Modern Ireland

Ah, Éire, áit ar cosúil go bhfuil an tsíocháin agus an tsaoirse ag gach duine agus déanann sé dearmad ar an gcuid eile den domhan agus ar na trioblóidí trua go léir atá aige.

^ Ah, Ireland, where everyone seems to have peace and freedom and forgets the rest of the world and all its unfortunate troubles.

Dublin is overrun with homeless people and is very expensive. Belfast, which is half the size of Dublin seems more energetic and fun.

The castles look lovely.

Cows

Dublin is a nice little city. Killarney is pretty cute too, smaller.

The countryside is pretty but there’s a sameness about it. Beautiful green, then more beautiful green, then yet more beautiful green.

The road system is like Westchester county ny — it was made for a time before all those cars, but now there are … all those cars. However there’s a very good high speed rail system.

The coast is gorgeous and dramatic, that is, when you can see it. Often shrouded by fog, clouds and rain.

Rain rain rain rain rain. England seems dry by comparison.

What are the lads like?

My friend, a fellow Mexican, went to Dublin, and the locals couldn't get enough of him.

Go to Dublin for the people, the theater, the music and the beer. There is a pleasantly "knowable" sense to the city in terms of scale.

However, that said, do not go to Dublin for the architecture. Unless "South Philadelphia, but with no trees" is your urban ideal.

I live here and hate it. A bunch of angry, Jew hating, drunk, small dick hicks with chips on their shoulders about everything.

Then why live in Ireland?

I had fun in Ireland in my 20s and 30s, in the towns and villages. Friendly, charming people everywhere. Cool creatives in the big towns.

Dingle, on the coast, is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.

I’ve had some delicious food in Dublin. The Irish know how to cook.

Dublin does have world-class restaurants. Places in the countryside might not, but the brown bread with butter that’s everywhere is so delicious.

I was so lonely and desperate for cock in Dingle that I cruised Fungie. Who hadn't fucked in over 25 years. Of course, he rejected me.

It’s true the food is amazing. It seems that everything is on such a smaller scale there that it is easier to get everything farm fresh, which makes a huge difference in the food. I didn’t eat at fancy places, but every meal was excellent. Cute guys too. And i was treated like a rockstar at pubs— they really like Americans if you’re not an asshole.

It all looks and sounds wonderful!

"However, that said, do not go to Dublin for the architecture. Unless "South Philadelphia, but with no trees" is your urban ideal."

FUCK OFF

Everyone has a cousin in the States. And all the young seem to scheme to get to the US, CAN or AUS.

I haven’t been there since so many tech companies opened offices in Dublin, I’m curious whether that’s changed the culture at all.

I liked Cork as well. If you go to the South coast, stop and look at the beehive huts and the stone circles. Ireland doesn’t wall that ancient stuff off like the US word (for good and bad). A cow just wandered right though the stones when I was checking out one of the rings.

What about Scotland?

"Cows "

What?

Where do you think all that Irish butter comes from, hmm?

^ The same place Swiss cheese comes from

R10 Then we were not in the same Dublin. Irish are the nicest people that I have ever met.

^ Sure, because they're always half in the bag

I'm no expert, but I think Ireland is not a place to go to for city life; Dublin is okay, but it is very expensive and does kind of look like south Philly as someone else noted. I think you go to Ireland for the countryside, the coastline, the music, etc. I think that has to be your idea of a vacation.

As far as modern Ireland, there's a show on Youtube called "Ireland's Cheapest Houses" (or something like that) and it's kind of shocking how far outside of the city people have to go for homes that in the US would likely be condemned. I've ever heard that from someone who lived there briefly - it's very hard to find decent housing + livable wage.

R26 This post is about Ireland, not Dublin.

Unless, of course, you're Enya then you get a castle next door to Bono...

What's the best Irish fantasy novel?

Ireland makes me feel so cozy. I imagine cold rainy days outside, warm comfy environs inside. Cute dark-haired guys, too.

Pogue mahone, R1/R2, you tourist.

I don’t know about Irish fantasy novels, but Tana French’s books are good Irish crime novels. (Except for the most recent one, which I hated.)

Is Northern Ireland all that different from Ireland?

What the Harry Potter of Ireland?

Wtf are you on about R9? Did you stay in Ballymun? Dublin has a fantastic amount of gorgeous Georgian architecture still standing, the most beautiful houses. O’Connell St isn’t great but there are beautiful buildings all over the place. And R6, it’s a city of around 1.3 million so it’s not little. It’s not a mega city and is all the better for it.

Dublin is way more interesting and less uptight than Belfast. No one who knows anything about Ireland would recommend Belfast over Dublin like r3 did. Dublin is not as cheap as Rome but it's less expensive than London. No one goes to Europe expecting a bargain anyway. There are homeless people but it's not "overrun" compared to your average American city. Who cares about Dublin though. Ireland's charming and beautiful parts are all outside the city.

Dublin = West Britain

All I can say is that's not my experience at all, R40. For starters, there is a very large population of non-Irish people in Dublin, so they don't have the post-imperial hang-up which might cause them to fixate on a British culture that they still view as "superior". Furthermore, working-class Dublin has never been included in the West Brit category and the intellectual class is now generally of a quite anti-English bent. A few decades ago, it's true that there were lots of Protestants in prominent positions in academia and some in the media (like the Irish Times), and they may have been sympathetic to their roots in Britain, but that would be sneered upon nowadays.

I’m English and I lived in Dublin for 11 years R41 and found very little anti Englishness. Loads of Brits live there and considering the godawful way they treated the Irish over centuries the Irish are remarkably welcoming of them. And of the stereotypically ignorant loud American tourists that infested the place pre Covid.

Were they worse that the stereotypically drunk scumbag English tourists that infested New York pre-Covid, R42?

I have to imagine they threw up somewhat less.

[quote] Were they worse that the stereotypically drunk scumbag English tourists that infested New York pre-Covid

Oi! drunk scally! Oi! oi!

It's all rocks because it was once the peak of a mountain. After the Ice Age and the melting of the glaciers, it became an island (and the North Sea was created).

Not a fan of Dublin. Generally one of the blandest, least interesting major European cities. Ireland is all about the beauty of nature. While there may be some nice architecture in spots, it is largely bland - both old and new. It was too poor and small for a long time. Then the modern boom resulted in horrible, bland buildings and developments - mostly car or bus dependent . Most of my family who live there have to rely on a car or bus, live in overpriced semi-detached housing or apartments in mediocre neighborhoods that are mostly newer.

I’ve gone almost every year for 40+ years - except the past 2. The progress is stunning - primarily driven by the abandonment of the Catholic Church which dominated every aspect of life until the 90s. Voting to legalize gay marriage was a shocking sign of the extreme rate of progress from theocracy to modern European, first world city.

Dublin gay scene is small. Gays who want to be part of the scene go to London. But it’s homey, easy, unpretentious. Personally I prefer spending time in the country and then catching a $30 flight to London, Amsterdam or Barcelona.

Belfast makes Dublin look like London. Very small and irrelevant for most. Also has a much less friendly - almost dark - vibe perhaps lingering from the years of the Troubles. Over the past 40 years, Northern Ireland, which used to be the more modern, wealthier part of the island has switched to become seemingly poorer and more backward.

I'm glad that you didn't experience anti-English sentiment, R42; the antipathy I was describing is directed more towards Britain (or, rather, England) as an idea and a nation rather than individual Britons who move to Ireland (many of whom have Irish ancestry, anyway). You see it an awful lot online with the "Brits at it again" meme, so it's really more of a cultural antipathy to Britain among the same middle-class, educated Dubliners who were historically seen as likely to be vaguely pro-British or at least somewhat British in their ways. And it's quite recent - it is much more common now than it was in 2011, when the Queen visited.

Of course, that's coincided with a decades-long demographic change in Ireland's élite (such as it is) from having a distinct Protestant subgroup to being much more heterogeneous. Protestant identity in the South has also weakened hugely in recent decades: religiosity has declined and they don't have that separate political identity that Northern Protestants have. That's just my view of the situation.

Thanks R46; random question & I'm not saying this to knock Ireland, which by and large is very lovely. Why the preponderance of bland, one story bungalow type homes in Ireland? There's usually no landscaping, just a concrete slab out front. I get that the country has a largely poor past, but you'd think that newer homes would be more interesting.

Bungalow Blight, R48. Lots of houses were built from designs in a book called Bungalow Bliss, if memory serves. Planning laws were very lax at the time and remained so for a long time due to intensely parochial politics (politicians didn't want to piss voters off by refusing them permission to build). It's only now beginning to change, I believe.

Agree R48. In part it was a “style” of country architecture. My parents’ 19th century farm homes were basically just white blocks with windows cut out - even thatched roofs until 1930s. There was never a great architectural history in Ireland - it was basic subsistence for 95% of the country. Maybe Dublin and some towns had a few Georgian buildings - but nothing of the extravagance of Continental Europe or Britain.

A lot of it was the history of poverty. But also there is a strong sense of “not acting above others” and unpretentiousness in the culture. Extravagant, showy buildings made to impress others would have been criticized and its inhabitants considered as “thinking too highly of themselves”. Fortunately clean simple modern 21st century architecture can fit into the aesthetic well. You will see some of that in the wealthier sections of Dublin.

Thanks R49 & 50; that's very interesting. Again, I think Ireland is lovely, but these sterile bland houses contribute to the landscape, which can be kind of bleak in places without much vegetation.

I adore Ireland . The coastal regions are stunning . The people have great charm and sarcastic humor The cuisine quite excellent for the most part. Culturally very rich-especially on a history, music, literature front. The North and Belfast should definitely be included in a visit.

Well All I want to say is that the Dutch and the Irish are really good at cooking great food in their parts of Europe.

And as much as I love England I still can’t get use to their fare. Everything else yes but the food not so much.

Irish make the best bottoms.

One of the best meals I ever had was in Dublin at the Shelbourne Hotel. I don’t know if it was really that good or I was starved but I will never forget it. I’m not a foodie per se but no stranger to fine dining and this meal really stood out.

Odd - I never think of great food and Ireland together. I guess the boom years have made it a foodie place. The access to amazing, fresh, local food is unique - and I think chefs are taking advantage of it. But I think Ireland and Netherlands have some of the most bland, boring food in Europe. At least UK has colonial food. France, Switzerland and Southern Europe have much, much better food.

She's a BITCH, OP.

R56 I hear you.. I think if the colonial food in the UK add just a touch more of various seasonings it might help it out but that’s just cos I’m not use to English food is all.

I guess it’s all about ones palate and taste buds.👅

Maybe the Irish and Dutch cook like Americans. At least it tasted it like it a bit.

R16 Fungie was probably turned off by your gaping blowhole

R45 - Yes the geology is unique. It was forested then one of the ice ages killed everything. Then, again, over thousands of years, it was a dense forest of elms and oaks. They began to get cut down rather recently, in the grand expanse of time. Unfortunately, forest were cleared down to leave just 1%. Travesty.

R55 I agree the Shelbourne has excellent food -or at least did pre Covid. Ireland has successfully catered to tourism and upped their game cuisine wise starting in the 1980s.

R55, if you really did enjoy it because you were starving, then that would prove the wisdom of the Irish saying "is maith an t-anlann an t-ocras" (Hunger is a good sauce).

Why are there so few Irish people in Ireland? Only 6-7 million? Aren't they Catholic and have big families?

r63 the world isn't going to rule itself

Ireland is a tiny island and the population was decimated by the 1860s famine. You can easily drive from one side of Ireland to the other in a few hours.

Ireland is about the size of South Carolina.

R65 Britain has 65+ million people…

[quote]Why are there so few Irish people in Ireland? Only 6-7 million? Aren't they Catholic and have big families?

There's just over 5 million in the republic, R63. And the Irish don't have big families anymore.

R67, the population of the island of Ireland on the eve of the Famine was 8 million. The population of the island of Great Britain was 21 million in 1851, so, when you take account of the fact that Great Britain is bigger, there wasn't a tremendous disparity. Sure, Great Britain with its level of industrial development was already in a better situation to support population growth. That said, there's no denying that the deaths from the Famine and the century-long exodus it triggered have been hugely influential in keeping Ireland's population small. Also much of the profits from Irish agriculture in the period before independence for the south of the island went straight back to Britain, where the landowners mostly lived.

R64 LMAO where did you find that?

How much Celtic culture still remains in Ireland?

It always amazes how long it takes to drive north to south though. Much better than it used to be thanks to much better roads- but just getting from Dublin to the northwest or southwest takes forever it seems. Forced to go through dozens of roundabouts in little towns along the way. All while driving on the wrong side of the road - something that is unexpectedly difficult for many tourists until they actually have to do it.

The Irish view of trees as anathema is odd and unique. Maybe it’s the extreme wind which makes them hazards, but most seem to view trees as things to be cut down. They are confused about why Americans want trees near their house. Perhaps also a remnant of the historical poverty - viewing every inch of land as too valuable for farming to waste on trees.

The boom in Irish language primary schools is astonishing. The government - and people - have really seized on the Gaelic language to instill historic Irish culture. One of the luxuries of Ireland’s newfound wealth. Some of the best schools are now the Irish language schools. Odd as it’s a completely useless language - but I suppose that, like Latin, learning a difficult obscure language is a good academic challenge that instills the value of learning for learnings sake.

R60 - a question - why has there never been any reforestation program? They exist all over the US. The soil in Ireland is very rich, is it not? It seems they could up their forest holdings a tad.

Timber is a renewable resource, after all.

That great big Irish breakfast. Yum. Though what the difference is from the great big English brekker, does anybody know?

I can tell most of you probably haven’t been to Ireland, or if you have, it was on a tour bus. Why hasn’t anyone mentioned Galway? It’s one of the most adorable cities I’ve been to. Dublin is alright, but like any European city. Like any country, and like the U.S., some cities are nice, some are white trash.

Here’s an example of an Irish chef that you girls will go nuts over. See the link for info.

R76 Makes fun of “tour buses” yet mentions the most touristy city in all of Ireland.

Derry/Londonderry in the North is a lovely little city. It is the most complete walled city in all of Ireland, and filled with history.

I spent a week in Ireland, and was most impressed with the west coast/Galway by far. Dublin was the least charming bit.

At least I mentioned it! Some of you might be surprised, but life exists outside of major cities like New York!

County Kerry looks amazing. The Emerald Forest in Killarney National Park looks like a place that pops up on screen savers.

[Quote] It’s one of the most adorable cities

Mary! mother of God.

This guy relocated to Ireland from Britain and loves it.

eh, wouldn't most people be better off heading to Nova Scotia for scots-irish themes vs Ireland?

Belfast Walking Tour

looks like it's a better place for lesbians than gay guys unless you're into out of shape, pasty white guys.

This isn't a city, but has anyone ever been to the Aran Islands? I was there briefly - it was amazingly beautiful. My primary purpose in going there was to see stone fort at Dún Aonghusa, though at the time I didn't realize how little there actually was on the island. But I'd love to back.

Agree Galway is the best Irish city - in a country that doesn’t do cities well. Again - no great architecture but the setting, simplicity and vibe are a good combo.

Derry is historic but will always have a dark vibe from being a border city. I think it still does - but maybe I’m just scarred by memories of crossing the border there in the 70s.

Aran Islands are fine - but never understood the big deal as they are not that different than the coastline around Donegal. More isolated and remote than Gaeltacht Donegal which makes them a curiousity I guess - but I would never bother making the trip after being there once.

R88 Derry doesn’t have that vibe anymore to anyone there for a short visit. There are lots of Pro IRA murals, but it is presented more as historical fun. And, statues of peace abound.

Of course, just like Belfast which also does this, the truth is a large divide still remains, but it isn’t large enough to be noticed. And, Derry is a lot smaller than Belfast and as such doesn’t have as many abandoned buildings.

Good morning friends ☘️ Greetings from Dublin 💋

Top of the morning to ya, r90! Erin go bragh!

One great Irish fantasy novel is HOUNDS OF THE MORRIGAN by the late Pat O’Shea.

^thanks for telling us, want a cookie?

May the wind be at your back, r90.

Fair play to ya!

Modern Irish fisting

R93, I was responding to a request made earlier in the thread.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Cork. Whether you like the city itself, the people have a much more charming accent than the harsh Dublin brogue, which is not that dissimilar to the ugly accent of Liverpool.

A Korean homosexual talking to an Irish homosexual about the Cork accent. (At least, I suspect).

wow the blinding sparkles of that pairing

I want that Cork guy inside me quite deeply r99.

"Billy" is an idiot (i get the naive, inquiring reporter schtick, but he's not very engaging at it)., but the Cork guy seems fun.