"Irish Eyes" Ireland by tvor

Everyone claims to have Irish ancestry, at least on St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick, you will remember, was Welsh. Ireland wasn't on my top list of places to go but my first visit to Ireland began as the possibility of a quick few days hop over from Manchester to visit a friend in Cobh, Co. Cork and turned into quite a production.

I decided to visit Rose in Cobh after an Easter weekend in Manchester. Then i had an idea. I emailed a group of my internet friends in Ireland and the U.K. to see if anyone was interested in meeting up in Dublin for a weekend. Boy were they ever! Our numbers dwindled a bit but in the end we were 10. A friend of mine from work joined us and after the Dublin weekend, we joined a one week Globus tour around the countryside to see some of the better known attractions, finishing up with a last day or two in Dublin again before flying home.

The best thing about Ireland is the people. They are warm and friendly and cheerful. The next best thing is the scenery. There is a lot of history in Ireland and it's made the Irish tough and strong. Their sense of humour has had to carry them over a lot of mountains. I think i identify a lot with the Irish in some ways because Nova Scotia, where i'm from, has a strong Irish (and Scottish) background.

The full Ireland travelogue is here

Looking out over the Bay of Skelleig

Bus tours of course, have their good and their bad. You do get entrance into many of the attractions without waiting in line, you do have all your accomodations and many of your meals arranged for you and you have the transportation. But you don't always have as much time in places that you might like, or you may have too much time. You don't always get to see the places you want and you sometimes have to go to places you'd rather have skipped.

Overall, however, a bus tour isn't a bad way to get an overview of a new country. I don't think i'd like the sort that do 5 or 6 or more countries in a couple of weeks, though. I prefer to concentrate on one country or region within a country.

Tours do allow you free time and you can break out on your own as long as you know when the bus is leaving and make sure you're back on time. The one we took was a bit too rushed, packing too many things in to the week but overall we were pleased. I'm glad we had time on our own in Dublin and i had a few days with my friend in County Cork which was also nice.

I'd like to go back to Ireland to see more of Galway, Connemara and the northwest, and a bit more of the south.

Belvelly Castle ruins, Co. Cork

There's a lot of talk about the new Irish Economy, the "Celtic Tiger". It seems to have been a way to inflate prices. Things do tend to be rather expensive in Ireland, not just in Dublin. Tourism is a major industry in Ireland and it shows. There are leprechauns everywhere! These little creatures were an invention for the British tourists over a hundred years ago and most Irish want nothing to do with the little beggars. They are as invasive in Ireland as the Loch Ness Monster, "Nessie" is in Scotland.

There are a lot of tourist attractions in Ireland, most of which you will find by following the hundreds of tour busses. Some of these are still worth going to, always depending on your interests. One thing that you will never tire of is the lush scenery, rolling hills and rocky coastlines.

Dublin is a city full of "buzz". Yes, there are a lot of tourist attractions and "traps" but there are a lot of things to see and do if that sort of thing doesn't grab you. Theatre, shopping, arts, nightlife, history, architecture, you will find that in abundance. I did a lot of touristy things in Ireland and i spent a lot of money on some really nice souvenirs. I'd like to return on my own someday, and maybe someday i will.

• Pros:Friendly people, great beer, lovely scenery, excellent shopping
• Cons:Some areas are tourist traps; can be very expensive
• In a nutshell:Avoid the tourist traps, meet the people.