Oh dear this thread just reminds me of one of the reasons I left Ireland, where we say "You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow`s ear"...all that money in the Celtic tiger and we, myself included are still fairly crude people.
That said it sounds like dk2 has had a rough time with his mum etc and why not come to Bsas and be welcomed like I and many other Irish have been. It will be difficult to size up opportunities from a distance but theres many expats doing well for themselves here,especially those like you with a local girlfriend who will really help you navegate difficult issues like tramites, make friends and find job opportunities so come on down. The visa hop is painful but after 12 months if you still like it here why not try the official route (which is also painful but more like a root canal treatment which has an end as opposed to the visa hop which is a lingering tooth ache).
That said it sounds like dk2 has had a rough time with his mum etc and why not come to Bsas and be welcomed like I and many other Irish have been. It will be difficult to size up opportunities from a distance but theres many expats doing well for themselves here,especially those like you with a local girlfriend who will really help you navegate difficult issues like tramites, make friends and find job opportunities so come on down. The visa hop is painful but after 12 months if you still like it here why not try the official route (which is also painful but more like a root canal treatment which has an end as opposed to the visa hop which is a lingering tooth ache).