An Account Of My Criss-Cross Adventure Through The Green Jewel Ireland
It’s true what they say about the rolling green hills and winding rivers of Ireland. All the pictures you’ve seen of gorgeous sheer cliffs plunging into the ocean are as gorgeous as they seem. The cities are smaller than I expected with comfy streets and clean brick as far as the eye can see. Sheep really do dot the countryside in just about everywhere I’ve been – colors on their fluff indicate which farmer they belong to.
For some reason, most of Ireland feels exactly as its been portrayed throughout my life. Many times when I get to a place I always find myself thinking ‘well, I would have never expected that‘ or ‘this feels so different than what I thought it might.’ And I have to admit, I kind of love that Ireland is what I thought it would be. It feels like home away from home in an unexplainable way. The one exception to that would have to be the Northern/Southern hostilities the island has become infamous for.
The Troubles
Despite U.S. conflicts like the Civil War spawning old hatred, the troubles feel fresher and relevant to Irish culture. It’s a conflict that still lives in the minds of people to this day, underlined by graffiti that reads “British and proud” in a small town near Belfast.
I did, however, talk more about the topic with my friends Eric and Leah( Eric being from the states and Leah being born and raised in Belfast), and they let me know “the troubles” are still talked about and felt in the north. That’s due to a lot of the fighting taking place in the north all the way up to the ’90s. As far as I understood, this fighting took place between Catholics and Protestants. The issue seems to reveolve around the fact that Northern Ireland is a part of Britain, something that Protestants supported and Catholics opposed. It wasn’t something I expected to learn about, but it’s something I’m glad people took the time to discuss.
Happy Trails, Easy Travels
Getting back to the trip, though, I have to say how effortless it was to get from place to place. Trains took me to the north, south, east, and west – quickly, I might add. It was the only reason I could see as much as I did in such a short amount of time! I saw Belfast, Dublin, Galway, Cork, Westport, and a little town named Doolin. I also had smaller daytrips taking me to sights such as Giant’s Causeway, Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands, and the Rings of Kerry. All of these places offered their own flair and I suggest you see them if you get the chance. My favorite stay in the trip was with Eric and Leah in Belfast, but Galway takes a close second! When you’re in Galway, be sure to hit up The Crane Bar for traditional music and a good time!
Despite how easy it was to get around, I do have to mention how expensive the traveling ended up being. It was great to do so much, but it certainly wasn’t cheap. A train ticket from Dublin to Cork would be about $40 to 50 USD. Factor in the $20-40(weekends are much more expensive) hostel and food spending, and you have a near $100 day. While not everyone will be traveling for months at a time, it’s something to keep in mind when planning your trip. That travel oversight brought my expected $750 Ireland trip to about double that. While that would be plenty realistic for people staying a week or two, for me it was a bit of a shock.
At The End of Ireland
To be fair, though, it was a shock well worth it. Ireland invited me in with cozy, warm hills so small you’d think you could almost see over them. It kept me mystified with colossal cliffsides, traditional Irish bands in bars, and moss-covered castles around every bend. While rain is reportedly common, I was lucky enough to only be drizzled on twice.
Although my ancestors left more than 100 years ago, I couldn’t help but feel at home on that wee, green, island.
Be sure to check out my retrospective piece on Indonesia if you haven’t gotten a chance yet as it was release fairly recently! Also, be sure to be on the lookout for my next at update. I’ll be dropping some cartoons, life drawings, and a few drawings from a trip to a museum of natural history.
‘Til Next Time
-Vagrant
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