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 sit to minimise our accommodation costs while we sort out my passport and visa. The home owners are a lovely young South African couple taking some time off to visit Dingle, where we were a few days ago.

Archie, their golden retriever, a lap dog, is larger than life and very sweet.  He likes to sit on you on the sofa and he's 35-40 kilos or more, a hefty lad.

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 appears 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 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 buy or rent.

To be honest, this is not going to end well. In London, white folk comprise less than 33% of the population and the crime rates are.increasing rapidly.

We're booked to return to Archie's for nother 4 days in early June, marking the end of our time in the Dublin.

It's been an eye-opener to observe the changing face of Europe and the UK as we've not been tourists. There are some beautiful areas and communities in Ireland, but unfortunately, they are slowly disappearing as the country bends over backwards to accommodate 'diversity', while at the same time leaving a lot of their own to fend for themselves, as elsewhere.