Just Sitting Here Reflecting on my Irish adventure

This will be a random narrative of observations about living in Ireland for nearly two weeks.

Medieval roadways have determined the "modern" map of Ireland.  Stone walls are a dominant feature everywhere except within larger towns.  When flying over Ireland or when you are afforded a panoramic view the landscape looks like a patch-work quilt.   Heavy stitching is replaced by the stone fences that divide the properties of farmers and shepherds.  There are lots of sheep in Ireland but there are also lots of cows.  Dairy products have a rich fresh flavor and the yogurt produced in Clonakilty was definitely the best.  It was much better than any of the mass produced products we find on our shelves in the U.S.  Pubs are the best places to eat.

We stopped in a random pub on our way to Killarney.  The meals we were served were delicious and presented attractively.  They reviled the presentation of "expensive" stateside restaurants.  The pub owners take great pride in providing a welcoming atmosphere and good food.  John says the Guinness in Ireland tastes better than the Guinness we get in the U.S.  Locals in the pubs are eager to engage you in conversation, don't miss out on this opportunity.  They will even sing for you if the subject of traditional music comes up.  One fellow who was our age said that when he was in school they sang traditional Irish tunes for one hour each day.  There's an idea for keeping one's culture intact and at least a partial explanation for why music is such a driving force in Irish society.

Pubs that serve food seem to be more family oriented, children are allowed.  The drinking age is 18.  Underage kids may not be allowed in the pubs without their parents present.  The Irish love horse racing and the pubs have the races on TV.  Off track betting parlors are common.

Irish kids do the same dumb irritating things that American kids do, but they are less likely to be destructive.  We were parked next to the Emmet Square, our hotel room at the Emmet Hotel overlooked the square.  Our first night in Clonakilty coincided with the day 15 year old Irish students received results from their National tests.  These determine the direction of the rest of their education, whether they will be channeled into vocational studies or college prep.  Students who passed the test celebrated in Emmet Square.  They converged on the park space in great droves, laughed, yelled, courted and harassed each other well into the early morning hours.  We didn't sleep much.  The "Garda", local police cruised by, walked through but didn't disperse the crowd.  Eggs were thrown at a particularly obnoxious group of boys who were yelling and laughing loudly as they walked past the park.  Some of the eggs hit our car, due to pathetically bad marksmanship.  We observed the culprit actually trying to clean the egg off of our car.  The hotel staff cleaned off the rest before we even had breakfast.  Irish parents are just as lax American parents   about knowing where their kids are and what they are doing.  Irish adults complain about this lack of responsibility just like American adults.  Along with all this rowdiness there was some serious "snogging" going on.  It seems some Irish kids are as sexually active as our kids.  I wonder what the teenage pregnancy rates are.

Irish pharmacies are consistent in their signage and organization.  They are marked with a green version of the Red Cross symbol.  When you enter a pharmacy, the first things you see are perfumes and makeup products.  The dispensary is in the back.  The choice of over-the-counter the medicines is very limited, therefore it does not take 30 minutes to try and figure out which cold medicine to purchase because you might have three choices to ponder instead of a whole 10'x5' display filled with alternatives. You can buy ibuprofen with codeine over the counter but you must talk to the pharmacist.  They are beginning to restrict access because of increasing addiction issues.   Irish women are more likely to allow their hair to go grey, rather than dye it to maintain an illusion of youth.  My decision to allow my hair to be naturally grey is the standard instead of the exception as it is here in the states. 

Do not expect elevators in public places, especially hotels.  Americans stand out at the airport because we have tons of luggage.  The typical Irish or European traveler seems to manage with one carry on bag.  They look down on Americans because we haul too much stuff with us.  I have vowed to reduce my luggage significantly next time I head to Europe.  Never rent anything larger than a VW Golf to travel on Irish roadways.  You will regret it!!!!

The Irish, at least those we engaged with, were not "consumer-crazy".  They did not seem motivated by having the best, latest or greatest of whatever.  They were more interested in quality of life.

There is great appreciation for older structures in Ireland.   This helps to maintain the old world atmosphere in rural and town areas.  There are sub-divisions.  We turned around in one when we missed a turn.  This subdivision was incredibly sterile in appearance, impeccably neat yet unlike US subdivisions, it was absolutely crammed with children who took over the street.  It was truly their playground, there were probably 20 homes in this cul-d-sac and at least 30 kids out playing in the street, roller blading, skateboarding, soccer, basketball, tag, jump rope etc.   Our kids tend to be crammed into their homes, glued to televisions or computers.  There were very few clearly obese children out and about.  This does not necessarily carry through into adulthood.  Still the percentage of obese adults is much lower than in the US or at least than in Indiana. 

It was disturbing to see an incredible amount of trashy flotsam and jetsam in Bantry harbor.  One corner of the dock seemed to collect vast amounts of mainly plastic crap from small beverage containers to oil drum sized vats.  It was a definite eye-sore amongst all the beauty.  I wonder how far this garbage has traveled.  I wonder if any of it is from the US since recently a Florida boy's message in a bottle was found in Ireland.

I enjoyed the Irish climate.  It was mild both day and night, temps in the 60's.  Fresh breezes blew almost daily.  Often the morning started with light rain.   By noon it had all cleared away leaving blue skies with billowy clouds in its wake.