Things that are not historical sites, pubs, general regions. Here you’ll find some of the glorious miscellanea that make up the rest of Ireland.
There are a lot of reasons to go to Dingle; the scenery, the dolphin, the annual Other Voices concert . . . but be sure if you make a visit to stop in at Louis Mulcahy pottery around the peninsula.
Easily reached by car or bike from Dingle town, the Louis Mulcahy pottery workshop is an extremely successful home-grown venture producing some of the nicest pottery in Ireland. Browse through the showrooms and marvel over the variety of pottery items, from tea sets to vases larger than you are. The pottery here is very earthy with deep, vibrant colours. It’s powerful looking stuff and it isn’t cheap, but every piece is hand-made and a lot are originals.
Okay, here’s the cool thing: you can try your hand at throwing a pot. No, not at the wall, but on a potter’s wheel. During most of the day, there’s a potter on hand to give you tips. There are two potter’s wheels, you just put on a protective apron, dip you hand in a bowl of water and, operating the spinning surface in front of you with your feet, toss a lump of clay in the middle and try to make it into something vaguely symmetrical.
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At the northern footprint of Ha’penny Bridge is one of the lesser-known treasures of Dublin town: The Winding Stair Bookshop.
Several floors of used and new books inhabit this thoroughly bohemian little bookshop. It was opened in 1982 by Kevin Connolly, who lived, breathed and loved books in this wonderful little corner of the universe. Beloved by many, the shop was sold in 2005 and a larger chain bookshop purchased both the name and the shop. The good news is that the new owners seem dedicated to preserving its famous character (insofar as a large company can).
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If you come to Ireland you will probably visit Dublin.
If you visit Dublin you will probably wander onto Grafton Street.
The very throbbing, rumbling heart of Dublin’s commerce and culture, Grafton hosts the richest and poorest members of society in a great blender of capitalism and convenience. Fancy clothes? Chincy souvenirs? Nice lunch? Jewelry? Astonishing buskers? Not so astonishing buskers? From fillet steak to big mac, Grafton has it all.
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Tucked into a corner along the breezeway of Galway’s Eyre Square shopping centre is the small, yellow shopfront of Leonidas chocolatier.
Every time I venture west to the city of Galway I make it a point to stop in at leonidas and purchase a small gift box selection of their hand-made dark chocolates for wifey. I think the most unique of these has to be the strips of carmelised orange peel dipped in dark chocolate - oh. my. God.
Next time you’re in Galway, stop …
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One of the coolest features of Cork city is the presence of the English Market in the centre of the flat of the city.
It’s a magical little piece of old world shopping. Stalls crammed next to each other in a quaintly architectured (can you say that?) building in the middle of Cork. Prices are good and selection is extremely varied. Folks from all walks of life can be seen perusing the stalls looking for the mundane, the unusual, a bargain or that one thing that can be found nowhere else.
Personally, it reminds me strongly of many of the old world-style markets I’ve seen around the world: Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh, the Grand Market Hall in Budapest, the Russian Market in Pnom Penh or the farmer’s market in St Petersburg, Russia. A myriad of vendors are elbowed in next to each other selling fresh seafood, sundries, wine, leather, keys, fabrics, yarn and you name it. Throw in a number of coffee shops, smoothie bars and a couple of restaurants and that’s Cork’s English Market. It’s fabulous. You could spend a good part of your day wandering the place.
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You will probably hear an awful lot about the Temple Bar area in Dublin. This is a neighbourhood on the south side of the river where most of Dublin’s partying happens.
Temple Bar has all the right elements for drunken shenanigans: it’s centrally located, chock full of pubs, restaurants and cultural venues, plus it’s near the campus and has a sizeable courtyard at its heart for sitting and watching the world go by.
It used to be that Temple Bar was a run-down neighbourhood where numerous artists and musicians were able to afford to find a place to stay. Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s Temple Bar was a rough and tumble area filled with buskers and the cultural fringe, a great place to relax among the relaxed. Nowadays its white-hot real estate prices have filled the area with upscale restaurants and posh shops. There is the occasional street performer, but you’ll see a lot of expensive shoes on the passersby - if you know what I mean.
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If Galway is on your itinerary, you will be passing through, around or by Eyre Square.
For the last six years or so, the square has been a construction zone. It opened earlier this year, much to the delight of the Galway community. The renovation managed to preserve the sweeping lawns and added a couple of scultures, LEDs in the walkways and a tourist office to the square’s amenities.
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Here is a piece by Cityguides on Travelistic concerning tourism in Dublin.
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Why do I do the things I do?
Okay, so those of you who have read my guide to the ettiquette of drinking in Ireland know well what happens on an average Friday night anywhere in this country. The difference is, for me, I’m not usually caught up in it. Oh, I might have a wild night and order some spicy chinese food and possibly have a smoke of my pipe (what are smoking jackets for, after all?) next to the fireplace while reading the financial times.
Wild, I know, but hey, I’m just that kind of a guy.
No, last night began calmly enough in Gertie Browne’s (why IS the “R” in “Gertie” printed backwards, Warren?). I went for a quiet drink with a few co-workers. The next thing I knew, there were swirling lights, thumping music and overpriced drinks everywhere. What had happened? Where did it all go wrong?
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A statue of deceased actor Richard Harris was erected last week in Kilkee and a speech was made by Russell Crowe. Russell had befriended Harris before his death when they were both filming Gladiator. Apparently, they were kindred souls – good-looking hollywood types who were fond of a good time. Poingnantly, Crowe says they planned to go to the next Australia/Ireland rugby match (they were both fans of rugby). Harris died before that happened, but Crowe went and, on that occasion, Ireland beat Australia for the first time in 37 …
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