She commutes more than an hour each way to her school on Arranmore island in Co Donegal by car, ferry and bus. “We are planning to build, but I don’t know when that can be, because it would mean living pay cheque to pay cheque. Can I reach that point where the next pay cheque comes in without having to dip into the savings? “A pay rise that does not match inflation is a pay cut. And beyond teachers, that is the reality, I think, most of us in the country are feeling day to day.”

Source: The Irish Times April 08, 2026 06:32 UTC