From Scotland to Northern Ireland
Dunluce Castle, Northern Ireland. Photo by David Doyle
Some weeks back, I moved home from Scotland to Northern Ireland (NI).
As the vast majority of my design clients are based outwith the UK, this hasn’t adversely affected income. In fact, part of the reason behind my move was to help with work, as here in NI I can afford a bigger pad, and thus a more comfortable office.
Most of my family are around the Belfast area, and it’s great to see them more often.
Belfast Laganside, Northern Ireland. Photo by Glenbourne at Home
If you’re considering a move to Ireland, be aware that installing a broadband connection can prove time-consuming. After more than five hours on the phone (spread over some weeks) talking to incompetent customer service/technical support, I’ve just switched to a supplier I’m hoping is easier to deal with. In the meantime, I’ll continue driving each morning and evening to a temporary (net-connected) office.
Work continues as normal, with some fantastic new clients, though I do look forward to once again walking to work, as I did in Scotland. It was a short walk — from my bedroom to my office in the next room — but an enjoyable one nonetheless.
Since moving to NI I’ve received a couple of house-warming gifts. The first is a kind offering from Andrew, of Sumo Lounge — a Sumo Omni chair (pictured below).
Attractive model not included.
From the Sumo website:
“It’s a crash mat, lounge chair, loveseat or floor pillow…
“Sumo Beanbags are made from space age rip-proof nylon and come filled with top quality Sumo Beads. Omni is 4.5′ x 5.5′ and it only weighs 18 lbs!”
A loveseat, eh? I’ll have to ask my girlfriend what that means. If the Sumo Omni isn’t big enough for you, check out the Sumo Gigantor! Oh boy.
Andrew has been busy marketing his Sumo range by contacting a number of blog authors (nice tactic), and you may have seen his chairs mentioned on other blogs. Uncrate mention how the Sumo Omni Plus improves upon the Omni by using a micro-suede outer, as opposed to the nylon used on my gift. I’d say the Omni Plus is definitely worth the extra few pounds.
You’ll find other reviews of the Sumo Omni on Cameron Moll’s Authentic Boredom, Fraser’s Affiliate Marketing Blog, Ben’s Binary Moon, that Canadian girl, SonSpring and swissmiss.
The second kind gift (shown below) is from Sandra, of Berlin-based 500GODZ.com — a limited organic streetart t-shirt label.
- Material: 100 % Organic Cotton
- Print: 100% Water based Ink no PVC or Formaldehyde used
- Sweatshop Labour: 0 %
- Origin: Made in the E.U.
The t-shirt even arrived in compostable packaging. Nice. Thanks Sandra, Andrew. I hope everything’s great with you both.
If similarly designed clothing is your thing, here are some other graphic tees for inspiration.
So I’ve now returned to my roots after nine years living mainly in Scotland. Two other design blog authors reside here in Northern Ireland, Richard, of Ace Jet 170, and Michael, of Pro Blog Design. Their websites are certainly worth a visit.
Edinburgh, and the good folk that live there. Here’s to you.
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34 appreciated comments on “From Scotland to Northern Ireland”
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Good to see you’re all settled in finally. It’s also nice to be closer to family. I’m quite jealous ;) By the way, when are we going to see your new place?
I think it must be inspirational to live in a place with such history. Here in Southern California, most of our cities and towns were just founded in the 1950-60s! But then, maybe you’re used to seeing castles from your bedroom window? ;)
Hehe, loveseat… is that just an American thing? Technically, it’s a small couch, usually large enough for 2 people. I’ve seen Andrew’s Sumo products making the rounds through a few of the blogs I read; how cool that you got one! They look comfy.
One of my life goals is to visit Ireland and Scotland some day, we’ve got a couple hundred more years of history here in New York than the west coast does (in reference to LaurenMarie’s comment above) but it’s still nothing compared to what you have as far as history goes. I’m part irish (my last name is Ryan) and I love potatoes so I’m hoping I would feel right at home!
Thanks for sharing about the Sumo Omni chair, I’ll have to check it out, as it sounds just like what we might need for around the woodstove here at the office.
Glad you are getting settled in. I can share your pain with sorting broadband connections, last year I moved from a large town in Surrey to a tiny village in the Yorkshire Dales with just 25 houses and only 4 phone lines that are split between the houses. So after many broken promises from BT we now receive our broadband via a jolly large satellite dish in the back garden, and a somewhat slimmer wallet for the privilege! Oh and if it rains (which is does a lot!) we loose our connection altogether..
It is worth it though to live somewhere so stunning.
Jen
This reminds me of a question I’ve been meaning to ask (that has probably already been answered somewhere on this blog)…
Where (geographically) do you get most of your work? Is it a lot of long distance clients, or some good, local, word of mouth that has you busy as a freelancer? I’ve started doing more freelance web design and am skeptical of searching out work beyond a 100 mile radius.
Any thoughts/suggestions on how to approach long distance clients?
Congratulations on the move David… the chair looks quite comfy. I was disappointed I couldn’t visit Ireland or Scotland when I was over in Europe in June… (you did say on someones article that you were gonna shout me a beer :P)
Anyway enjoy your new place and all the best.
PS. On another note, I also noticed you’ve also lost many subscribers (2500+ ). I guess some problems over at Feedburner as I also have lost similar numbers?
Congrats on the move David, hopefully everything works out for you as planned. As a gift for your new home I would be more than happy to produce a nameplate at your door or office door, or whatever suits you best. If you are interested please drop me a mail. Thanks and good luck!
Ah, yeah… there’s nothing like that commute down the stairs and into the office of a morning ;)
Congrats on your move and it’s good to hear you’re finally settled – barring an internet connection
Beautiful country, lovely house warming gifts, and a relaxing pint. I guess things are pretty good then. Really nice to see an ultra eco T shirt, and a mention of water based inks. Hope to get to Ireland myself soon for some of your world class surf. Good luck with the broadband.
And just when I was planning a move to Edinburgh and hoping to meet you! Ahh well. Hopefully the broadband woes will be sorted out soon. Glad you are fairly settled though. Enjoy your new home!
Thanks, Kyle.
It certainly is nice to have family close by. Prior to moving here, I saw them perhaps twice a year, and then only my closest relatives (mum, dad, older brother and younger sister). As for when you’ll see my new home, I’ll pick you up from the airport. Just let me know when you arrive and you can use the spare bedroom.
I actually meant to publish some pics of my new office, and me sitting on the Omni in the lounge, but I can do that once I’m actually working from home, and it’s set up as I’d like (currently sitting across the other side of town).
Lauren,
There’s some fantastic history here, for sure, and the scenery around Dunluce Castle (shown in the first photo) is absolutely stunning. It’s right on the north coast, about a 90 minute drive from me now. Thanks for the loveseat explanation, by the way. A bit of a let-down, but at least now I know.
George,
You won’t go short on potatoes here, and the famine days are long gone. Definitely have a look at the Sumo Lounge website. They have plenty of variations, and I’m sure at least one would be great at the woodstove.
Jennie,
That helps put things in perspective RE: my broadband connection. BT say I’ll be hooked up on the 28th, but I’m anticipating a similar line problem from the previous so-called supplier, and think I’ll need an engineer visit. I’m very glad you’re happy in your surroundings. They can make such a difference to your mindset.
Jordan,
Here’s a blog post on Lateral Action that delves a little into your question, and mentions some of the countries my clients come from. Mark, the author, was kind enough to feature me, and if I can be of any other help, don’t hesitate to ask.
Jacob,
I did indeed say I’d shout you a beer. I drank it myself, but there are plenty more in the barrel, and thanks for the well-wishes. Don’t worry about FeedBurner. Their chicklet counts do fluctuate from time to time, and as you’ll notice today, it was just a 24 hour blip.
Sander,
How kind of you to offer! That would be a great house warming gift. Given that I’m currently in rented accommodation — until the economy settles a little — it may be resting on my desk for a while, but a very kind offer indeed.
Aaron,
Thanks buddy. I’m in a bungalow, so you’re getting more exercise than me on that daily commute. I have been playing regular 5-a-side football with old friends, so that does make up for it.
Steve,
A surfer eh? I’ve not given it a shot, but if you do make it over, I hope you catch some crackers. Cornwall mustn’t be far behind in surf quality, if at all? Yep, things are great with me thanks. I hope they are with you too.
Lorissa,
Maybe after a while in Edinburgh you’ll decide to move to Ireland. If you have any questions you think I can answer about the Burgh, I’m more than happy to help. Thanks for the kind thoughts.
Excellent timing David. Design Week Ireland starts at the beginning of November and there’s few good things happening locally. See: http://www.designweek.ie/
My brother moved over to Belfast over a year ago because he got a job at Queens. Me and my mate were over last weekend for a few days (via a 22 minute flight from prestwick…so easy!). It was my 2nd time in Belfast and I really like it, it’s a cracking city and there are some cool pubs.
I’m heading back over at new year to stay at his too. Looking forward to it.
Best of luck with the move. I’m sure you will settle back there very quickly because of the family and friends you have there.
Hope your happy in your new home David. I can certainly empathize about the problems setting up a new broadband connection being both frustrating and time-consuming. Its a shame the model didn’t come with the floor seat! All the best David.
Good to see you’re enjoying life back in Ireland; certainly looks picturesque!
David:
What a wonderful night at the pub you had! Glad to see you’re settling in & enjoying your surroundings. Best wishes for your new home.
@Jennie Routley:
:::wistful, longing sigh::: Very jealous! Esp. if the beautiful sheep on your page is one of your neighbors. Wish I were there.
Firstly David,
Welcome home, you’ll be pleased to find the internet community is as vibrant back here as it is on the mainland.
Some guys definitely worth meeting up with over here with regular Barcamp’s and Open Coffee events.
Paul.
Thanks for the link, Richard.
I’m downloading the Design Week PDF now and will read it this evening.
Kevin,
Glad you had such a good time over here, and I hope new year is just as fun.
Richard, bubble, Van Hong,
Thank you all very much.
Paul,
Don’t think I actually realised you were based on these shores. I hope everything’s grand over in Tyrone, and I’ll be on the lookout for some local barcamps and coffee meets. Cheers buddy.
Congrats on moving to Northern Ireland.
It feels really good if you are living close to your family and relatives. I wish you have good time and settle with more comfort.
Congrats on the move, hope your broadband resolves itself soon.
That cushion looks great. Can you recline properly in it or do you need to ride it like a horse?
Meraj, thanks a lot for your well-wishes. I’m sure everything will be great here.
Mark, the bean bag is great. You can use it a number of different ways. I hope you’re doing well.
Very cool!
Welcome back David! :D
I hope the move goes smoothly for you, and that you don’t miss Scotland too much! :)
Thanks for the link. There aren’t many of us in Northern Ireland, but at least there’s on more now! (And that bean bag chair is fantastic!! I want one! :( )
David -
Just curious, but what is going on with your Feedburner readers number? I see them jumping from 3000 to 5000 to 7000 and back down again.
Michael,
I’ll miss living in Edinburgh, but I have plenty of friends there, and I’m sure I’ll visit before too long. You deserve the link to Pro Blog Design. It’s a great resource.
Jordan,
FeedBurner will, from time to time, experience issues with picking up all feed sources, and I’m sure it won’t be the last time the subscriber count fluctuates. I think the average number here is around 7,000 via RSS, sometimes in the 6,000s at weekends when less people log into their feed readers.
that bean-bag is just great…from some of these are very hard to stand up.. and huh, pity that attractive model is not included..could be nice interior adittion..:)
>> “Attractive model not included”
That made me laugh :)
I thought Michael of PBD lived in England, I guess he referred to Ireland when he said UK. Most of us non-Europeans consider UK==England anyway….
I’ve read from mags that Ireland is a wonderful place – in terms of all people being financially well off, ie. wealth distribution being quite fair. Is it so?
I think it’s absolutely great that you can move so far and take your clients with you (so to speak). It makes me dream of one day leaving London for a quieter life but with the same remuneration. I’m not ready for it yet but good to know it’s worked for you so far. Good luck!
Dainis, Sumesh,
You’ll have to contact Andrew, at Sumo Lounge, for details about the model. As for wealth distribution in Ireland, I wouldn’t say it’s even, but poverty levels don’t compare to some nations I’ve visited.
Rob,
I hope that when the time comes, your move to a quieter location brings the wealth with you. Thanks for the well-wishes.
Congratulations on your move David, and my best wishes for your future :)
I appreciate that, Mark. Thank you.
Good on you for making the jump to NI.
My wife and I considered moving to Co. Antrim last year but property seemed to be just as expensive as it was in Perthshire so decided to stay put. Good thing that you could keep your existing clients too.
Hi Adam,
I can imagine the property market is similar to Perthshire, though there’s quite a difference from the hiked up Edinburgh prices. Cheers for dropping by.