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I'm an American just back from a trip to Ireland. I'll just answer questions as a tourist.

Bring about $300 worth of Euro with you. Exchange rate is better if you get it in US first. Airport will either charge a fee or exchange rate will not be as good.

Bring about $100 US dollars, in case of dire emergency.

Find some way to keep your money well hidden and safe, also passport. We were in Ireland for 9 days and we did not see one police officer, even in Temple Bar on a Saturday night. Pick pocketing is a common crime and you may be a target. Consider those hidden belt things. Not attractive, but safe. http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Pouch-Compact-Security-Hidden/dp/B003YID7SC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1410886428&sr=8-4&keywords=secret+belt+wallet

You don't need a Visa, just a passport.

Clothes: Long sleeved shirts, cardigan sweater, lined, waterproof rain jacket with hood. Also scarves to keep you warm. Consider light gloves for that time in November.

Shoes: Comfortable, leather, tie shoes or slip ons. Consider spraying them with waterproofing spray before you go.

Fun idea for Dublin. Do this early in trip. Musical Pub Crawl. Cost is $15, plus money for drinks but the two musicians talk about the history of pub music in Ireland and it is a good time. Our group was about 40 people, but it was a Saturday night. http://www.dublintours.net/?event=offer.detail&offerId=7337&startDate=09/01/2014&endDate=09/30/2014

Blarney Stone. The grounds and castle were beautiful, but the experience of kissing the stone was ridiculous. Seemed like a sham. We climbed up 6 or 7 stories of stone stairs that were in a spiral, and narrow. Some people bailed out because of claustrophobia. You don't kiss a stone, you kiss the top of the castle wall. Also it was over an hour just to climb to top. And scary inside spiral staircase. There is a rope to hang onto on stairwell. Ugh.

Cliff of Moher were gorgeous. Price was less than $10. Worth it.

I would recommend driving the highways as much as possible. The interior roads are really one lane wide, when another car comes, everyone just hugs the bushes or stone walls and passes each other. I don't know how they do it.

If it is not too late, consider a driver? And consider spending time in the great towns of western Ireland. Good choices are Kilkenny, Killarney and Westport. All had a nice selection of bars, restaurants and shops. So maybe don't spend every night in Dublin. Is it too late to change?

> It disproves the theory that we’re all descended from the Celts

We are all descended from the Celts. As is pointed out elsewhere in this thread, Irish people have one of the highest rates of interbreeding in the world. The Celts came here thousands of years ago (more on that in a sec), and in a small country (geographically and in terms of population) that means that literally everyone whose family has been here a few generations has Celtic blood.

Now...

> We’re mostly not.

Absolutely not true, this statement is 100% not correct at all. Celts contributed the greater part of modern Irish genetic material. The fact that you say the following...

> We’re mostly cro-magnon with a little Viking and a good chunk of Norman and a fair bit of English.

tells me (and I'm not trying to have a go at you) that you have fallen for some of the urban myths about Irish genetics and don't really know much about it. No one who is aware of the current research on the subject would imply we're more Viking than Celt, or more Norman or English than Celt. You could simply google the more common haplogroups and see this isn't the case, but if you want the research directly:

From 2017: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17124-4.epdf

> According to Edmund Gilbert (RCSI), first author on the paper, “Our work informs on Irish history; we have demonstrated that the structure emerging from genetic similarity within Ireland, mirrors historical kingdoms of Ireland, and that Ireland acts as a sink of ‘Celtic’ ancestry.

Here's a Guardian article about similar findings from 2015: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/dec/28/origins-of-the-irish-down-to-mass-migration-ancient-dna-confirms

> “There was a great wave of genome change that swept into Europe from above the Black Sea into Bronze Age Europe and we now know it washed all the way to the shores of its most westerly island,” said Dan Bradley, professor of population genetics at Trinity College Dublin. “And this degree of genetic change invites the possibility of other associated changes, perhaps even the introduction of language ancestral to western Celtic tongues. These findings,” the authors say, “suggest the establishment of central attributes of the Irish genome 4,000 years ago [...] And Lara Cassidy, a researcher in genetics at Trinity College Dublin and another co-author, said “Genetic affinity is strongest between Bronze Age genomes and modern Irish, Scottish and Welsh, suggesting establishment of central attributes of the insular Celtic genome 4,000 years ago.”

Another comment from the research of the first study I mentioned: http://www.thejournal.ie/ancestry-gaelic-irish-3744043-Dec2017/

> Broadly speaking, Ireland is quite preserved. The Celtic – that is anything that was here before the Vikings – that part of the Irish genome is still around 70%.

If you want more in-depth evidence, look at Celtic from the West by Cunliffe et al. (2012) https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/celtic-from-the-west.html or Blood of the Celts by Jean Manco (2015) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Celts-New-Ancestral-Story/dp/0500051836 ... but the quotes I've provided should be enough for you.

> Genetically, we’re very similar to the Basque, because they also had a higher proportion of the original cro magnon population remain.

If you look at the Cunliffe book I linked, you'll see that in fact there was as much celtic migration to and from the Basque country as anywhere else - as a result the Basques have a lot of Celtic genetic background too. This explains much of the genetic similarity between here and there, as well as the ealier stone-age migration.

> It doesn’t altogether disprove the theory of Celtic migration

Nothing you said disproves anything about Celtic migration. You're repeating debunked theories that were popular from about 1980-2000.

Here is another recent finding that has been borne out by both archeological, genetic, and linguistic research; the Celts came here even earlier than we thought. This is mentioned in the first link I provided (Guardian article) and the Cunliffe book - and implies that Celtic migration to here started as early as 2000bc. The Celts as a broad ethnic and genetic group were the predominant civilisation of central and western europe for 1000 years. It is obvious that they had a huge impact on Ireland (where siubsequent migrations have not affected as much).

> there are some newer theories that suggest the tall blonde Celtic figures from Celtic mythology were sort of an elite group who migrated with better weapons, art work, farming techniques.

These theories are not new, they have been completely disproven as the evidence above shows.

> The other theory being that Celtic culture merely spread and there was no migration at all.

This is obviously pure bollocks for want of a better word.

From a previous response:

Irish Mythology (as opposed to more recent Irish folklore) is divided into four 'cycles'. Each cycle contains tales dealing with certain subjects or characters.

• The Mythological Cycle deals with the foundation myths of Ireland; the Tuatha De Danann, the Formorians, etc.
  
• The Ulster Cycle deals primarily with the deeds of Cú Chulainn, which are encapsulated also in The Táin - the 'Illiad' of Irish mythology. It also, however, contains tragedies such as Deirdre of the Sorrows.
  
• The Fenian Cycle is like the Ulster Cycle in that it deals with heroes and their deeds, but has a distinctly less epic feel - usually concerning distinct incidents in the lives of heroes such as Fionn Mac Cumhaill or Oisín. It also relates another favourite Irish tragedy, Diarmuid agus Gráinne
  
• Lastly is the Kingly Cycle, short fables that impart the qualities of great kings in the face of difficulty.
  
  Pretty much any and all of these tales are available in academic form online, but it makes it much more enjoyable to find a good prose translation by a good author. You can buy The Táin on paperback here, and Jim Fitzpatrick (the artist behind that famous Che Guevara image) has made a living out of creating fantastically illustrated versions of the Mythological Cycle.
  
  
  There are literally thousands of collections of Irish folklore, most of which are decent enough. Original collections by W.B.Yeats and Lady Wilde are also available online

Drowsiness and slowed breathing aren't life threatening, except in the case of overdose. These are drugs which are frequently prescribed, like all drugs it has side effect, but these are remarkably minor compared with both its reputation and alcohol or tobacco.


"An individual tolerant to and dependant upon an opiate who is socially or financially capable of obtaining an adequate supply of good quality drug, sterile syringes and needles, and other paraphernalia may maintain his or her proper social and occupational functions, remain in fairly good health, and suffer little serious incapacitation as a result of dependence.(Julien, 1981 p.117)

http://www.amazon.com/Primer-Drug-Action-Robert-Julien/dp/1429233435

If you're using modern razors that might be the problem. I used to be the same as I too have incredibly sensitive skin. Totally changed my life when I was given this razor as a present... they are so much gentler than the manufactured multi-blade razors like gillette, especially since you can control the angle yourself. I even ended up going and splurging on a cutthroat after which while still softer than modern razors I don't think is quite as good as a double-edge safety IMO.

And quite apart from being better, they're so much cheaper to use. A pack of 100 blades for about €8.

Downside is shaving will take a little longer, but IMO it's totally worth it. I'd honestly give it a try.

>Going to volunteer with special needs people in your southweaterly region.

Fair fucks to ya.

>Tipping practices

It's at your discretion. For taxis, breakfast and lunch; I usually just round the bill off and leave the change. If I'm eating out at night, I'd add 10% to the bill. Staff should be getting paid at least €8.65 which is minimum wage here, so less reliant on tips compared to the US.

>what to do

Have a look at /r/irishtourism there is a wealth of information there.

>what to avoid

Entering into discussion about the current situation in Gaza. Apart from that, just be you.

>Other than replacing all of my cables with your weird plug

Get yourself one of these bad boys ya mad thing. No need to be replacing all your plugs.

>I am still incredibly surprised by the fact that Irish is a language. I assumed English was basically the only language youse guys have.

Outside of pockets(Gaelteacht areas), it pretty much is for the majority of the population. Sign up for some Irish classes if you're interested. It's a beautiful language and a good way of meeting new people.

Enjoy your time here.

>After listening to the Wolfe Tones and Dubliners so much and watching some films like Hunger, Bloody Sunday and In The Name of the Father


Using the above sources (except the Dubliners) to gain a better understanding Irish history and society would be similar to learning about American capitalism by watching Michael Moore documentaries. My point is, these are either emotionally charged or extremely biased sources which is of no benefit to an understanding of history. (Personally, I think using film is generally a bad choice as a method to learn history.)

Some good resources would include:

Dermot Keogh, Twentieth Century Ireland Amazon Link

R.F. Foster, The Oxford History of Ireland Amazon Link (admittedly, many Irish don't like Foster's revisionist approach to Irish history. However, this book is a short and concise edition to Ireland's entire history and provides good context for the 20th century).

Susan McKay, Northern Protestants: An unsettled people Amazon Link

Others mentioned the CAIN website to understand the troubles, and I totally agree. If you are in college at the moment, and have access to academic journal articles, check out Irish Historical Studies. They also have a website.

Finally, check out Newstalk's 'Talking History' podcasts. The presenter is a lecturer in Trinity College, Dublin and his guests are almost always distinct academics on each respective issue. If you look through the back catalog, you will find some great podcasts around twentieth century Irish history.

Yep,

"An individual tolerant to and dependant upon an opiate who is socially or financially capable of obtaining an adequate supply of good quality drug, sterile syringes and needles, and other paraphernalia may maintain his or her proper social and occupational functions, remain in fairly good health, and suffer little serious incapacitation as a result of dependence.(Julien, 1981 p.117)

http://www.amazon.com/Primer-Drug-Action-Robert-Julien/dp/1429233435

Industrial strength Ear Defenders. As a student it was the best thing i ever invested in. Earphones in then these over and you can literally only hear your heartbeat or music you have on.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/3M-Peltor-Optime-III-Defenders/dp/B000VDX18E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1418135497&sr=8-3&keywords=soundproof+headphones

If it asks for data, it COULD be a security threat, but it would have to get access or exploit a vulnerability for it to get any meaningful data.

If you're ever paranoid about possible security issues, you can get a data condom that only allows power to the phone.

https://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Charge-Block-Adaptor-SmartCharge/dp/B00QRRZ2QM

If you have cheap car chargers or USB ports that you only want to use power with, this thing is great.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peltor-Optime-Earmuffs-Headband-Black/dp/B000VDX18E?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1

​

(Edit: this as only partly a joke - OP you said you're using ear-plugs, these only work on low-range frequencies. Ear-muffs work on the higher-range - such as the yelps from a small yapper-type puppy. Best practice is to wear both plugs and muffs.

I really liked Kinsella's translation of Táin Bó Cúailnge (https://www.amazon.ca/Tain-Irish-epic-Bo-Cuailnge/dp/0192803735)

And if you're not in the mood for reading, Ronnie Drew has an "Irish Myths and Legends" audiobook that's on Spotify - it's pretty fun (bit cheesy, but that's fine, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZwYtDAN0wg)

Other than the usual hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy and whatnot, I enjoyed McCarthy's Bar.

This one is good too.

My gf has

A Handbook of Irish Folklore for college. I don't know if it is really academic or not.
She also has The Táin.

Hope that is useful for you.

I have these and they are pretty good. They also fold up and take up very little space in my bag.

I have these, no complaints, sound grand:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headphones-TaoTronics-Waterproof-Cancelling-Travelling-Black/dp/B07VHQ4GBM/

I have these too, definitely recommend but they're a good bit more:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-4-40-BT-Headphones-Black/dp/B01MSZSJE9/

I just finished this, you may want to read it:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Line-Sand-Britain-France-struggle/dp/1847394574

Certainly more complicated than I thought (and I thought I had a good idea).

Sykes-Picot is almost a footnote in what actually happened.

If you don't know anything on the subject then Atlas of the Celts is an easy introduction to the archaeology of the period, got it when I was a kid and one of my favourite books.

About the genetic stuff, this book from Jean Marco has a bit, the interesting but confusing Celts from the West is a good read too.

I got the kindle edition. Couldn't recommend that in good faith unless you'd be up to stripping out the DRM. I use this: https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/calibre-plugins-the-simplest-option-for-removing-most-ebook-drm/

Here's an excellent university level book about Irish politics

The food served on the wings of the Hungerstrike improved significantly during the protest, a very obvious and cack handed attempt to tempt those off the strike. Bobby Sands has written about it. Perhaps you would like to read about it yourself

He's one of my favourite authors. I've lived over half of my life abroad and he captures the life of the outsider looking in.

You should also read McCarthy's Bar: A Journey of Discovery In Ireland it's both hilarious and insightful.

There's a book on that

Mostly focused on Irish in America, mainly around Irish trade unions opposing Black workers rights

He has some funny reply when asked how can he call himself Irish when he was born in England. He said if a cat had kittens in an oven would you call them cakes?? Ironically he had some odd notions about racial interbreeding (but I can't remember where I read that...may have been in this book).

Can get something similar on amazon UK. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00QRRZ2QM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_2KxTzb20SEHD7

You can still get them on Amazon

You can still buy them in the US https://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Cigarettes-Pack-Assorted-Sticks/dp/B00QECA51W

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tain-Translated-Irish-Epic-Cuailnge/dp/0192803735/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1482052174&sr=8-2&keywords=T%C3%A1in+B%C3%B3+C%C3%BAailnge

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0863222870

According to "How the Irish Became White" author Ignatiev , Irish people were basicially treated as an 'other' race in the US initially.

This is quintessential -

https://www.amazon.com/Politics-Republic-Ireland-John-Coakley/dp/0415476720

The Táin

Philips make a huge ass 4k pc monitor which would double as a tv nicely

Here you go. That was 20 seconds of googling. I doubt the cost of the TV equivalent and license would be much more.

Have you ever tried wet shaving with a safety razor? I had the same problem as you for years but I switched and I've had no irritation since. They take a bit of getting used to but you won't look back once you get used to it, honestly.

http://www.amazon.com/Merkur-Long-Handled-Safety-Razor/dp/B000NL0T1G

I don't really know, i'm from Dublin :)

I read this book and it gave me quite an insight, though they talk to less hardcore people. The others seem more apathetic about it.


https://www.amazon.com/Northern-Protestants-Unsettled-Susan-McKay/dp/0856407712

I think in the past there definitely was more when Ireland really was a catholic backwater. Now ROI is more cosmopolitan, less catholic and wealthier I think it's changed, but follow some made guys on twitter and you'll see people really talking shit about the south.

>Get yourself one of these bad boys ya mad thing. No need to be replacing all your plugs.

I fucking hate adaptors (not to mention that Israeli plugs are not like American) so I'll probably spend the extra don'tknowwhat and get a new USB charger and laptop cable. Not a big deal.

Seriously what the fuck is up with those plugs? The world has pretty much agreed on flat or round, maybe have the ground look different, and UK and Ireland are like ''Fuck it, rectangles. And the ground is on top. That's how we roll''

Well this is interesting, but are you saying that there wasn't wide spread rape by the British in Ireland? Because that's what the discussion was about.

The point I made was grabbing the first 3 google results, to respond to the notion that the Japanese raped in Korea, whereas the British did not in Ireland.

Given the lack of literacy and the complete dominance of the British on the power structure of the time, there is likely sketchy evidence overall. But that's the exact same logic that the Japanese use to refute the allegations of rape against the Korean comfort women: "sketchy evidence", "anecdotal", "the were not prisoners", "they were treated the same as imperial subjects", "it's not like they were slaves".



There is a trend on this sub to evaluate the British as a "noble" conqueror. They were anything but, and they raped, murdered, and plundered around the world. No matter what Downtown Abbey tells us.


>O'Callaghan is a flat out racist fantasist, inventing stories of gang-rape, child rape, and interracial rape without presenting any evidence. In his own words:

That's a big claim. Do you have any evidence other than your opinion? You are aware he was a journalist in Kenya for many years, and wrote against the British treatment of the Kikuyu tribe? I also found this out through a rudimentary "google". Have you considered the may just have a different opinion, or got things wrong rather than being a "racist" fantasist? It's strange that that's the main thing you got out of this book, rather than the whole Cromwellian conquest thing.

I'm not saying he is right about his claims, but it's still one of the best selling books on the issue. The book has 106 X 4.5 stars on Amazon, and 214 x 4.14 stars on good read. If I was you, I'd right a nice big blog post detailing all the inaccuracies.

Do you have a better book for us to read? One that demonstrates how the Cromwellian sending of people to the "indies" was a grand ol' lark?

>He assumes that servitude was the same as chattel slavery (it wasn't, funny that) and that therefore his imaginary white slaves were treated exactly the same as African slaves. Not exactly high-quality history.

This has come up numerous times on this Sub. Chattel, by our modern standards, is slavery. You are talking in degrees. Why don't you digress into how the Irish became "chattel"? Would these people have been chattel without the British conquest? I don't think because African slaves may have suffered more there is a reason to dismiss the Irish chattel's suffering.

>There has been a deal of controversy amongst writers on this subject in the descriptions of Irish indentured labour as ‘slaves’ or ‘servants’. Certainly it can be argued that willing indenture agreements were signed by individuals and a shipper in which the individual agreed to sell his services for a period of time in exchange for passage, housing, food, clothing, and usually a piece of land at the end of the term of service. However, during the post Civil War period many can be described as ‘political prisoners’ after their land was confiscated by the Cromwellian regime, driven from their land to waiting ships and transported to English colonies. The scarcity of detailed information on the servant trade makes it impossible to ascertain accurately what proportion of labour was involuntary, but the evidence strongly suggests that there was a lively traffic in deportees, especially in the period 1650-1659. In 1658, for example, Thomas Povey, an English merchant with extensive West Indian investments, stated that the majority of Irish servants in Barbados and St Kitts had been transported by the English state for treason.

>Moreover, John Scott, an English adventurer who travelled in the West Indies during the Commonwealth, saw Irish servants working in field gangs with slaves, “without stockings under the scorching sun”. The Irish, he wrote, were “derided by the negroes, and branded with the Epithet of ‘white slaves’”

Source



I would go as far as to say you are demeaning the Irish people who were sent as Chattel either intentionally or unintentionally, attempting to change the discussion away from what the British crimes in Ireland were. Just like the Japanese, and their Korean apologists do with the comfort women.