For me, it was a no brainer. My family’s heritage is Irish, The US city I’m from boasts Irish culture and I’ve met enough Irish people to know that I just had to go there. I was not disappointed. In fact, I look back on my time in Ireland as one of the best parts of my trip. What you’ll lose in nice weather, you gain in spirit. And I’m not just talking about the whiskey (which is great too…). I fell so in love with Ireland I even contemplated a second stop before I headed back home. Ireland is an amazing, small country that I urge you to explore if you find yourself in Europe.
As I mentioned, before I’d actually set foot in the country I’d had the pleasure to meet loads of Irish expats living in France. I loved them. I mean LOVED. So not only was I lucky enough that I got an introduction of their sense of humor and inevitable antics, I also got some insider tips before I headed to the country myself. In my experience, the people of Ireland are loud, welcoming, friendly and a breed all of their own. Get a bunch of Irish people in a room ( most likely with alcohol) and they’re singing folks songs, banging on tables, having the greatest random Tuesday you’ve ever seen.
The green hills are rolling and filled with livestock, The Cliffs of Moher are breathtaking, (to put it lightly), but if you’re in Ireland and haven’t been to the pubs… you’re not doing it right. From my experience,you’ll walk into a larger-than-expected dark building with grand wooden features. Some pubs are even converted churches with stained glass windows, which is impressive and something that I’d personally never seen. ( I mean, if anyone were going to convert churches to pubs, it would be the Irish). But the best part of these pubs is not the Guinness or the grandeur, it’s the live music. I’m pretty sure every pub I went in had live music at least once a night. I’m talking, big bands, multiple instruments (instruments I’ve never even seen), incredible, live music. I am always a lover of this so to me, Ireland’s musical interludes was something I fell in love with. What was striking was how causal it all seemed. The locals weren’t surprised to see a 10 person band just hanging out at a table simultaneously playing and drinking… but I was !
On my first night in Dublin and Ireland in general, me and a friend I’d just met wandered into the nearest pub, finding it to be packed with people singing, dancing laughing.They were listening to a great cover of one of my favorite songs that reminded me of my time in France the summer before.It was really one of those, ‘ I’m traveling! I’m really doing this!’ moments. It was a feeling I’ll never forget and one that I continue to chase.So put on your dancing shoes, shoot your whiskey back and enjoy witnessing real Irish culture, you won’t have to try too hard.
The best tip I got about Ireland was simple. Go to Galway. I’m passing this advice on to you. Of course you want to go to Dublin, but I’m telling you, go to Galway. You know it’s a good time when you meet three Irish dudes who just came for a fun weekend getaway. It’s not a built up tourist destination it’s real and it’s amazing. To be honest, I’m even having trouble writing this because none of the words I’m coming up with truly capture what an awesome destination Galway is. You’ll just have to go yourself and let me know what you think! Galway is a quaint colorful city on the west side of the country. A perfect location for seeing places like the Cliffs of Moher and Connemara. While I was there I stayed at Galway City Hostel and it was fantastic. The entire time there I felt like I was part of a family. The facilities had everything I needed and as a solo traveler I easily made friends because of the hostel’s social atmosphere. I will a hundred precent be back to Ireland in my lifetime.