Five Things I Love About Dublin Ireland

gdkaufmann

Here's the promised follow up to last week's post:

http://anamericanindublin.com/2011/08/17/five-things-i-love-about-dublin-ireland/


Cheers,
Glenn

John_Rambo

Cheers Glen, are you the American in Dublin? Pity the last one was locked, but in fairness to the mods, these threads usually end up with people with chips on their shoulder logging on and typing bullsheet. Normally they are proven wrong if the post isn't locked.

munchkin_utd

great list there Glen.

Dublin would still not be my favourite place on earth - but until you spend a stretch abroad you don't appreciate fully what positives that Dublin and Ireland have to offer.

Theres no point in always focusing on the negatives. Theres plenty of things that Ireland can offer that the shores abroad dont have.

drquirky

Dude-

You don't need to call it Dublin, Ireland...pretty sure Dublin would suffice....after 5 years living here, my advice would be to listen and not make assumptions- also as an American do not assume that you know everything....good luck have fun

John_Rambo

drquirky wrote: »

Dude-

You don't need to call it Dublin, Ireland...pretty sure Dublin would suffice....after 5 years living here, my advice would be to listen and not make assumptions- also as an American do not assume that you know everything....good luck have fun

You are assuming that everyone that reads his blog will automatically know it's the capital of Ireland that he is referring to. They might be aware of more than one place called Dublin.

As an Irishman, don't assume that you know everything.

drquirky

Ha- but I'm American....the city,state thing is just a pet hate- just think it sounds silly and condescending....

gdkaufmann

Rambo - Thanks. You were right.

Dr Quirky - When I first told people that I was moving to Dublin, most assumed I meant Ireland, but some did ask if I meant Ohio, or California, etc.

And more importantly, as a blogger, it helps wit search engines, etc. to have both Dublin AND Ireland in the title.

I'm not making assumptions, just observations, and I'm recounting what I've been told by Irish friends and expats who've been here a while.

Thanks for reading.

Conor Bourke

Any chance of the text for those of us on the mobiles?

irlirishkev

Five Things I Love About Dublin Ireland
Posted on August 17, 2011 by anamericanindublin

Well, last week’s post seemed to stir up a bit of interest on all sides of the issues, not least of which was my use of the word “hate”. Many of the people who left comments felt that after living in Dublin for only a month, hate was too strong a word for me to use with any credibility. Now it strikes me as very odd that the validity of an emotional response would, could, should, or ought to be measured on a calendar. Regardless, I’m curious to see if I get any sincere comments taking me to task for using the word “love” in this week’s title. To anyone thinking along those lines, let me just say that I tried out “Five Things About Dublin Ireland That Make Me Excessively Ecstatic”.

Number Five: The Weather

When I tell most Dubliners that I love the weather here, they look at me as if to say, “We really should stop giving visas to the insane”. But I have both personal and objective reasons for loving the weather in Ireland.

First of all, even in the dog days of summer, temperatures in Ireland are generally pretty mild. It may rain almost daily, and is usually cloudy for at least part of every day. But partly cloudy means it’s partly sunny, and often that’s just enough to dry things off without making them hot.

Secondly, when it does rain, it hasn’t been (so far) the frog strangling, sewer-flooding cloudbursts I experienced while living in Florida, or the thunder and lightning laden tornadic micro-apocalypses from my time in the American Midwest. The rain in Dublin (again, so far) has been pretty mild, and the wind has been steady and cooling. Perceived humidity (thanks to low temperatures, and regular breezes) is often non-existent.

But the main reason that I love Irish weather is that it is largely responsible for the lush clean, green environment.

Number Four: The Environment

One of the first things I noticed about life in Ireland is just how green, lush, and alive the whole country seems to be. Even in downtown Dublin, which by rights ought to be choked with smog, the air (even on cloudy days) looks, smells, and tastes remarkably clear. In the “hot months” of summer, the grass is still green and things continue to bloom.

I know this is not unique to Ireland. I’ve experienced this vibrant lush life in other places, such as Seattle, Maine, and Galician Spain. But this makes my list of things I love about Dublin and Ireland because I think it’s largely responsible for the good feelings that people (visitors and locals alike) carry with them once they’ve spent time here.

In our over stimulated world, with too many cars, gadgets, and billboards, it’s hard not to feel really good about a place that, on balance, just looks nice, and affords you the opportunity to breathe clean air. You cannot help but feel good when you live somewhere that daily forces you to simply stop for a moment, take a look around, and marvel at the world around you. Living in such a place changes everything.

Number Three: Sense of History

From the Neolithic Age through the Celtic Tiger experience, Ireland has been a crossroads of conquest. Vikings, Normans, Celts, Google executives, and others have all plundered, pillaged, and left their legacy in the form of stone walls, castles, battlements, abbeys, crypts, bridges, illuminated manuscripts, and glass/chrome office towers all across the Republic of Ireland. Yet through it all, Ireland has fought for, and now maintains, its independence, having fashioned a proud, distinctly Irish identity for itself.

And, while there are many who would relegate Ireland’s past to history books alone, one cannot walk through Dublin, or Waterford, or Knowth/New Grange and not realize how important Ireland’s past is to its present sense of identity. It’s clear to anyone (who more than just passes through) that living in Ireland means living with Ireland’s past. In ways both big and small, history has worked its way into the very fabric of daily life in Ireland.

Number Two: Cultural, Social, and Political Awareness

In general, most of the locals I’ve met while living in Ireland seem to have a fairly high level of social and political awareness. Irish society seems to be fairly engaged and aware of current issues of national policy and politics. And, above all else, the Irish seem to have thought about how these issues will affect not just them, but others, and, down the line, the country as a whole.

I’ve heard that Ireland has an extremely high per capita rate of newspaper readership. But it should come as no surprise that the country that brought us Beckett, Joyce, Wilde, Synge, and Shaw should be a nation engaged, enraged, and moved to action by the written word. It’s part of their heritage.

That said, what surprises me most about the Irish social consciousness is the effect that this level of awareness has on me. Because the Irish are so engaged, I’m called to know more. A high level of engagement is obviously important to the Irish. Why? On a day-to-day basis, what does it do for them? What are the issues that move them? Their awareness gives me even more of a reason to chat with people, and to meet my new neighbors on a somewhat deeper level than just ubiquitous weather chat.

Number One: Laid Back & Easy Going Attitude

Maddening as it can be, one of the best things about Ireland is the laid back easygoing nature of the Irish. I still contend that on a moment-to-moment basis many people in Ireland are content to do their best at a job, but aren’t compelled to perpetually push things to the next level of excellence. But I also see the value of living in a culture where you aren’t seen as weak if your singular focus is not being the next Bill Gates, Michael Jordan, or J.K. Rowling.

It’s all well and good to strive to better yourself, but there is a balance to be struck between doing your level best and manic self-improvement solely for the sake of outdistancing your real or perceived competition. A great deal of personal energy is preserved when you stop worrying so much about having to be on top.

gdkaufmann

Alaskimo, sadly I'm not sure how to do that.

West Brit

I like the fact you get separate hot and cold taps in Ireland; it means you save water.

ProudDUB

drquirky wrote: »

Dude-

You don't need to call it Dublin, Ireland...pretty sure Dublin would suffice....after 5 years living here, my advice would be to listen and not make assumptions- also as an American do not assume that you know everything....good luck have fun

Dublin, Georgia is the fifth biggest (or thereabouts) city in the state of Georgia, after Atlanta, Savannah, Augusta, Macon and Columbia. Say Dublin to any one from Georgia and that is what they will think you are refering to. The cities of Rome and Athens (home of the University of Georgia) are also decent sized towns. Birmingham is the biggest city in Alabama. Americans putting the name of the country after a European city may seem like an annoying obvious habit to the Irish (and probably the rest of Europe) but trust me, a lot of Americans need and appreciate the distinction !