Ireland: The Friendliest Place in Europe
Ireland has always been one of my all-time dream destinations, not for any specific reason though. I didn’t know many Irish people nor did I know a lot about the history of the country. It could have been how it is represented in films, or from the Irish bars I have been to, but I just knew, intuitively, that I would like it. I could not have been more right!
After some research on things to do, my girlfriend and I decided to take a road trip through Ireland and Northern Ireland. The plan was to arrive in Dublin and drive north.
Friendly People
I have been to a lot of European countries, but this was the first time that I have really experienced extremely friendly behavior from everyone that I met. You can always have good or bad experiences while traveling but for this trip all our interactions with the locals where outstanding. Everyone had a warm, welcoming smile when they greeted us. They always say that Latinos are friendly, but I have to say that Irish people will beat us with a smile on their face. If the country was a person, it will be someone like Ed Sheeran, a nice-sympathetic-ginger guy. Fun fact, I found out later that Ed Sheeran has Irish parents.
We stayed in Airbnbs for the whole trip. Airbnb hosts in other countries usually live in another place and you have the whole flat/house for yourself. With the exception of Dublin, all the places we stayed in were houses where the hosts also lived. Every time we arrived at a new Airbnb place the owner of the house was there with a truly warm and friendly welcome for us.
If you still don’t believe me, try and stay sad listening to some Irish folk music.
Ireland is More than Dublin
Most people I know have only ever gone to Dublin and maybe to the Cliff of Moher. Definitely, Dublin is an amazing city and the Cliff of Moher is breathtaking, but Ireland is much more than that. I will even say that those places are probably the least Irish places in Ireland. Dublin is full of tourists so you don’t have a lot of interaction with locals. Of the 10-days we tripped around Ireland, we only spent 2 of them in Dublin.
The rest of Ireland and Northern Ireland has a lot to offer, but it’s a pity that these places are not that popular.
Underrated Landscapes
I am not a big fan of driving but the countryside of Ireland is astonishing. It’s fair to say that this is a characteristic charm of the whole UK. It was crazy how while driving we ran into abandoned castles and old structures, that in many other countries would be top tourist sites. Ireland has a lot of old fortresses dotted around that are not being commercially exploited, which I like, it feels strangely magical.
The places are so damn astonishing that a lot of scenes from Game of Thrones were shot there.
Coming back to the topic of Ed Sheeran, he has a song called Castle on the hill, where he sings about when he was a kid he was playing in a castle on the hill with his friends. In the beginning, I thought it was a metaphor, something like an imaginary castle. Yet now that I know that he was living in the UK, I think it was probably a real castle. When I was a kid, one of the most adventurous things was playing in an old house that had been abandoned for about 10 years. These guys were doing that in an abandoned castle that is centuries old.
Gaelic
Before going there I thought that English was the only official language, but then I learned about Irish, also known as Irish Gaelic. In Ireland, there are two official languages English and Irish. Knowing that Irish existed, I started asking people how to say a few words in that language. To my surprise, most of the people I asked didn’t speak Irish at all. Some of them were a little bit ashamed about that but there were some that didn’t even care.
According to the 2011 Census, only 1.8% of the population speak Irish every day outside of school. Yes, 1.8% of the population speak one of the official languages on a daily basis. There are more people that speak Polish than Irish in Ireland.
After reading more about it, it’s clear that the reason for losing the language has to do with UK-Ireland history, immigration, and religion. The government recognized it as an official language and schools teach the language, but it seems that it’s not enough.
Northern Ireland and Ireland Are the Same
I was not really sure about the difference between both Irelands before the trip. I recall hearing about soccer matches of Northern Ireland and thinking about what is this “Northern” part? When I was at university I learned that one Ireland was inside the United Kingdom and the other not.
Politically they are two different countries. There is no border control between both countries. I only realized that I was driving in Northern Ireland because the signs were in miles, and not in kilometers anymore like in Ireland. Another obvious sign is when they ask you to pay in British pounds instead of Euros.
There was also a religious conflict, Protestants want Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom and Catholics want a united Ireland.
This is a complex conflict, even today, but in my opinion, the essence of both societies is the same. I didn’t feel a difference between the people. I guess that people that have lived there for a while can spot the difference, but, come on, in most countries people from the north are slightly different from people from the south, but that difference is not enough to make them a new nation.
If you are interested in why and how they split you can read more about the Good Friday Agreement.
Ireland and Northern Ireland are both dazzling destinations. Dublin is great, but I feel that the less beaten path of the rest of Ireland is underrated. With their breathtaking landscapes, it’s a perfect destination for nature lovers and people who like a little bit of fantasy. From my perspective, the best characteristic of the countries is the people. They are happy people, something that is lacking in many places in Europe. You even feel the warmth of the people when you go to the store or when you are just walking around the towns.
I hope that one day there could be a united Ireland. For me, this is a clear example when politics and religion screw a country.
A big thank-you to David Watson, Gabriela Kadlecova and Osvaldo Villarreal for reviewing the text.
