Ireland's the g Hotel

by Adrienne Wilson on


Designer Philip Treacy says of the g:

"I create hats people love to wear. With the g, I have created a place people will love to be."

Sounds a bit ‘Cat in the Hattish’ for me, but there is only one way to find out and that is to see! Okay,
seriously Cool Hunting has kindly pointed out the
latest in five-star, design hotels located in Galway on Ireland’s Atlantic coast. It seems sort of cool, sort of
dizzying, sort of eh. I certainly won’t knock the eye-catchy design of the Pink Salon with its Andy Warhol camo print fabric-covered chairs
and black-and-white vortex hand woven carpet which they claim is destined to become the signature room, but I’d much
rather lounging in the Grand Salon or staying in my suite which
are much tamer in color. Anywho if your mum is tickled pink by the whole idea why not plan ahead for Easter or Mother’s
Day while the g
is offering specials for the two occasions. If she prefers the Dublin scene then take her to the d.

The Death of Dublin's Moore Street

by Neil Woodburn on

When I
lived in Ireland, before the Celtic economy began to boom, one of my favorite sites in Dublin was Moore Street. 
Located just west of O’Connell Street (the city’s main thoroughfare) Moore Street was a time machine back to the
days of Dickens (had Dickens been Irish).  This is where the Irish poor came to sell their eggs and Bic lighters
and where dirty faced street urchins would cry out “three for a pound!” and other deals and bargains to be
had. 

All of this had changed, however, when
I revisited Ireland last May.  The Irish economy, once the laughingstock of Europe, is now pulling strong and the
effect on Moore Street is substantial.  The Oliver Twists and curmudgeon farmers are gone, replaced by Asians,
East Europeans, and Africans who have transformed the area into
a multicultural hodgepodge the likes of which lily-white Ireland has never seen before. 

Economic prosperity has always been a magnet for economic refugees and Ireland, it seems, is no exception. 
While I have to admit I selfishly miss the quaint Victorian poverty of Moore Street, I’m happy for
Ireland’s success and, of course, the cultural diversity and better food options the country’s new
immigrants have brought to Dublin. 

 

Honoring Guinness

by Neil Woodburn on

As we gear up for St. Patrick’s Day, spare a thought for the holy water of the Emerald Isle:
Guinness. 

This dark bitter beer has gushed from the teat of Ireland since the 19th century and continues providing sustenance
and joy even today.  It is indeed a national treasure and one which is saluted and honored as often as
possible.  I had never tried it before traveling to Ireland but grew to enjoy it once there.  It is an
acquired taste and certainly not for everyone. 

Nonetheless, a trip to Ireland remains incomplete if one does not tour the Guinness Brewery located in Dublin.  But, if you
can’t make it before Friday, check out the following Washington Post
article to brush up on your Guinness before honoring Ireland’s patron saint with a swig of the old
stuff.  And for God’s sake, stay away from the green beer on St. Patrick’s Day; it’s
sacrilege. 

 

American Way's Top 10 Irish Pubs

by Adrienne Wilson on

Should your luck so have
it to stumble upon a four-leaf clover and later find yourself stumbling onto the soil of the Emerald Isle, just
remember not to stumble out the pub this coming St. Patrick’s day for you may find yourself stumbling into jail. (Wait
– does such happen in Ireland on this day?) What better place to celebrate this extremely merry holiday than spending a
day pub crawling in Dublin, Ireland? American Way Magazine offers some of the top ten pubs in Ireland, five in
Dublin and the others on various parts of the isle if you should so happen to be one of the lucky ones staying in the
country at the time. Their list is as follows:

  • The Stag’s Head at One Dame
    Court
  • The Swan at 57 Aungier Street
  • John Kehoe
    at Nine Anne Street South
  • The Temple Bar on Temple Lane
  • Toner’s at 139 Lower Baggot Street
  • Morrissey’s in Abbeyleix, County
    Laois
  • Sean’s Bar in Athlone, County Westmeath
  • Hargadon
    Bros.     in Sligo Town, County Sligo
  • McCarthy’s Bar Hotel in Fethard, County
    Tipperary
  • The Castle Inn in Cory Citk, County Cork

Visit American Way for additional details
on each pub.

Remote Irish Island

by Neil Woodburn on

Ever
since visiting Inishmore off the coast of Galway, remote Irish islands have always called out to me like a siren’s
song.  I was therefore very pleased to learn about a new one, even more remote, which I had never heard of before.

Skellig Michael lies off the coast
of County Kerry and across some very rough seas.  It is small and uninhabited but blessed with the honor of being
a World Heritage Site due to an ancient monastery built 1,200 years ago by some extraordinarily reclusive monks. 
To visit their six “beehive-shaped” living quarters, one has to summit 600 stairs built into the side of a
700 foot peak towering over the Atlantic Ocean.  Based upon the photos I’ve seen, it’s positively
Middle-Earth in appearance.  Tolkien would have been proud.