Young and moving to Ireland?

I recently decided to take a year off at my university in the US and move somewhere new to help me get my life in order and see a bit of the world. I'd love to get in touch with my roots and some really cool people in Ireland, but I'm afraid of the cost of living being too high and having trouble finding a temporary job (like serving in a restaurant or coffee shop). I'd prefer living in a fairly rural area, but would obviously need to rent somewhere.
Could I get by on a few thousand dollars over there for a couple of months and would I be able to find temporary work and a good place to stay while I check out the beautiful country? Would you recommend this sort of excursion to Ireland, or should I go to Guatemala or China (the other top two on my list)?

Check out your roots before you come, so you have an idea where in Ireland you are going to be. If you find relatives here, they may know good places where you can stay near them, and also have local knowledge of what to see and do. Galway is nice, but there are lots of other nice places too.

You may need a work permit. Check out http://working.monster.ie/

Coming at this time of year, the tourist season is over so accommodation should be easier to find. And work too, now that all the summer-job people are back at school. If you are staying a year, bring your warm clothes for winter and your umbrella and wellies.

i am 14 and u are doing exactly what i am planning to do when i get college age. try galway great city, friendly people, booming, still pretty rural outside Galway City

Check with the Irish U.S. embassy for details on whether you can work legally...it may not be that easy to find work on the black market but if you have clearance to work by th eIrish Goverment it should be relatively easy. Certainly Galway is beautiful and there's plenty of friendly people to help ypu on your way

i would suggest going to guatemala or china. ireland is very expensive to live in. rural areas do not have very good public transport, and then you would need a car. gas is about $4 a gallon also.
if you plan on doing work in coffee shop or bar work or any such thing remember that they dont tip in europe so its not like it is in us, where you work for tips. you will be given a basic wage and thats it.

I live in Derry, which is on the border between the north and south. Dont know what the deal is on work permits etc...There is always a job in restaurants and pubs too, but, there are no tips, but the option is there to make a living from it. rent for most places is about 拢100 per week ( about $175), so it would be really great if you could get a job quickly

word of advice, Dublin is where veryone goes. the next clued up people go to Galway to try and escape Dublin. Kerry is very touristic and would be a great opportunity to get work, nd you may even contact a few bars to get ajob before you come over.