Dublin Travel Blog: 5 Reasons to Love the Irish

Re-published from my old travel blog

March 16, 2015

This past weekend I flew from Madrid to Dublin to meet up with some of my friends from Ohio State and enjoy the surplus of festivities leading up to St. Patrick’s day. After landing I was a little worried about how I was going to get to the city center by myself (about a 35 minute drive) without spending a fortune. Usually passport control officers aren’t the friendliest of people, nor do they have the most interest per say in striking up a conversation outside of their usual, “Why are you visiting this country? Where are you staying? For how long? Have a nice day.” But there I was, alone in a foreign country, so I thought this guy seemed like my best bet. Thankfully the officer was a jolly Irishman and after a few minutes of chatting he pointed me in the direction of the Air Coach, a 30-minute transport to the city center for just seven Euros.

Once I got off the bus I knew I was about four blocks from the hotel, in which direction I wasn’t quite sure…and it was pouring. Taxi, please. The taxis in Europe always try to overcharge tourists, especially Americans, and there’s no faking an Irish accent, so thankfully my cab driver was a jolly Irishman and he took me right to my hotel in under 10 euros. We talked a lot about our lives and his giant family (he’s one of 13 siblings, his wife is one of 20 and together they have 7 of their own) and he even gave me a quick history lesson on all the important places we passed along the way.

When I first arrived at the hotel I was alone because my friends were flying from Barcelona and wouldn’t be getting in until late. I was a little nervous about checking into the hotel room, (that wasn’t under my name or my credit card number) but thankfully the concierge was a jolly Irishman and he gave me three keys to the room anyway. Needless to say the trip was off to a smooth start, and so it continued.

After my weekend in Dublin I realized it wasn’t just the passport control officer, the taxi driver, and the concierge who were jolly Irishmen, but that nearly everyone was outwardly friendly, helpful, and welcoming. This was a pleasant surprise in comparison to the cold, disinterested, arrogant vibes I got from everyone in Paris. And so I decided to make a list of my 5 random reasons to love the Irish. 

 1. THEY LOVE TO DRINK, AND WANT YOU TO TOO

As soon as you roll up to any restaurant or bar an Irishman will greet you by saying “cheers!” and you can already tell the bartender in the back is itching to put his palm on the Guiness tap for you. They’ll ask you what you want to drink and even if you choose a Heinekin, a glass of wine or an Irish coffee (which is amazing) they’re just happy you’re drinking.  

 2. THEY DON’T HAVE ANY RULES

When your friends book their seats on the tour to the Cliffs of Moher in the airport and then lose Wi-Fi and can’t tell you to book yours until later that night when they finally get to Dublin…you guessed it, no seats left. So what do you do now? Lucky for you (well, me actually) as long as you get your ass out of bed at the crack of dawn and show up to the bus by 6:40 am, looking like you’re supposed to be there, you can just walk on. They don’t have any ticket system, or name checking process before getting on the bus, so seriously just walk on and take your seat. And once you actually get to the cliffs the lack of rules continues, as you notice there’s no fences or restraints whatsoever from the wet grassy hills that drop right off into the ocean. Walk as close as you want, just don’t slip…

3. THEY’LL INVITE YOU TO JUMP AROUND IN A MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD MOSH PIT

This may be specific to St. Patty’s day weekend but when walking through the crowded streets of the Temple Bar district you may encounter some extra drunk Irishmen dressed in full Leprechaun costumes jumping, singing, and dancing in a giant mosh pit in front of some live music performers. Of course they’ll invite you to join and before you know it you’re in a conga line with 12 drunken Leprechauns and a few of your best friends. Can’t complain.

4. THEY HAVE AMAZING FISH AND CHIPS

I have yet to try the infamous fish and chips in England, but I heard they serve a pretty mean one in Dublin too and they (whoever they is) were right. I’ll have to compare in London at the end of the month but I think this one is going to be pretty hard to beat. God bless seafood that’s beer battered on a bed of french fries. And like all my other trips, I was able to find a crepe street vendor that didn’t disappoint.

5. THEY’RE NOT AFRAID TO PUKE

In case you were worried about trying to keep up with the Irish drinking team, as long as you can hold your cookies until you make it back to the hotel (or any bathroom facility for that matter) you’ll be ahead of the game. The Irish definitely love to have a good time…you’ll be able to find a few piles of evidence along the sidewalks and buildings every couple blocks. Watch your step.