Some years ago I visited Ireland, and as with many others - since getting to this island in the Atlantic ocean is a detour for a traveler, I left for a long weekend in Dublin. I know that I do not have the experience to speak about the entire country only visiting their Capital, but I will give it a try to describe the atmosphere, food and people.
I must admit that the Irish people are the most similar to the Norwegians in the world. They are simple, rough, have humor and like to take a drink. The food are also extremely similar, not only is lamb their national cuisine - but Irish stew is the exactly same dish in Norway called "Lapskaus".
I have wondered why it is like this, but it might have to do from a story when the Vikings had their prime time. One morning they woke up in Dublin, and there were more than 70 Viking ships in their famous river Liffey. Keep in mind that this is 1000 years ago, and at that time there were not any Hotels around. You might figure out yourself what happened later, but for the Norwegian tongue - their food is delicious.
The Irish people are easy going, they like to drink and sing - and I am happy I visited this country. I do not know how it is to live there long term, and I must admit that the social problems they have is a bit scary. This is the only country I have witnessed an armed robbery, by sitting on the crime scene drinking their famous Guinness (ale) when a crackhead came in and robbed the cashdesk in the restaurant.
Since being from Norway is a bit Irish, the Police officers who interrogated me asked me if I would testify in case of a court trial - I answered in a calm way: "Yes, just buy me a ticket and book me a room and I would be happy to visit your country again." Except this, the Irish people have a lovely and warm humor - this is the first people I hook up with when I am travelling around, since you often find me and them in an Irish bar.
Conclusion:
Since I didnt have the chance to visit the countryside while being there, it is worth to mention their famous Ale called Guinness - drink as much as you can since it is fresh. The pub area with the Temple bar are also a must, and I guess I was a bit boring doing the Hop on Hop off travel with the bus. What else could I do in a long weekend feeling like a tourist? Their food is delicious, and I must admit that they are a bit rough taking into account that it is not very common to go around robbing hotel restaurants. Guess the drug and alcohol abuse is a bit high since you see this social problems around. However, it is absolutely a country to visit - but I do not have the experience to tell if it is worth living in.
