so there are some bonuses. But considering people have less money to spend there are some strange pricing tactics for some leisure activities which I find seriously annoying.

The new Aviva stadium opened this year, to replace Lansdowne Road, as the home of Irish rugby. I love rugby and was lucky enough to procure tickets for the Ireland v Scotland match in the six nations this year. It was one of the last matches to be played at Croke Park, a far bigger stadium that was packed for this event. I doubt we will ever get a chance to see an International rugby match again as the prices for the new stadium are extortionate. It would cost a minimum of 240 euros for two adults and a child to see a match and with a smaller capacity, fewer seats are available. So I fear I will never get to see Brian O’Driscoll in the flesh again.

The Irish Rugby Union are stressing out about the possibility of important matches being aired for free on national television, instead of the pay-per-view situation we have now. They are naturally concerned about the loss of revenue. However, I think that the general public will respond quite favourably to this vote-winning tactic, as at least ordinary people will get to see the match. Sport should not just be for the wealthy.

But even to do something far more mundane like go to the cinema is also a tad expensive. Two adults and a child costs over 30 euros. It would have cost around £15 when we lived in Shetland. One game of ten pin bowling also costs around 30 euros, which for 30 minutes of entertainment is just a bit too much. It is perhaps not surprising that any time you visit the cinema or the bowling alley they are virtually deserted. The Aviva Stadium was also half empty when it staged some international friendly soccer matches a few weeks ago. Proving the point that when you charge too much, people will vote with their feet.

Ireland still has one of the highest birth rates in Europe and a proportionately young population, a fact that it celebrates. But these young families must find it such a struggle to afford fairly ordinary treats. A trip to the cinema was quite a big deal when I was a child, but surely in this era when numerous films are released each week and most cinemas have a choice of around 10 films to watch, we should be able to take more advantage of the situation. Surely it makes sense to charge less and attract more people.

It feels very elitist. I know that libraries, museums, parks and the countryside are still free to visit, but it is very sad that many young people cannot access the full range of cultural activities that are available.

As I write I am sitting on the bed with the laptop on my knees, with the Ireland v Slovakia match on the portable TV in the background. Downstairs, hogging the sofa and the other TV is my son who is watching the England game, and running up and down to keep tabs on the Ireland score. It is not Paris, but it is perfect enough for me. I could do with a glass of wine though.