5 positive points about life in Ireland

Conner Pass, Kerry

I've been a bit negative about the Irish weather in a few of my previous posts, so to be fair, I thought I'd post 5 positive things about Ireland:

1. The drivers are nice.

Try to merge into traffic in Sydney and unless you bully your way in, you could be waiting a while! Not so in Ireland. Here the drivers are so nice they'll slow down and wave you into the traffic in front of them. Or they'll pull aside and let you pass if the road is too narrow. All they ask in return is a "thank you" - which can be done by waving, flashing your headlights, or flashing your hazards.

Driving in Ireland

2. The Irish appreciate the sun.

Because they don't get too much of it, the Irish really know how to make the most of a nice day. If it's dry enough, kids will choose to go outside and play instead of hiding indoors in front of the TV. If it's dry and sunny, the Irish will be outside in their shorts enjoying the fresh air. One thing I've learnt since living here is not to take the sun and warmth for granted!

3. The scenery is beautiful.

I love going for drives along the coast north of Dublin. Even better are cross-country drives into Galway or Kerry. Everything is so green and pretty, and if the sun is out the views are simply stunning!

View from the Muckross House Garden in Killarney

4. The Irish know their potatoes.

Yes, the rumours about Irish and potatoes are true - there eat a LOT of potatoes. Because of this, the Irish know how to make the best potato dishes. For example - last Christmas with J's family there was a choice between 5 potato dishes (no joke) - mash, baked, roast, potato stuffing and chips. All delicious!

5. They have leprechauns!!

Well, that may be stretching the truth a little, but they do have a leprechaun museum in Dublin! This museum is a lot of fun and comes complete with a 'Giants Room', where there's giant-sized furniture which are a lot of fun to climb around on.