Out of Ireland, OR, What I've learned in and about Ireland

Well, not yet.

I have my ticket booked, finally, for Wednesday at 12:10. I'll land in Bristol, God Willing at 1:10 PM. I've watched Nicole and all of my friends that I've made here come and go, and this town seems a touch less friendly now that I no longer know someone around every corner. The house is ready: sparkling clean, devoid of food, and all of my things packed into two bags and a guitar case. I was amazed it all fit, but it must be because many of my daily items were supplied at the house- dishes, bedding, furniture, etc. I do feel a touch of sadness leaving the Emerald Isle, but far less than I would have if I hadn't been stuck here at the end. Being stuck somewhere can really affect your image of the place.

Comments about Ireland?

Well, here's what I'd say I've found about the country, all summed up in point form (this is an abbreviated list, as I'm sure more stuff, and likely more profound revelations, will hit me in years to come):

-Being the second richest country in the world (by some standards, it was in all the papers, so I believe it) doesn't seem to make Ireland very happy. Irish warmth and friendliness are legendary, and I really feel it in the older generations. However, Nicole and I really noticed a cold, "are you finished?" attidtude among lots of people, almost like the influx of people and wealth into the country has left people a bit overwhelmed.

-All the postcards are true, this place is incredibly beautiful

-People in Ireland don't ever talk about Leprechauns, they're a western tourist thing

-Banshee is pronounced as two words "Ban Shee"

-Don't go digging around in Ringforts

-Before I came here, I had an almost cartoony image of the place

-Irish pubs can be very lonely, quiet places

-Houses with wooden signs that advertise "surgery" are common, and creepy

-Lough is the Irish spelling of Loch, said the same way

-The Brits did bad things here, so they aren't well liked as a country. Still, they are treated kindly by most.

-The Aran Islands are a must-see, as is countryside in Cork.

-Ireland is much more backwards and backwoods than one would expect. Things really aren't sorted out here yet, and stuff like infrastructure and bureaucracy, especially involving Gardai Certificates of Registration, are in early development stages.

-A rum and coke can cost you 7 euros, because you have to buy a shot of rum, and a bottle of coke. Conversely, a pint of Guinness costs 3 Euros 20. Not bad.

-Don't drink the rum

-Murphy's is the smoothest beer EVER, though it has a bit less of a full flavour than Guinness. Guinness often has a hell of a pang for an aftertaste. It also, according to the locals, has fallen in quality catastrophically in the past five years. Alas, I'll never taste a true one, I guess. I should mention, I've had a pint at the Yard and Flagon that was more than a match for those at the Guinness Brewery. The best ones here were at one of the local pubs.

-Guinness quality is variable.

-Cliffs make me weak in the knees

-Despite, (well, quite possibly contributing to) its beauty, Ireland is a strangely sad place. All of its landscapes are perfectly suited to sad movie sequences, or solemn processions.

-"How's the farm? Nothing strange?" is my favorite greeting here.

-People really like REM and Paul Simon here.

-Irish commercial radio ROCKS. It blows the Saskatoon equivalent out of the water. You hear a mix of new stuff, and other GOOD stuff, not just the one-hit-wonder top 40 backlogs from the past 30 years.

-Soda bread tastes like plain salty wholeweat muffins. It's great.

-Lots of Irish people think U2 are americanized hacks

And much more.

All in all, its been great.

Miss you all,

ON TO WALES!
Luke