Ireland:
Ireland is definitely a magical island of music, poetry, charm and fun. As soon as you step out of the airport or off the ferry you will know you're in a different dimension. The contrast with England is quite noticeable. Whereas English people constantly complain about politics and the system and the weather, Irish people just go to the pub and sing.
You can travel all over Ireland and have a wonderful time. The Irish really are funny and friendly, and the scenery is fantastic. Ireland has far fewer people than the similarly sized island of Great Britain, so there's a lot of empty space. There are also a lot of mountains, especially on the west coast, and you can climb all of them. Hikers and bikers can find Nirvana in Ireland. As for the weather, it's rather mixed up. Within one minute you can have rain, sun, sleet, wind, and no wind. Accommodation ranges from luxury hotels to backpacker hostels, and excellent B&Bs. There are no shopping malls, freeways, or highrises, either, or if there are, I didn't see any.
Kilarney is the most visited area outside of Dublin, and yes it is beautiful, but you should also explore all the other coastal areas such as the Dingle Peninsula and the area north of Galway. Dublin is a quaint, picturesque, big city where you can visit art galleries by day and go out on the town and see amazing live bands at night.
As for Northern Ireland, it's still part of the United Kingdom, and in February, 2000, the British government put the kaibosh on the multi-party government it had installed in late 1999. The reason? The stubborn Irish Republican Army refused to hand in its weapons. So the British reapplied direct rule. This means tourism in Northern Ireland is back to being an iffy proposition--even though most Northern Irish will tell you it's not dangerous at all to travel there.
Movies: Angela's Ashes
This page last updated February 13, 2000.