104. Lucan - Ireland - House and Pet Sitting - Episode 29

 The traffic was kind to us and 4 hours later, we arrived at Lucan, in the western outskirts of Dublin. It's not the prettiest of towns but we took this 4 day sit to minimise our accommodation costs while we sort out my passport and visa. The house owners are a lovely young couple taking some time off to visit Dingle, coincidentally, we were there a few days ago! 

Archie, their golden retriever, is larger than life and very sweet.

We noticed how few people we saw on our dog walks compared to the number of dwellings. The shopping centre was huge and also looked deserted, however, hundreds more 'cookie cutter' houses lined up looking identical and sterile are under construction making us think the population will be increased in the near future.

Here is the view from the bedroom looking into the backyard. It seems more like an army barracks than a housing estate.

What we also noticed was the demographic of the town. In the four days we were there, we saw perhaps 6 or so native Irish folk. The rest are comprised of Indians, Africans, and Eastern Europeans. One local explained that Intel (the computer chip company) opened a factory nearby and bought many houses, which subsidised the rent cost to the workers as part of their remuneration. 

Many towns and cities here are experiencing the impact of 'population displacement'. And it's not just in Ireland, but the UK in general and, many European countries. Rents are high as European and UK governments subsidise the cost of many who have relocated from abroad, forcing many locals onto the street as they cannot afford to have a roof over their heads. 

To be honest, this is not going to end well. In London, the white population is now less than 33% of the population and the crime rates are going up exponentially. 

We are committed to coming back here for another 4-day stint in early June and that will be the end of sits in the Dublin area.

It's been an eye-opener to see what we have seen as we haven't been herded around tourist spots on a tourist bus. There are some beautiful areas and communities in Ireland but unfortunately, they are slowly disappearing as the country bends over backwards in subsidising  'diversity'  while at the same time leaving a lot of their own to fend for themselves.