My wife's family is from Ireland. Both of her parents are dead and she has always dreamed of going back to Ireland. A couple of years ago we did visit for a month and went to the town (Spiddal in Galway) where most of her family lived. We found relatives who had been living in the same houses for the past 200 years. The houses had straw roofs, peat stoves and some only spoke gaelic. It was a wonderful experience and we both agree that we could live in Ireland and be very happy.