When I moved away from Ireland in 2018 to our little neighbour the Isle of Man, there were many things I expected to miss, and I would have to adapt to living on a small island without the same level of services that can be expected in a larger independent country. Lyon's tea and Jacob's Kimberly biscuits of course, the euros in my wallet which I could take on holidays without having to change, and simply the fact that it was my home for over 30 years. However there were also some things I have now learned I was taking for granted, and never knew that I would miss when I left. Here are 5 examples.
Convenience Store Delis
No matter where you are in Ireland, as long as it isn't the late hours of evening or night, you know there's a Spar or a Centra somewhere nearby with a decent Deli counter. You can get a hot spicy chicken roll (or a wide range of other hot foods) and a Club Rock Shandy and be on your way.
These deli counters are near-universal in Irish convenience stores, but here in the Isle of Man you almost never find them. Rare outside of the larger supermarkets, and even there the quality and range of food available is much lower. If you can get a deli counter here at all, you're probably getting a sausage bap and not a lot more. After spending some time in the UK, it seems it's not just an Isle of Man thing to lack deli counters, they're not nearly as common in the UK either.
Convenient, fast and low cost banking services
It is very easy to transfer money in Ireland to other Irish and European bank accounts. Usually there are minimal fees and they happen pretty quickly, rarely slower than next working day. On the other hand, transferring money outside of Isle of Man, even to UK, costs at least £28. Even UK banks are typically not as good for transferring outside of UK, and for someone who is into crypto, options for transferring to/from crypto exchanges are not as good in UK or Isle of Man compared to SEPA euro countries such as Ireland.
Low Cost Supermarkets
In most populated areas of Ireland you're probably not far from an Aldi, LIDL or a Tesco. While this is not as universal as the last example, many smaller towns may only have a SuperValu, which is neither low cost nor great quality, it's nonetheless a common and convenient thing for Irish people to be able to do their grocery shopping relatively cheaply, despite an otherwise high cost of living.
Still, this is more an example of what's missing in the Isle of Man, as its hardly unique to Ireland (Aldi and LIDL are commonplace across Europe). There's only two mainstream supermarkets here, both located in the capital town, and only one of those can be considered to be reasonably low cost (Tesco). It seems like the entire population of the island ends up travelling to the same one for their shopping as a result.
Carvery Pubs
Similar to the first example, but not quite as universal, Irish pubs commonly provide a food service that is very convenient, but also still hot, fresh meat and veg. Carvery lunch is probably the most common kind of food pub in Ireland. It may not be the same quality as a nice restaurant, but you won't be waiting long, and it can still be expected to be pretty good. The most common pub restaurants in the UK and almost all in Isle of Man serve frozen food, at a high cost, and you'll be waiting on it to boot.
McDonnell's Curry
Ireland is not exactly the country that comes to mind when you think of the word 'curry', yet you will find it in almost every restaurant. Whether you're getting it at a local takeaway, a restaurant or at home, there's a good chance what you're getting is McDonnells curry sauce. There's a reason it's everywhere - it's damn good and it's popular as a result. This is perhaps the most universal of the examples on the list - I was surprised to learn that curry sauce is not a universal option in UK takeaways. To get anything as good or better, you'll need to go to an authentic Indian or Thai restaurant - and what's available in takeaways is often absolutely awful.