Northern Hospitality

---

Yesterday I left the lovely little town of Killarney. It was a three hour train ride to Dublin and I slept for just a small portion of that. During the last half of the ride an older man and his daughter sat across from me and engaged me in conversation. Now when you think of a stereotypical older Irishman, you are most likely picturing this man. He had a tweed cap, woollen sweater over a plaid shirt, was missing most of his bottom teeth, and had an accent so thick I could hardly understand him. As he spoke to me he would often give me a wry smile and a wink. Timothy and Jillian (this man and his daughter) were incredibly friendly (as is nearly every Irish person I've met so far) and were eager to tell me about Ireland and equally as eager to ask me about myself and the United States. If listening to live pub music while watching Irish dancing hadn't made me feel like I was truly in Ireland, just being in the presence of this gentlemen certainly did.

After arriving in Dublin and wandering about the city for a little bit, I met up with Eamonn, with whom I was CouchSurfing. He's the epitomy of a generous person and quite eager to share hs wealth of knowledge concerning the history and workings of Dublin. His accent is absolutely perfect. If he was 5 feet shorter and had a red beard, he would make the perfect leprechaun.

So today I spent most of the day in downtown Dublin. One company offered a free 3 hour walking tour, which I gladly joined. The tour guide was very entertaining, informative, and very Irish. Our tour group of about 12 walked around the major historical parts of the city as we learned historical accounts of different buildings, failed rebellion attempts, and anecdotes of various buildings or sites.

Of the many anecdotes that the tour guide told, my favorite involved a prank that is less than 10 years old. The main bridge in the city that crosses the River Liffey, which divides the city intothe north and the south side, had a clock placed in it just prior to 2000, with the purpose of counting down till 2000. Four years afterward, the clock was removed, leaving a small hole in the side of the bridge. After a few months, a small metal plaque appeared in this hole, commemorating Father Pat Noise, an aide to one of the leaders of the rebellion in 1916 which fomented Ireland gaining independence from Great Britian in 1921. Father Pat Noise died tragically when his horse and carriage fell into the river right at the point honored by the plaque. Upon the appearance of this plaque, Dubliners began to lay flowers and wreaths to honor Father Pat's memory. After a while, some more inquisitive folks began to research the historical accuracy of Father Pat, only to find: nothing. Father Pat Noise never existed. Apparently, two brothers had fabricated the plaque and dressed as public transit employees while installing it. The two brothers eventually owned up to the prank. They received a pat on the back from city officials and the plaque still stands in the bridge to this day. According to the tour guide, this story is a prime example of Irish mentality.

The tour went through Dublin Castle, Trinity College (the oldest university still in operation in Ireland - 1590), past Christ Church Cathedral (the first part of which was built in 1030), and Ha' Penny Bridge - the oldest pedestrian bridge in the city, which used to cost a half penny to cross. More modern sites included the first venue regularly by U2, the home of Bram Stoker (author of Dracula), and the apartment building of a cast member of Game of Thrones.

More cultural fun facts:
Just as in the US, accents in Ireland vary by region. A guy from Dublin today claimed that he can barely understand people from the western coast of the country.
Lightswitches for bathrooms are located in the hallway outside of the bathroom.
Listening to an Irish person do an impression of a British person is one of the most hilarious things I have heard. It rivals the time I heard an Papua New Guinean do an impression of a Chinese person.
Irish people will almost always bring up the weather in conversation and then apologize for the poor weather to tourists. I tell them that it's warmer here than at home.
Everyone tells you that Irish people are very friendly, and I have found this to be true. I often have to ask people for directions, and they happily tell me where to go and then engage me in a few minutes more of conversation. I've never once received a curt reply or had anyone declined to help me. As I asked two middle-aged women where a certain street was, they told me they were going there as well so I could just follow them. They were going to a friend's birthday dinner and invited me to come along, and told me where I could find them later in the evening if I wanted to have a drink (I didn't feel like going into the whole "Olivet code of abstinence and sobriety" with them).

Tomorrow I fly out of Dublin to Edinburgh, Scotland, where I will be meeting the illustrious David Ginn and hopefully dining on some lovely mince pies that I saw he posted on Facebook. The blogging will continue for 9-10 days in Edinburgh, and then for 3 days in London after that!

---

Comments

[Larry Ferren]

Ireland
Brian, Your comments about Ireland have been superb. When we visited Ireland several years ago in the summer, the country was in a period of very little rain. I believe it only rained once or twice in about 15-16 days and then very little. We also noticed how friendly the people were. Everyone was willing to stop and offer help. There was not an unfriendly Irishman on the island.