Ireland is the best!

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As long as the positive aspects of countries are springing up all over this forum I wanted to add Ireland to this list. I have only been there 3 times, but it is about the friendliest place to visit. I think that the people there are extremely educated and nice to visitors. I think it helped that we stayed in the bed and breakfast places so we actually met many local people. I would go back in a heartbeat. Let’s get a list going here. Has anyone else been there?

Here are some of the best things I found:

The people are friendly.

The sceenery is great, all green all the time.

They serve my favorite fish in every restaurant I went (salmon) and it was sooo good.

They say everything with a postive spin. I don’t know how to put it, but it is special.

They help you out, no matter what your needs are.

They expect you to actually have children, and they discount them for everything.

There are Catholic churches everywhere.

I will add many more later, once this gets going.
 
If it ain’t Rome, it aint…

i got to go there and spend a week in July of 2003… hope to return one day…

 
I have never been to Ireland, though I am 1/2 Irish. The state of Catholic/Protestant conflicts has not made it particularly attractive over the years. I am glad to hear you have enjoyed yourself so much.

I hope they do encourage children, that would be a welcome change in any European country.
 
While I haven’t traveled to Ireland yet, I can tell one great thing about it, my great-grandfather John McCarthy came from there! I’m sad to say that all I know about him is that he was Catholic so far, but I am looking into finding out more.

Linda H.
 
I had the pleasure of visiting Ireland ten years ago (was it really that long? yikes!). Amazing, beautiful, wonderful country. The people are warm and friendly. And hearing a 5 year old red-haired girl speaking with the most delightful Irish accent ranks up there with the best experiences of my life. Ireland’s treasure is in their people, and that’s really saying something with all they have to offer.
 
I was there last during the summer of 2000. There are music fests in the towns as we have county fests. When we stopped to go to church on that Sunday, the music fest was really in the church. It was so beautiful and the church was packed. It was great. There were many families, with many children. I really felt that Ireland is a very special place in this world. I am biased of course being Irish American. I am sure to go back.
 
Of course it is!!! I don’t understand why that should be such a suprise.

I am Irish so I can legitimately claim to be totally unbaised.
 
The beer is good, but it is so much more than that. The actual bars in Ireland are closed early, and they often are family places. I liked the friendly family atmosphere everywhere I went.

The Aran Islands were great. We stayed two days and bicycled over the entire island. The bikes were not in that great of shape that we rented, but it was tons of fun. We took our time but were able to get all around. We stayed at a bed and breakfast that was in walking distance of the ferry. The local grocery store sells newspaper- if you have one ordered! The food and entertainment was great. The music and dancing at a local hall was put on by college age students that were living there for the summer. There were a few movies that had been filmed there and we met some of the locals that were in the movies. All around fun. There are cliffs there that are amazing. I had trouble going anywhere near the edge. It gets windy so you have the feeling that you could fall off the edge. It does happen! The beauty is incredible.
 
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Fitz:
The beer is good, but it is so much more than that. The actual bars in Ireland are closed early, and they often are family places. I liked the friendly family atmosphere everywhere I went.

The Aran Islands were great. We stayed two days and bicycled over the entire island. The bikes were not in that great of shape that we rented, but it was tons of fun. We took our time but were able to get all around. We stayed at a bed and breakfast that was in walking distance of the ferry. The local grocery store sells newspaper- if you have one ordered! The food and entertainment was great. The music and dancing at a local hall was put on by college age students that were living there for the summer. There were a few movies that had been filmed there and we met some of the locals that were in the movies. All around fun. There are cliffs there that are amazing. I had trouble going anywhere near the edge. It gets windy so you have the feeling that you could fall off the edge. It does happen! The beauty is incredible.
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Glad you enjoyed it but, one word of advice. If the front door of the bars shut, knock on the back door, I’ve yet to find a bar that closes before 3.00 am, thats usually when the Gardi go home!!!

My Brother in Law has a bar in a village in the North, we have a Blue Grass festival every year, BRILLIANT. Trouble is he doesn’t close for a fortnight!!! Need at least another fortnights sleep to get over it.
 
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Norwich:
Glad you enjoyed it but, one word of advice. If the front door of the bars shut, knock on the back door, I’ve yet to find a bar that closes before 3.00 am, thats usually when the Gardi go home!!!

My Brother in Law has a bar in a village in the North, we have a Blue Grass festival every year, BRILLIANT. Trouble is he doesn’t close for a fortnight!!! Need at least another fortnights sleep to get over it.
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Yeah, come to think of it they never blinked the lights for us to leave at closing time. Since we were with our children we naturally didn’t stay out late cuz we had to get up early and tour some more.
 
I tend to disagree about the friendliness of the people. I went twice while I was in college to spend time with Irish friends. And didn’t see another American the whole time. Just ended up staying in my friends’ apartments and going to their familiar local haunts.

I made it a habit to speak in grunts and avoid overt friendliness, especially with some of the new people that I just met and was spending time with.

Then again, when we would go to tourist spots, the older Irish were very friendly, trying to sell us stuff.
 
The Glidd:
I tend to disagree about the friendliness of the people.
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My experience has it that if you are friendly and thoughtful, you will get the same in return. And that goes for any setting…

I have travelled a lot in my younger years but never made it to Ireland. My brother-in-law is full Irish and he has to be the nicest person I have ever met. Hospitality is a big thing for him (or the Irish as a whole). I love their joie-de-vivre. A lady I went to Israel with wanted to hit every pub after hearing Mass. I hear there are pubs near every Church…I dunno if she was pulling my leg.

I thoroughly believe there are very nice people in every country…the good certainly outweigh the bad in my mind. I was forewarned when I went to France that the people were snobby, rude, etc. I never encountered one at all. One taxi cab driver was laughing at the way Canadians said one word (‘char’ smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/12/12_7_4.gif , which means car in slang french and he continues to explains that the true word was ‘car’ with a french accent and I burst out laughing…even in France they have anglicized the french!).

Anyway, I wouldn’t mind going to a pub and watching the Irish do their jig and enjoy life so much… smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/8/8_9_2.gif

Blessings,
Shoshana
 
The Glidd:
I made it a habit to speak in grunts and avoid overt friendliness, especially with some of the new people that I just met and was spending time with.

Then again, when we would go to tourist spots, the older Irish were very friendly, trying to sell us stuff.
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So, you’re kidding right? You act like this and you wonder why people weren’t friendly? I can only say that vacationing might not be your forte- stay home.

I just talked to a neighbor whose son spent 6 months studying in Dublin and he said everyone was friendly and nice. I guess you need to improve your choices of where you spend time.

I don’t go the typical toursit route in Ireland. I went far north and off the beaten track. They told us they don’t see that many tourists in the areas we went last time. So your theory about people just being nice to sell us something doesn’t hold water with me. Nope, the people there are the best. The people in Ireland are their best treasure.
 
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Shoshana:
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My experience has it that if you are friendly and thoughtful, you will get the same in return. And that goes for any setting…

Blessings,
Shoshana
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That is very true. However, we can all remember places where people went above and beyond to be friendly. That is what I am speaking of.

I personally have never had a bad trip anywhere, yet I have met a few individuals who must have been having a bad day. Very few to be sure! That can just happen anywhere to be sure.

Of course, I met friendly people in Canada too.
 
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