Ireland

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Beautiful Ireland, the country side reminds me of home except there is a distinct difference in the fact that the farms are separated by fences made of stone instead the trusty old No. 8 wire.



Ireland is made up of Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland (usually referred to as just Ireland), I have visited both many times over the past 3 or so years. I lived in Northern Ireland for a summer in 2009 working in an Irish pub in a village in the middle of nowhere. Below are some things to note if you are looking at visiting Ireland.



First of all you must know that the weather in Ireland (North and South) is very unpredictable, so much so that even in summer you can have four seasons in one day. I suggest visiting in the warmer months which are June-August, although this is peak season you are more likely to have less rain. Next you need to decide where you want to visit, if you are coming from anywhere in the world then you will most likely find yourself landing in Dublin first. Dublin is a great place to start from because here you can get to all the main cities and even Northern Ireland buy public transport. If you want more freedom the hiring a car is a great idea but just remember it is a little more pricey in Ireland if you are under 25 for insurance reasons. I found that the public transport was so easy to get around and many of the buses have free Wifi (bonus). I suggest doing a Paddywagon tour http://paddywagontours.com/ around Ireland if you are by yourself or if you have limited time but want to see all the key places.


Dublin

It feels like a city and like any city there are a lot of tourists and different cultures but as soon as you leave the centre you find yourself in low key suburbs with a town like feeling. Within Dublin you can visit the Guinness Factory, party in Temple Bar, shop on Grafton Street, visit Croke Park or one of the many museums. If you are short on time but want to get around and have a look at what this city has to offer then I suggest buying a ticket for the hop on, hop off tour buses that travel around the city.

St Patrick’s Day in Dublin is a great time to visit. The streets turn green and the bars stay open way into the night, Temple Bar is where it is at if you want to party.

Accommodation-there are plenty of hostel and hotels to choose from all over the city.



Galway

This is my favourite city in Ireland. The town centre is small and you can walk around and it is full of bars and street performers. To me, walking around Galway feels like you are in Ireland because you can nip into any of the bars there and you will find locals and tourists having a pint of Guinness. There are also plenty of day tours out to the Cliff or Moher, these are huge cliffs you can walk around and have stunning views.



Belfast

This city is amazing for its history, both long ago and recent times. Again, you can do a hop on, hop off tour which I recommend as things are a little spread out and this is great for people with a short amount of time. You can visit where the Titanic was made and there are day trips to the Giants Causeway which is north of Belfast on the coast and has rocks that are shaped like hexagons (sounds lame but is really beautiful).



Shopping-Ireland has the same shops mostly as the UK but there Primark stores are called Penny’s and I find they have an even better selection so make sure to pop in for a bargain!


x J

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