AFTER OBSERVING 14 celebrations of St Patrick's Day while living in Ireland myself, I've decided it's worth noting things about the holiday that deserve mentioning to my Irish-American family who have bookmarked my blog for their annual visit here. To those occasional visitors, I offer three thoughts. First, poor Ireland is sinking--into debt and into the water. Depending on which expert you read, the sea might be swallowing up nearly 750 acres of Ireland each year. This coastal erosion and rising river levels will depress the Irish housing market even more substantially than the current downturn in real estate values. Second, Paddy's Day is a perfect excuse to hug everybody in a "Kiss Me! I'm Irish!" moment. Done correctly, St Patrick's Day becomes yet another occasion to renew acquaintences. And third, there are some precious moments that I will always cherish--memories etched in good times while walking Ireland and listening to friends I've discovered here.
To those who want to ensure their travels into Ireland results in the best experience, I'll recap some of mine.
- Savoring fish and chips in Burdock's of Dublin.
- Bumping into a friend while walking in the Grafton Street crowd.
- Getting soaked in the salt spray of the Atlantic along the Mayo coast.
- Living with new words like boot, come here to me, langers, jacks, bonnet, knees up and booook.
- Selecting takeaways from various stalls in the Temple Bar Market.
- Walking on fresh wet Kilkenny marble.
- Watching courtesy redefined by the doorman in the Merrion Hotel.
Now it's off to open another pint of Guinness.
Photo from one of my original photos found in my Flickr photostream. More in my Kilkenny set.
Previously: "Visiting Ireland for St Patrick's Day"
Updated: "Reflecting on Ireland" by Dave Delaney, March 17, 2011.
