I'm also a software developer and went there 2 years ago for 2 weeks for training at a large software company. Let me tell you, it was not a nice experience and I thanked the heavens when I finally touched down in JHB.
A couple of things that irritated me:
a) Upon landing, I found out that there are only 2 (yes 2) ATMs at the airport in Dublin. Both were out of order.
b) Eventually got local currency after huge struggle.
c) Very expensive country, let me tell you eating there is insanely expensive.
d) People are strange - it's true what everyone else said here, it's not the same as SA.
e) Even though food is so damn expensive, and travelling etc, I was shocked to find out that when I multiply their highly experienced developer Euro salaries by 9.5 they earned in Rand terms exactly what experienced developers earn here, even though they had to pay so much more for basic things on a day to day basis. They definitely have a lower quality of life there on a rand for rand basis.
f) The ones I met there were depressed and very unhappy being in software development in Ireland.
g) Very unhelpful and unfriendly people - i didn't encounter a single friendly person in Ireland.
h) If you enjoy gymming or being active, it's a crappy place - in the entire Dublin there are 2 crappy small gyms (the size of a house) and one massive one that charges R8,000 to join and R2000 per month. Insane. I begged them to let me gym there on a daily rate (R2000 / 14 days) and they told me "forget it"! So I went without gym for 2 weeks.
Hopefully your experience will be better.
On the plus side, you may be able to live past the age of 40 in Ireland without being stabbed or murdered in your sleep - and that alone is probably enough to go!
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