Irish fellows.

[Racing Green]

Lefty - Sorry to hear that Dublin was a let down. I think it's a great city but I'm biased. Dublin is consistently rated as one of the best European city breaks and most visitors I meet seem to love the place.

You have to really like drinking though.....

 

[lefty]

I'm sure it's a fine city it just didn't resonate with me.

lefty

 

[ChicagoMediaMan]

I agree with Dublin. It's fine for a day or 2, but it's really nothing special after that.

I loved the Irish countryside though.

 

[flirtkakat]

I'll mostly be flirting with the receptionists and playing piano in the lobby if I can manage learning a song or two before November.

 

[cptjeff]

If you are going to stay in Dublin at all, take one of the busses out to Newgrange. When I went, we had an amazing experience with the Mary Gibbons bus. And it's not like bus tours often are here in the US. Be prepared to walk, and on uneven, wet grass.

That leads me to a broader theme. Ireland has some serious history, be sure to visit at least some of it. The Neolithic tombs are of course a good one, but it's dotted all over the landscape. The Rock of Cashel is worth seeing, as is stuff like Galway and the Aran Islands are a must visit of you're on a menswear forum (drop by O'Maille to see the absolute best Aran sweaters anywhere). But the coolest place I've ever been in my life, and my biggest recommendation on the history front, is Skellig Michael. There's a 6th century monastery, made out of dry laid stone, built to house 13 monks, on the top of this tiny, ridiculously steep speck of rock in the North Atlantic. It may not work out for you, getting there in winter seas may be tough (BTW, if you get seasick, or are scared of heights, or of long climbs on 1,500 year old stairs with no handrails, this is not for you). But if you're planning on doing anything in the Ring of Kerry or around that vicinity, you should see if you can make it work.

Sorry, nevermind. Season apparently ends after October, and they don't let anyone back out until April. I'll leave it there in case anyone is planning a trip to Ireland at a more sane time (you do realize it's going to be dark for something like 18 hours of the day, right?)

But yeah, music and pubs are good, history, beautiful landscapes. Plenty to do in that country if you like the outdoors, music, meat and potatoes, and dark beer. Be warned, nobody in Ireland actually drinks Harp- it's for the tourists.

 

[flirtkakat]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be coming back to Ireland so I will be making use of them.

I do love the outdoors, music, meat and potatoes. I'll be drinking whiskey instead of beer though but I'm willing to try guinness.

I've found a nice service that offers a busride out to cliffs of moher. It makes stops along the way which means I'll be seeing a fair bit of the countryside. That and some less touristy pubs.