Ireland

Visited: March 2005

Duration of visit: 3 days

Capital city: Dublin

Population: 4.1 million (2005)

Ireland travel blog reading time: 5 minutes

• Dublin – the capital city of Ireland – is known for its colorful doorways, old cathedrals and bars.
• Patrick’s Cathedral – the largest church in Ireland, built between 1220 and 1260.
• A long tradition of beer, with Guinness being the best-known brand.
• Irish food: a traditional Irish breakfast, fish and chips for lunch.

The three most famous symbols of the Republic of Ireland are the green Shamrock, the harp, and the Celtic cross. The fourth one could be the famous Irish brewery Guinness. The Irish consume, in average, over 130 liters of beer per year – the 2^nd highest per-capita consumption after the Czech Republic.

Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle for its famously lush greenery and rolling hills. But so far, I visited only Dublin as a stopover during my African Big Tour.

Oddly enough, I lived in London for nearly two years but never took the initiative to explore beyond the capital city of Ireland.

In 2004, I stayed in a basic hostel in downtown Dublin for three nights. It was actually a break between Eastern and West African trip.

At that time, the low-cost airlines started to operate in Europe, changing the price policy in aviation industry. I found it incredibly cheap to fly to Dublin, home of Ryanair’s base. Upon returning from Africa via London, a few days in Ireland were an excellent variation to African lifestyle.

I walked around Dublin, visited some of the highlights, enjoyed local cuisine and drinks. March marked the onset of spring, bringing with it a more temperate climate. Although the temperatures increased above 10°C and it rained only occasionally, the climate change from hot Africa shocked me.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral – the largest church in Ireland, was built between 1220 and 1260. After years of rejection, desecration and fires, St Patrick’s Cathedral was restored in 1860 thanks to a large donation by Sir Benjamin Guinness. During my visit, I saw only a few other visitors, and the famous landmark felt dark and cold inside.

The colorful doors of Dublin from the 18^th and 19^th centuries are among the city’s most recognizable architectural symbols. They immediately captured my attention. Over the years, various theories have tried to explain the doors’ bright colors and decorations. Even if none are true, the mystery makes them an even greater attraction.

The most reasonable explanation is that the uniform rows of red-brick houses encouraged residents to personalize their homes by decorating their doors.

Many of these doors originate from the city’s expansion era between 1714 and 1830, with the tradition continuing through modern renovations.

When people talk about beverages in Ireland, they usually think of Irish whiskey and Guinness. Originating in 1759, Guinness is the best-selling Irish beer in the world. It ranks among the most successful alcohol brands internationally.

The unique taste of Guinness is derived from a combination of malted barley and roasted unmalted barley.

I do not particularly enjoy beers, and I have an even lesser preference for Guinness. However, the Guinness Storehouse at St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin attracts over one million visitors each year and remains one of the city’s top tourist destinations. It is a place to visit that I couldn’t miss when in Dublin.

An Irish breakfast is filling and it was created for farm workers so they would be satiated and ready for a full day’s work. It consists of cooked meat (bacon, sausages), eggs, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, cooked leftover potatoes made into a hash with butter, and brown bread.

What distinguishes this from a full British breakfast is the inclusion of black or white pudding. People add tea and orange juice to drink. As a vegetarian I obviously skipped sausage or bacon, which caused suspicious considerations from a waiter, but it didn’t reduce the price.

An Irish breakfast feels too simple for me without sausage or bacon, but a good traditional lunch is always worth it.

The experience of fish and chips is not uniform. Certain restaurants provide a markedly better quality and taste.  Leo Burdocks Fish n’ Chips stands out as one of the most esteemed, serving customers since 1913. I can personally confirm the perfect crispiness of the fries, accompanied by a generous and fresh piece of cod that was expertly fried and seasoned to perfection.

Irish people are extremely proud of their origins. For generations they consider themselves as Irish, even though they might have never lived in Ireland.

Over 80 million people of Irish descent live outside Ireland. This is 14 times more than the population of Ireland itself!

A total of 3 million of these emigrants continue to possess Irish nationality. Given the relatively small size of the nation, the extent of their global presence is indeed remarkable.

Whether in Panama, the United States, London, or numerous other destinations around the globe, the presence of green on Saint Patrick’s Day is impossible to overlook. This cultural and religious event takes place on March 17^th, marking the traditional death anniversary of Saint Patrick. He was a 5^th century missionary who became a bishop and spread Christianity across parts of Ireland.

The festivities are lively and colorful across the world, marked by plenty of Irish beer. Large parades are the highlights.

Ireland ranks low on my list of travel priorities, resulting in minimal attention devoted to it. This situation is somewhat akin to my experience with the UK. Despite having lived in London for a year and a half, I did not take the opportunity to explore Ireland more thoroughly.

I plan to return someday to properly experience a few cities and the countryside. There are many places to visit and things to do. The landscape offers breathtaking cliffs, picturesque seascapes, clear lakes and mysterious forests.