A Mystical, Magical, Beautiful World Apart

Watercolor skies and the lushest, greenest countryside you'll ever see...

Dear Reader,

A jigsaw coastline of craggy cliffs, secret coves, and mile upon mile of golden sand beaches--many with barely a human footprint... Quaint coastal towns where fishing smacks bob in the harbor, gray seals slumber on rocks and cottages come in every shade of a child's paint-box...

Woven into this tapestry are glass-blue lakes glinting below heather-clad mountains...silver ribbons of rivers...blood-red sunsets...forests heavy with the scent of pine and mushrooms. A land of poetry, music, myth, and magic, this mystical, magical, beautiful land comes with a Celtic past that refuses to be silenced...

As Euro-Editor for International Living, I constantly travel looking for the best places and the best deals for relocating internationally. Places where you can live, work, retire, relax... and call home.

Ireland is my home by choice not by birth. I love Ireland. It offers me--and yes, you too--a fantastic lifestyle. Sure, I dream sometimes of moving to Italy or the Tropics, but Ireland offers me more than anywhere else in the world. I heartily recommend you consider Ireland as an ideal destination... for a second home... for starting a new life... or for retirement. Ireland offers you enchanting opportunities (even if it's just for a visit.)

It's no accident that International Living makes its home in the Land of Saints and Scholars. No place offers IL everything Ireland did... and does. Ireland offers you heaps of benefits too. My latest big assignment was to write the all-new 2004 "Ireland: The Owner's Manual." It's your complete guide to living, working, retiring, buying a second home, starting a business or investing in Irish real estate.

Property bargains IL recommended in 1990 have easily increased five times in value. Had you bought then, you'd be sitting pretty. What we showed our readers in Dublin for less than $50,000 then, would be hard to touch for less than $250,000 today... and possibly quite a bit more.

My adopted homeland is one of the most beautiful and fascinating islands in the entire world... One of the friendliest, too. At Europe's westernmost edge, it shimmers through the sea mists like some enchanted fairy tale realm. After 16 years here, it's hard to imagine living anywhere else. Writing Ireland: The Owner's Manual was like being reintroduced to an old dear friend. It made me remember why I make Ireland my home, and why I believe Ireland could be the perfect place for you too!

In this thorough report you'll learn:

* Which Irish Counties feature the best property values?

* Where to find the most gorgeous--still undervalued--locations?

* How to qualify for a 59% tax credit when you buy or rehabilitate certain properties?

* If you qualify for automatic citizenship--or how to get residency or a passport if you don't.

* What you need to know if you dream of owning your own Irish Pub?

* Who qualifies for big retiree savings? You could!

* How to find nice furnished rentals for as little as 600 euro.

* You'll discover the ultimate Irish Golf Resort... You can buy a home for 1 million euro or more.

* Or if you prefer, where you can find a fixer-upper thatched cottage for only 82,500 euro.

* Or maybe you fancy an Irish Castle... Call a restored castle home for as little as 330,000 euro.

* You'll learn about buying a B&B too...

That's just a small sample of the important information I've collected for you in Ireland: The Owner's Manual. You'll get the scoop on every county in Ireland and the pluses and minuses you should consider when choosing Ireland. And all the basic information that you need about living in Ireland.

... let me give you some more food for thought...

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Eight Reasons to Make Ireland Your Home
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Why is Ireland such a brilliant place to live? Some reasons are from my head... and others from my heart. (And I must warn you...Ireland can easily work its way into your heart). Here are a few of the best reasons why you should consider Ireland.

1. Affordable healthcare. Your treatment in public hospitals is free (for all residents)...and private health insurance with Ireland's largest provider can be as little as $360 per year.

2. You pay NO annual bills for property taxes and household rates.

3. Enjoy a first-class education system--entirely free up to school-leaving age.

4. You are safe in Ireland. Whether I go out day or night, it doesn't cross my mind that there's any chance of getting robbed, raped, blown to bits by a terrorist bomb...or murdered in any other kind of gruesome manner.

5. The Irish speak your language. While Ireland has a few small Irish-speaking areas, in most parts of the country everybody speaks English. (I dropped the idea of Greek island living after seeing a book titled "Learn Greek in 25 years.")

6. You'll make friends in Ireland. The Irish are friendly, hospitable people. Yes, I know it's a cliché, but Irish people will want to get to know you. And they love to talk...endlessly. In fact, they probably invented the idea of language. (Warning: If you're standoffish or snobbish, you'll be a lot happier elsewhere in the world.)

7. Your choice of lovely landscapes that offer you everything. Golden beaches swept clean by rolling Atlantic waves...a rosary of offshore islands...precipitous cliffs...toy town ports with hand-painted shop fronts and color-washed cottages... heather covered mountains with icy-blue loughs hidden within their rumpled folds...a peaceful hinterland of green fields, gray dry stone walls, and quiet villages where any crooked lane might lead to an ivy-clad castle, a tumble-down abbey or a holy well.

8. A wide range of activities for you to enjoy: golf, sailing, salmon and trout fishing, Gaelic games, walking, theater, opera, foot-tapping traditional music, horse-riding and horse-racing, jazz festivals, literature festivals, and arts festivals...

Take a look at a bit of what I've found for you in the Emerald Isle. Thatched roof cottages...rainbow colored cottages...can be yours at sensible prices... Read on...

Steenie Harvey
Roving Euro-editor, International Living

P.S. Not only will you pay no property tax in Ireland…you'll also pay no tax on certain rental income…and no purchase tax on certain properties. Plus, real estate investors get huge tax breaks…and if you're a writer or artist, you pay no income tax. See my full Ireland report here: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/120SIRE/W120E4IE