Ireland - have you been here - will you come here?

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   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   Ireland is a nice place to have a summer holiday - have you been here - will you come here?

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      Anolindeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I've never been, but would love to go one day!  I DID plan to visit Dublin when I was in the UK doing my Master's, but for some reasons, my friends and I decided to go to Edinburgh instead.  Doh!  One of these days, though, for sure ...

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      Poppa Bluesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I'd love to go there hit the pubs and do some fly fishing! The company I work for used to have a plant in Cork.

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      waynetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Drinking Guinness put me off awhile back as a kid, but I do hope to visit later in life.

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      Stimpposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      What I am DYING to do is come to Ireland for a Haunted Castle OR Irish Pub horse back riding vacation.  Unfortunately, they are about $4k (USD) for one week.  But THAT is my dream.  I have heard that Ireland is absolutely gorgeous.  My neice went there with her best friend's family (as they are Irish and have relatives there) and her pics are phenominal.  So, the short answer is YES.  But I'd love to see the country on horseback.

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      Brenda Durhamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Never been;  but it sounds lovely!
      Doubt I ever will.   I don't travel well at all; major motion-sickness;  so I usually go no further than the next town.
      
      hmm...maybe that's one reason I get stuck online so much.....that way I can "travel" while not really traveling.
      
      I know you're disappointed, irish!  ...
      
      Hey, for what it's worth, if anything, I'm liking your newer thread topics lately better than the previous ones...

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      Mamelodyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I was in Dublin Three months ago.. my third time there...absolutely love it.. you guys are so funny and I just love your accents..

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      LegendaryHeroposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      No and probably no. If I'm going to go to Europe I'd much rather see the land of my ancestors - Germany. Though if I get to go to Europe multiple times I want to go to Ireland.

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   frogdroppingposted 14 years ago

   I've never been. And I don't really know why, I always meant to visit. I've had lots of Irish friends over the years and lived in an area that's always had a huge Irish community.
   
   Something I should rectify. I've set off once or twice and ended up in Wales. Next time I'll keep going

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   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   This could be the year to do it loads of good bargains in hotel and travel

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   Susana Sposted 14 years ago

   I had a weekend break in Belfast a couple of years ago which I enjoyed, but I'd really love to see more of the place - especially the countryside

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   earnestshubposted 14 years ago

   I have never been but would love to.

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6. 61

   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   Suasana - Belfast is great - but the west if Ireland is something else - wonderful land and sea scapes - great pubs and food - great people

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      HWPposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oh the West Coast of Ireland is the most stunning place EVER!!  I moved here a year ago and am head over heels in love with the place. It really does have the most stunning sea and landscapes and is full of hidden gems. Seriously, it should be at the top of every list of places to go :-D

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7. 61

   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   earnest - let me know when you are coming over

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8. 61

   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   Edinburgh is a wonderful place - good choice - maybe Ireland soon - we look forward to your visit

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   kephriraposted 14 years ago

   My dad is Irish and I went a couple of times as a kid, but I haven't been back since and I'd love to go again to check out some of the famous Irish pubs!

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10. 61

    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    kephrira - the pubs and scenery are wonderful - hope you come back - what part of Ireland is your dad from

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       kephriraposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Not sure if this is the right spelling, but he grew up near a place called Fermoy in County Cork. He left when he was 18 though (over 50 years ago) cos my grandfather was in the police prior to the war, and the family had a lot of trouble from the IRA. We never visited the place he was from on our holidays because of this, so I don't know anything about the place.

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          Sufidreamerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Small world, kephrira - I worked on a fish-farm just outside Fermoy for a year. Beautiful place, wonderful people, and the Murphy's is liquid silk

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             kephriraposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             wow, small world indeed. I got the spelling right then

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                Sufidreamerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                Bang on, although I can;t remember the Gaelic spelling. It was over 10 years ago, so things have probably changed since then. After Fermoy, I moved to County Carlow for a year - just as nice.
                
                If you do go over, try to find the time to watch a game of Hurling - a great sport

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                   kephriraposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                   I would do that if I went. My dad played hurling for the County Cork under 18 team and he bought me the sticks and schlitter (now that one must be the wrong spelling) and taught me how to play a bit. I wonder if it's still as dangerous as it used to be. He had lots of stories about people getting their head cracked open or their hands broken from a whack with one of the sticks.

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                   1. 78

                      Sufidreamerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                      He must have been a very good player - Cork are the powerhouse of hurling. I played a little, but it is not the sort of sport you can pick up easily. It is fast and furious - I think that helmets are compulsory, now, but most of my friends had no teeth and crooked noses.
                      
                      Gaelic Football, on the other hand - I'm 6' 4", so they shoved me straight into the Full Forward position. Happy Days
                      
                      Anyway, nice chatting, but it is time for my afternoon snooze. Siestas are a great invention

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    2. 69

       ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       The pubs are wonderful, although the husband and I did start to wonder exactly how many "oldest pubs in Ireland" there are.  I'm sure we visited at least 5 or 6.

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11. 61

    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    Poppas Blues - the fly fishing is great people come from all over the world for the trout and salmon fishing season - the pubs are great fun but just part of the hopitality see you there

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       kephriraposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I'm not into fishing myself, but it sounds lovely.

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    kephrera - your fathers story is not unusual for that period - some bad things happened - but all is well in Cork these days and we woudl love to have you back - Sudidreamer can fill you in on the local activities - I have been in Cork several times and love it

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13. 61

    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    waynet - you just mossy on back here - their is plenty to enjoy

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    thisisoliposted 14 years ago

    I love Ireland, I have been to Dublin twice and hada  fantastic time on both occasions.
    
    I know a few people from Cork as well, and they all have a crazy party side which seems extreme even for the Irish, so I want to visit that area at some point in my life as well!
    
    I have to admit though Edinburgh takes a fair amount of beating, York is still my favorite city around the UK/Ireland though!

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    premierkjposted 14 years ago

    I don't understand the agenda of getting people to visit Ireland especially since we just rip off any tourists who are nice enough to come. I recommend waiting a few years if you want to visit because the country will be on its knees (even more so) and everything will be a lot cheaper.

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       thisisoliposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Heh thats the truth, Ireland is EXPENSIVE!

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       kephriraposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I thought the Celtic Tiger was on it's knees already. The trouble is so are the rest of us so however much cheaper Ireland gets, most of the rest of us will be that much poorer too so it won't be any help.

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       Stimpposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Ummm...hmmmm....I wonder if you couldn't say this about ANY country.  I've been to a few outside of the U.S. and EVERY place I've been has gouged the tourists.  Guess what?  It happens here in the US as well....~GASPS from the crowd~  That's right folks, we too, rip off our OWN tourists....

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       thisisoliposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       The Irish tourist board are spending a huge amount of money to keep toursits coming to the country, there is evena rumour going around that they are paying internet writers to talk about how good Ireland is in online forums 0=-)

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       Mamelodyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       well it's cheaper than London I can tell you that!

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       TheGlassSpiderposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       That's funny...I felt that everything was rather affordable when I went and that everyone was quite nice. Then again, this was about 10 years ago...perhaps things have changed.

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          ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Small world... I had the same thought, but I was there 10 years ago as well.  Do you remember the time of year, or specific year you were there?  I've been running into more and more odd coincidences lately.  (We were there in September of 2000.  It was our honeymoon, so its easy for me to remember the dates.)

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       tantrumposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I think Ireland is beautiful, and will always be.

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    ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years ago

    I have been to Ireland and it was the best vacation of my life.  The US dollar was stronger then, so it was more than affordable, and I fell in love with the place and the people.  My husband and I took the trip for our honeymoon almost 10 years ago, and we tossed around the idea of attempting to get work visas and never coming home!

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    Greek Oneposted 14 years ago

    I understand that Guinness can be found if you look hard enough?

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    StormRyderposted 14 years ago

    I have been there, wish I would have had more time to explore. I was in Dublin for two days....Did a mini pub crawl..
    
    Love the Guinness..doesn't taste the same here

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       ThoughtfulSpotposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       So true.  Never liked Guinness until I had it in Ireland.  Now, I'll settle for it here, but its not the same.

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    theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

    Stormy - let me klnow the next time you are coming to Ireland

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    Crazdwriterposted 14 years ago

    I have never been there but my husband and I want to travel there for a real Honeymoon one of these days...hopefully next year

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    TheGlassSpiderposted 14 years ago

    Oh yes, I've been there. To the Aran Islands, to Dublin...Bunratty...To the place where the round fort is falling off the cliff into the sea (perhaps at Seven Churches?).
    
    It's the most beautiful, magical place in the world. I hope to retire there one day.
    
    Ireland is the home of my heart.

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    WriteAngledposted 14 years ago

    I went on a day trip to Dublin from Fishguard some years ago. That was fun. Had fantastic fish and chips at Beschoff's, visited the Guiness Brewery and just wandered round. We did look into going back, but the hotels and guesthouses are terribly expensive, so that for the price of 2 days in Dublin we could get 3 or 4 days in Barcelona or Florence, for example.
    
    Another time, I had a business meeting in a very posh hotel just outside Cork. That was fantastic. The food was excellent and they made their own superb soda bread. I had time off in Cork and enjoyed going to the folk sessions in the pubs. I'd like to go back to Cork and then work my way westwards, trying to find all the little places where folk sessions are spontaneous and not geared to tourists.

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    Deborah Sextonposted 14 years ago

    My mother was Irish and I've always wanted to visit Ireland

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