Donegal and the Celtic Tiger.

We've been in Donegal for a bit now... it's a beautiful place with mountains and beaches. If it were warmer, I'd be moving here permanently with no questions asked! And it wouldn't be too hard, either. There are hundreds of houses with scenic views that sit empty; the only signs of life are the "for sale" signs being battered by the wind. All of these houses are the result of a construction boom that was considered part of the Celtic Tiger, a name given to the economic boom that Ireland experienced from the mid-1990s to the very early 2000s. There are multiple theories why the Celtic Tiger ran away with nothing but a scorched tail- a few people we've talked to have said things from the bankruptcy of banks, the falling out of the real estate market, and the outside aid being unaware of European and Irish traditions. (Due to SOPA protests, you won't be getting much more of an overview than that...).

Eventually, Donegal is going to make a come back. Even though a lot of the houses here aren't really beautifully built, there is still a lot that this region has to offer. Liam, my friend that we are staying with, and I were discussing when the best time to buy a house in the region would be. We reckoned that in about 2 years, we'll get the lowest price. From there, the prices will slowly start to rise. While their accession back into glory will be a slow one, Donegal, and the rest of Ireland, won't be in the trenches much longer- especially when compared with the likes of Greece. While Greece didn't have quite the drastic fall that Ireland did, I think that the social parameters and safety nets of the Irish culture and society really aided them to more or less land on their feet. It's true that Ireland as a whole has seen cutbacks due to the recession but you still see more people drinking in pubs than begging on the street (again, this would probably be a bit more informative if SOPA wasn't such a jerk.). A lot of what the Irish really have to watch out for now is keeping their national debt, which every citizen is liable for, in check.

The Grass is Greener on the Other Side

Hello all,
After a very wonderful trip to northern Ireland it inspired me to write about Ireland's terrain.
It's hard to capture what I experienced in a picture, Ireland is a place you need to visit for yourself to see its true beauty.
The grass is so soft, it is a mix between moss and grass, the moss is thick and it feels like a plush carpet.
As you drive you will see may short rock walls that seem to divide the land. The first settlers pulled them form the top soil and used them as fences and they as well cleared the land for farming.
Due to much glacier activity many years ago Ireland has been carved into a variety of physical landforms. Bogs, ocean side, inlets, mountain ranges, and plateaus for such a small country they have a wide range of terrain.

While my stay in northern Ireland we went on may hikes and we took a couple trips to the ocean, it was absolutely beautiful and as much as I describe the landscape it doesn't compare seeing it in person.
If I am able to retire with wealth like everyone else hopes for I will have a house on one of the northern peninsulas! 

Tuk

Music in Ireland.

Sometimes, I feel like every Irish person I know can play out some kind of tune on some kind of instrument. As a self taught (and not self taught very well, I might add) sort of musician, this seemingly universal skill makes me feel a little envious, to be honest. I lived with a guy who's in a band that opened for the Coronas after winning a national contest. One time, we managed to avoid eviction from a party because my friend whipped out his fiddle and started jamming for fellow party-goers. Last night, yet another acquaintance got his accordion down from the attic in order to entertain us (I would like to state that I managed to get a rather weak "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" out of the accordion. Then everyone's ears started to bleed).

Music in Ireland has been a long held cultural past time that has definitely held its place in the modern world. Even though a lot of the music of Ireland historically consisted of instruments like the flute, the violin (fiddle) and others, today there is a wide range- alternative, pop, rap. Yes, rap. The Rubberbandits are absolute class.

Later in the week, we're going to be going to a Trad session in Tuam, about an hour outside of Galway. It's interesting to see how people of all ages come together and bond over music. I believe that music is one of the major components of the Irish culture and in that could be used, perhaps more so than in other countries, to bring about political change. There are multiple Irish artists who are trying to bring about change with their music (U2, anybody?), and they'll probably succeed- but maybe only in Ireland. Not a lot of countries have the background with music like Ireland does. Everyone can listen, but does the ability to play an instrument and experience music from the inside out make it more influential?

Dogs of Europe

This is going to be a short little post, but one thing I observed while traveling though Europe were how the dogs acted.

In Greece we came across many strays, they were all well tamed and very mellow...but they may be that way due to low nutrition, energy and being use to human interaction.
While we headed north to England and Ireland I couldn't help but realize how the dogs there were well behaved and mellow as well. They were able to walk with their owner without a leash, and they would faithfully follow.

I don't know of many dogs here in the states that would do any such thing...

We stayed in Donegal, Ireland with Luk's close friend Liam (who showed us all such a great time, and we can't thank him enough!) he had a little dog named Daisy and he told me that most dogs in Ireland are quite mellow/low key and obedient.

So I wonder if it's an upbringing thing or is there something to do with the genetics...

Lovely Day for a Guinness

As we arrive in Dublin and head to have a traditional Irish breakfast I chance upon a newspaper with an article about Dublin's pub life. On the front page. huzzah! The article was discussing how everyone should visit a pub to get a real taste of the Irish culture and how the economic crisis was affecting pubs in Dublin. Social changes are leading to more wine drinking and entertaining at home, while sales are also hit by tougher drink-driving laws, a smoking ban in public places and rising unemployment. Pub life is also becoming increasingly harder to maintain as off license liquor stores are selling alcohol for less money. Of the various pubs and clubs we have been to throughout Ireland we have noticed that the most common groups of people frequenting them tend to either be young people looking to dance dance or older men sitting around gossiping and watching sports. We have also noticed many signs (posted at just about every round-a-bout) against driving drunk and the need to wear a seatbelt at all times. Clearly the government has noticed that drinking is such a huge part of Irish culture and has integrated it everywhere.