Now that we’ve left Ireland, I thought it would be a good time to take a broader look back at our time there …. rather than a simple log of ‘what did we do today’, I’ll try for something deeper and more meaningful … or something like that.
People – I was surprised at how few Irish people we met. There are so many tourists and foreign workers in Ireland, that it is surprisingly difficult to meet real live Irish people. Had it not been for our extremely hospitable relatives in Cork and Ennis, I can only think of three Irish people that we would have met – a tour guide in Dublin, a bartender in Dublin who had in-laws named Flood, and an extremely friendly bus driver named Dave Shanahan at a pub in Cork. That’s it. We actually met more people from Wisconsin than from Ireland.
Family – having the chance to meet family was pretty special. My brother lived in Ireland several years ago, and he laid most of the ground work for me — all I had to do was make a phone call, and people were waiting for me with open doors, food on the table, whiskey in the bottle and stories to tell. I really felt like I was at home.
Driving – Michele and I had three very memorable days of driving – we were both terrified for the first day and Michele was a little bit white-knuckled for the second day … I think that we were both pretty comfortable by the third. In hindsight, it was perhaps a little risky to rent a car there, but, I think it was the best thing that we did. We managed to see some stunning scenery, and just as importantly for us, we were able to get away from crowds, and enjoy some quiet time together. Beautiful scenery, one-of-a-kind roads, and a bit of privacy/independence goes a long way.
Scenery/Landscape – Ireland is known for beautiful landscapes … I was a little skeptical that it would live up to the hype, but, I think it did. It has everything imaginable, and all in a very small package. Ocean, hills, mountains, plains … all within a few miles of each other. The ever-changing weather changes the look of the land so quickly, sometimes you don’t even need to move to see new scenery … you just wait a few moments and it will change in front of your eyes.
I’m not sure when I’ll go back, but, I will go back. We had ten days, and only managed to see a painfully small slice of Ireland. I’d love to go back with much more time, just to explore. It’s not a cheap country, but, having family there certainly helped keep costs down. If you get the chance, visit Ireland … just don’t spend too much time in Dublin. Get out of the cities and enjoy the country.
