Peter Vandermeersch: Ireland doesn't always get it right — but when it does it's hard to beat

Six years after arriving in Ireland, I realise this place doesn’t always get it right – but when it does, it’s hard to beat

Whether it’s politics or transport, some things don’t make sense about this island – yet, I have fallen in love with the country

Peter Vandermeersch at Trinity College in Dublin. Photo: David Conachy

What’s it like over there in Ireland? It’s a question I have faced repeatedly these last six years. Every time I’ve gone back to Belgium or the Netherlands to see family and friends, someone would inevitably ask: “What’s it like there?”

For years as a journalist I lived in Paris and New York. France, the United States — these are places that Belgian and Dutch people feel they know. Ireland, though, remains largely unknown in Brussels or Amsterdam.