Today I was joined on The London Ear by a wandering Irish troubadour, David Burke. David has a new EP out now entitled ‘Hello Ocean’.
I last spoke to David in 2012 on The London Ear’s predecessor, Culture Café on RTÉ 2XM. You can have a listen to that one here.
Back in 2108, David has made an extended stop in Ireland, in between travelling adventures in Australia and Canada. While back in Ireland, David has taken to the recording studio to record, and now release, ‘Hello Ocean’.
The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM Show 218 27th October 2018
1. The Survival Code: Take It As It Is
2. Elly D: Sorge
3. Bouts: Loves Lost Landing
4. Soak: Everybody Loves You
5. All Tvvins: Hell Of A Party
6. Pale Rivers: Caught in It
7. Chat with David Burke
8. David Burke: Barefoot
9. Chat with David Burke Part 2
10. Heavy Soda: Greasy Feet
11. Robert Crosbie / Geisha: The Psychedelic Transfer
12. Rejjie Snow: Congo (Mama Africa)
Listen On Demand to The London Ear
Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.
Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.
Tips for Moving to Great Britain from Ireland // Getting Proof of Name, Address and Photo ID
I’ve been thinking about writing this blog post for a while. There are a few things people tend to forget when moving from Ireland to Great Britain.
Here are a few tips to make life easier for you.
If you are living in a country other than the one that you were born in, you really should have proof of name, address and photo identification from that country. There are lots of reasons why you will want these but first you will need a few things.
Hold a Valid Passport
Although you don’t need a passport to travel to Great Britain from Ireland, you will need to show your future employer that you are eligible to work in Great Britain. Make sure you have at least a year validity left. This shouldn’t matter but the way things are here at the moment with Brexit, this shows that you have the same work / live entitlements in Great Britain as British citizens.
Get a Passport Card
This is a driving licence / bank card size card that you can stick in your wallet and travel anywhere around the EU with. It’s valid for five years and it costs €35 euro plus postage from passport.ie. It should be with you in about ten days plus postage time.
Now, it’s time to get your British Identification!
Get a National Insurance Number
A National Insurance Number is the same as an Irish PPSN number. It’s your social security number. If you want to work in Great Britain, you need to apply for one.
When I got mine, way back in 2001, I had to wait for about 4 weeks and then go for an interview.
You can apply online. If you have any questions you can ask at your local Job Centre. You can start working before you have one but you may be emergency taxed. Once your employer knows that it’s on the way, they should be fine.
Get a British Driving Licence
‘But I don’t drive’, I hear you cry. Neither do I but I still have a British provisional driving licence. It’s an amazing piece of identification to have if you’re living in Great Britain.
It will state your name, address, date of birth, place of birth and your photo. This means it could be used for proof of name, proof of address, photo ID.
Now remember that Passport Card you got? Send that to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) when you are applying instead of your Passport Book. Things can get lost. A lot. If you lose your passport card, it’s not the end of the world, you still have your passport book.
You can apply online for your provisional licence here.
Open a Bank Account
When I moved back to London in 2013, I didn’t have a permanent address but I did have a job.
You will need proof of name / address and a passport for this. I also had proof of name / address for Ireland.
You need to bring any letter stating that you have applied for a National Insurance number. With many of the banks, they will also allow you to open an account with them if you have a letter from your employer stating that they need to pay you for the work you are doing for them. In this case, the bank may also ask to see your Contract of Employment.
Register with a Doctor / Dentist
It’s important to register with a GP or medical practice, not only if you get sick, but letters from your GP / NHS are great proofs of name and address.
Basically go to the NHS website and give it a read. There are a few things to take into consideration including where your potential GP is. You must be in the catchment area for the medical practice and they must have the capacity to take on new patients. You can put your new postcode into this website and it will show you all available practices.
You will have to go to the medical centre and get the once over, but you’ll be fully registered then.
Doctor’s and hospital visits are free but this can mean it can take a week or two, depending on the surrounding population, to get an appointment.
Please don’t take the piss out of the NHS, I had a work colleague tell me he ended up in A&E on a Sunday afternoon with stomach pains – it was indigestion, he had too much to eat. NHS workers are heroes.
A dentist is easier to deal with, you don’t have catchment areas to contend with. You can find out more here.
Register To Pay Council Tax
If you are renting an apartment / flat, you need to pay council tax. Everyone does. Sometimes your landlord with include this in your rent. Also, if you are in full time education, you do not need to pay Council Tax. (Don’t take my word for it – double check this). Council Tax is paid to your local council and pays for things like refuse collections, street lighting and libraries. You can get some info here.
If there are a few of you sharing a house / apartment, make sure that each of you are named on the council tax. It’s another proof that you are living in Great Britain. Plus, you don’t want to get landed with a bill if everyone else moves out. Keep the names updated.
Register To Vote
If you’re Irish, you can vote in Great Britain if you’re resident here. You need to get your National Insurance number before you can do that. But please do vote and vote well.
There are two other possibilities for photo ID that you can use. You could use these to travel to / from Ireland with anyone except Ryanair (Check out my blog post on that here).
A Validate Card an identification card recognised by the British Government. Anyone can get this card, you don’t have to be over 18.
It costs between £15 and £40 depending on how fast you need it. £40 will get you a card overnight.
A Citizen Card is an identification card recognised by the British Government. Think of these equivalent of a Garda Age Card. You can get that in a few days and it costs £30 for a 2 day turnaround. A five day turnaround will cost £15. (You can also apply for replacement cards if you lose it.
You can apply for a Citizen Card using a referee who knows you and any of the following:
birth certificate
certified copy of a birth certificate
NHS Medical Card
CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) Check document
European Health Insurance Card.
You can also a referee who doesn’t know you as long as you have
Once you get these things together, plus a rental / tenancy agreement, life will become easier for you.
You will need to register for energy bills, water, internet. Keep all this documents together, keep payslips, polling cards, all in a safe place. If you get your bills online, put them in a folder in the cloud that you can access. Good luck, off you go and be a proper citizen!
I just happened to be in the St James’ area of London at the annual Art Walk, when the banging started. The music got louder and the people started coming.
An estimated 750000 people took to the streets of London, asking for a People’s Vote, a chance to have a second referendum on Brexit.
To be honest, I think the whole Brexit thing is a huge pile of nonsense. People were lied to about what would actually happen after the United Kingdom left the EU. Scaremongering became rife and misinformation about immigration and refugees has led to xenophobia and racism raising its head.
Of 46.5 million registered voters, 33.5 million votes were cast. It seems like 13 million selfishly couldn’t be arsed to turn out to vote for something that will affect their children and grandchildren as well as themselves.
Anyway, here’s a few photos I took. I’ve never tried taking photos in a situation like this before and learned a lot. What’s your favourite?
Are you an inny or an outy?LOL Last of the Croissants Some of the 750000 who took to London’s streets B*ll*cks to Brexit He bangs the drum Says it all really, doesn’t it? Missing EU
The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // 217 with Joseph Healy, London Irish – LGBT Network
I was delighted today to be able to chat to Joseph Healy from the London Irish LGBT Network. The LGBT Network along with Irish in Britain are hosting a conference in London on November 1. The conference is entitled “Equality in Ireland: Past and Present”.
Speakers at the event include:
Conor McGinn Labour MP for St Helens>
Clare Moore – Love Equality
Elisha McCallion MP Sinn Fein
Dr David Shaw from Liverpool University’s Institute of Irish Studies who has written a book about the Irish political experience in Britain since the 1940s. He will be addressing the issues of how the AIDS epidemic in Ireland and the Save Ulster from Sodomy campaign in Northern Ireland led to significant emigration from both parts of Ireland.
Dr Joanne McCarthy, Co-author of Identity Formation and Conflict in Older Irish Gay Men.
You can find out more about the event here and you can buy tickets from eventbrite here.
You can find out more about the London Irish LGBT Network on their website, Twitter and Facebook.
The London Ear Show 217 October 20th 2018 // Playlist
1. Paul Noonan: Moth To Your Flame
2. whenyoung: Given Up
3. Bouts: Love’s Lost Landing
4. Pale Rivers: Caught in It
5. O Emperor: Effort
6. Heavy Soda: Greasy Feet
7. Baba: Land of the Damned
8. David Burke: Hello Ocean
9. Robert Grace: Boomerang
10. Chat with Joseph Healy – Chair of London Irish LGBT Network
11. Seamus Fogarty: The Old Suit
12. The Winter Flood: Fire It Up
13. The Survival Code: Take It As It Is
14. Pursued by Dogs: Swap Dimensions
Listen On Demand to The London Ear
Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.
Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.
