Ireland - a travel information overviewIreland…
”Land of a Hundred Thousand Welcomes”  Grianan Fort, Co. Donegal The first welcome is from Britcanada.com! I’m Bob, your guide to Ireland, North & South (Eire). I was brought up in Ireland, though my parents were Scots and I was born in England. Talk about ‘an accident of birth’! They brought me to Ireland on my third b’day. It was a particularly rough night on the Irish Sea (as can only happen when the "October winds do blow.") and I fell out of the top bunk! I now joke that they had to drop me on my head to convert me to being Irish! Joking aside, this was the best birthday gift I could ever have had. I love Ireland and consider myself to be more Irish than anything else. The “Land of Saints and Scholars” has everything…beauty, culture, history, adventure and the friendliest people you could ever want to meet. Recently Ireland was voted the world's friendliest travel destination. Above all, there is ‘the craic' … pronounced ‘crack’. Nothing to do with cocaine, and everything to do with conversation, fun and normally over a pint of Guinness!  Badger's Pub in Derry - a great place for some craic and good pub-grub! (Tell them Pam Mitchell's son-in-law sent you!)  My Mother and Father-in-law
coming out of "The
Exchange Wine Bar and Restaurant" in Derry. This place is awesome! Great
atmosphere, great food and the craic is good...but the price is that
they don't take reservations and you may have to wait for a table. I go
there every time I'm in Derry. The dessert cooler is to die for...they
have a stainless steel bucket of fresh whipped cream in it! Enough to
make the anti-cholesterol league have a fit :-) I
took this shot of a GUINNESS
BAR TOWEL abandoned at a sheep farm in Wales! Those welsh
sheep have no respect at all - except maybe they drink
Guinness.The history of Ireland has, sadly, left it a divided country. There are 32 counties, of which 26 compose the country of Eire, and 6 that are part of UK and called N. Ireland. To-day there is virtually no evidence of a border as both countries are part of the European Union. The conflict that plagued Ireland in the 70’s, 80’s and into the 90’s, is virtually extinct. The only real evidence that they are distinct is found in their currencies and the price of gas (petrol). N.Ireland uses the UK pound, and Eire the Euro. Gas is cheaper in Eire. The capital of N. Ireland is Belfast. In the west of Ireland you will find areas where Irish is spoken and road signs are sometimes in Irish only. These areas are called ‘the Gaeltacht’. Since the advent of the EU, many of the road signs are now bilingual. Everyone speaks English, even if, in the Gaeltacht, it is considered the second language. Geographically, Ireland has 4 provinces and these are good divisions as regards scenery, culture and character.   Ulster is the most northerly province and composes the six counties of N. Ireland plus Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan. Leinster is the east-southeastly province and includes Dublin, the capital, Waterford and lots of impressive gardens, stately homes and pretty countryside. Munster is the southwesterly province and includes the famed ‘Lakes of Killarney’, ‘Ring of Kerry’ and The Dingle Peninsula. It’s capital, and Ireland’s second city, is Cork. Connaught is the ‘real west’ and includes Galway. Much of what is interesting and better known is on or close to the coast. This is a bit unfortunate as there is much to see and do in the interior. The beautiful River Shannon, the Irish ‘Lake District’ that straddles Fermanagh, Cavan and Monaghan, and , the Irish horseracing area, the Curragh, and other historical sites are all inland. The west and southwest coasts are spectacular! My very favourite place on earth is the west coast of Donegal, the northwest tip of Ireland. Awesome seascapes await you at every turn with spectacular cliff scenery, beautiful beaches warmed by the gulf stream (for bathing/swimming stick to the long shallower bays where the sun has a chance to lend a hand in the warming process!) Of note are the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Slieve League in Donegal and the aforementioned Dingle Peninsula. There are also a number of islands off the coast that are well worth checking out. The big question is, “How do I get as much as possible out of my trip to Ireland?” There are answers to this. The first thing to do is determine your length of stay and budget. Then you call me to arrange a consultation! It’s that simple. I will listen to your preferences, wish-lists, etc. during our free initial consultation, and then use my knowledge and resources to make recommendations/suggestions based on what you need to make your Ireland investment pay off. You see; I look at your vacation as more than just a holiday trip. I know you have worked hard to pay for it. I understand, too, that a vacation should be an investment in yourself and you family. I want you to come home telling your friends, “It was worth every penny!” As a rough guide you should consider one province or area for each week of your vacation for a good ‘in-depth’ look. Two provinces/areas per week is quite ‘doable’ if you want to see a bit more. More than two, you probably need an escorted tour and will only scratch the surface. Not that I would discourage escorted tours. They are the way to go if you want to see a variety of places and, if you don’t rent a car it is probably the best alternative. Which brings me neatly to my biggest suggestion… Driving in Ireland is not an obstacle for most people. The roads are not congested and, providing you don’t tackle the big cities before getting used to things, you will not find it difficult driving on the ‘wrong side of the road’! One hint I would offer is that, if you plan on seeing the ‘real Ireland’ don’t rent a large vehicle. The roads can be very narrow in places! Another hint is that you should look out for signposted ‘scenic routes’. The EU poured a lot of money into Irish tourism a few years ago and one of the things they did with it was to increase the number and quality of their interpretive centres and these signposted scenic routes. They didn’t choose these for the quality of the roads, however, but they do take you to the best views, beaches, cliffs and vistas. I could go on for hours! Are you sensing that I am somewhat passionate about Ireland? This passion is what I want to share with you. Give me a call or email. I’d love to talk to you. In the meantime…on the sidebar to this page you will find some useful links to what your appetite. Enjoy! P.S. As far as the other 999 welcomes….you’ll just have to go there to find them! There is at least one round every bend in the road…and there are lots of those. P.P.S. I have just received an offer for you from a noted Irish author, Patrick Taylor. He now resides in Roscommon, a county that straddles the River Shannon. We have struck up an internet friendship following my reading of one of his books and contacting him through his website to comment on it. The book was "Irish Country Village" and was one of those that I can only describe as a delightful read. I will now have to seek out his other novels. Born in Co. Down, Patrick became a doctor and practiced as a GP in that area before becoming a specialist in the field of medical research in infertility. He spent a few years in Canada in this capacity and became an authority on the subject, receiving a Lifetime Award of Excellence of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society. Somewhere along the line he took up writing and he excelled in that as well. You can check out his bibliography on his website. He has extended a welcome to myself and my clients to look him up if we are in his area! That now leaves you with only 999,998 welcomes to discover! |