Ireland in ten days
Ireland has always been on my must-see list. Pubs, the color green, friendly people, Celtic symbology, and Guinness were all swirling around in my head. But Ireland is much more than these clichés and I did find a refreshing desire to preserve tradition and Irish culture everywhere I turned.
Green! That is always what you hear about Ireland. Yes, Ireland is as green as everyone says it is and the beauty is outstanding.
It was a tad cold traveling through Ireland in August 2014, but an abundance of warmth from the Irish people I encountered kept me cozy. I walked the streets of Dublin stopping at pubs and museums, listened to street musicians. Although it was summer, I had lots of rain and wind. Dublin is a city that oozes a quiet charm and exudes a lot of the fun you expect from the Irish in equal measure, and retains its local feel without being too much of an over-commercialized tourism hub. But my own attraction to Dublin has always been based on its historical and cultural associations. Belfast. Long the quiet capital of the North due to the “troubles” of past decades, Belfast is a city recently reborn. Cork. In the Southwest region, Cork is a delightful mix of markets, galleries, stores and heritage attractions, all within a stone’s throw of one another. It’s wonderfully compact and easy to explore. Galway. A buzzing metropolitan interlude along what is now aptly called the “Wild Atlantic Way,” Galway has a youthful population and a bohemian spirit. It’s one of the country’s most lively places to enjoy Irish culture.
Whether you be sitting in a theater in Dublin or in a pub in Galway, standing on the Cliffs of Moher or climbing across the basalt columns of the Giants Causeway or riding in jaunting cart in Killarney, you’ll encounter the charm of a nation that’s left its imprint on many of us.
Ireland in ten days
Ireland has always been on my must-see list. Pubs, the color green, friendly people, Celtic symbology, and Guinness were all swirling around in my head. But Ireland is much more than these clichés and I did find a refreshing desire to preserve tradition and Irish culture everywhere I turned.
Green! That is always what you hear about Ireland. Yes, Ireland is as green as everyone says it is and the beauty is outstanding.
It was a tad cold traveling through Ireland in August 2014, but an abundance of warmth from the Irish people I encountered kept me cozy. I walked the streets of Dublin stopping at pubs and museums, listened to street musicians. Although it was summer, I had lots of rain and wind. Dublin is a city that oozes a quiet charm and exudes a lot of the fun you expect from the Irish in equal measure, and retains its local feel without being too much of an over-commercialized tourism hub. But my own attraction to Dublin has always been based on its historical and cultural associations. Belfast. Long the quiet capital of the North due to the “troubles” of past decades, Belfast is a city recently reborn. Cork. In the Southwest region, Cork is a delightful mix of markets, galleries, stores and heritage attractions, all within a stone’s throw of one another. It’s wonderfully compact and easy to explore. Galway. A buzzing metropolitan interlude along what is now aptly called the “Wild Atlantic Way,” Galway has a youthful population and a bohemian spirit. It’s one of the country’s most lively places to enjoy Irish culture.
Whether you be sitting in a theater in Dublin or in a pub in Galway, standing on the Cliffs of Moher or climbing across the basalt columns of the Giants Causeway or riding in jaunting cart in Killarney, you’ll encounter the charm of a nation that’s left its imprint on many of us.
