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Top 10 tips for being an American in Ireland


  1. This may not be ultimately the most important, but I have seen this in more than one guide book so I feel the need to correct it. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT order either an Irish Car Bomb or a Black and Tan. I don't care who or what travel guide told you to do it (although I will believe you that a guide told you to do it because I've seen it with my own eyes), it's a very insensitive thing to do. Just take a quick gander at a google search of what those cocktail names are referring to and you'll see what I mean.
  2. Have respect for the places you visit. I'll never forget that when I was in my study abroad semester in undergrad and we were at an ancient site of a ring fort (or something like that) and we were lucky enough to be able to just walk onto this site and explore it a bit and one of my classmates just left their trash there (don't worry, I picked it up). I was utterly shocked at this. It was almost as if because we're not the most used to having access to such cultural and historic sites for free that my classmate just thought, because it was free, you could treat it like garbage. To be fair, this is probably good advice for everywhere you go, but god I've never forgotten that and it bugs me to this day.
  3. Try to explore more than one city while you're here. I know that this tip is a bit dependent on circumstances and funds, but if you can, try and see more of Ireland than Dublin. It's not that I don't like Dublin (because I do), but there is a lot more to see. If you can manage to drive a car where everything (including the road) feels like a mirror image, definitely go for that. If you're like me and that seems like a task that would end in a great tragedy, I'd suggest looking up a tour. I've done great ones of both Connemara and the Ring of Kerry, but I would also just recommend grabbing a bus and/or ferry somewhere (like the Aran Islands) and exploring on your own.
  4. This tip is one that I've gotten at both schools I've attended in Ireland: don't try to match the Irish drink for drink. Just don't, you won't win and it won't be pretty. 
  5. Do try local food and drink. Yes, yes everyone will tell you try a Guinness, but also try to find things you can't get elsewhere. I've heard Paddy's Whiskey is pretty good and is a lot harder to find in the states than Guinness or Jameson. One of my favorite things I've tried here is black and white pudding on a pizza (who knew that was a thing?).
  6. Just know that you don't order a cup of coffee here, it's always (as far as I've seen) an americano. You can also get a latte or what have you, but a normal coffee is always called an americano.
  7. People count floors differently here and this has gotten me lost a couple of times. The floor that is at ground level is thought of as the 0th floor. So, if you go up one flight of stairs, you are now on the first floor. Got it? I hope so, it took me long enough to figure out (and I still forget).
  8. Uber and Lyft aren't things outside of Dublin (and I'm only like 60% that one of them is a thing in Dublin). Get the MyTaxi App if you're going to be in a city. It's reliable and let's you pay with a card which not all taxis do here.
  9. Don't be afraid to ask for directions. Again, this may be general travel advice, but I've found that street names change much more frequently here than back in the US so you may actually be on the proper street, but the sign will say a different name entirely (you can see how this might end with you getting lost). I've found people to be very friendly and happy to help you find your way if they can. 
  10. Know that you're going to get asked about Trump. It's just gonna happen these days, so be ready with an answer and decide your limits on what you want to talk about before you head over. I'm personally fine ranting a fair bit about him, but you might want to be taking a bit of a break from that if you're on vacation. Either way, just be prepared.


(Prompt by Betsy Rubin)

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