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Cormac MacConnell - The West's Awake

Handy Irish Holiday Tips

June 11, 2008

By Cormac MacConnell

I THINK it is time again for my annual hints for first time visitors to our Emerald Isle. It is truly emerald of all shades in these venerable June days, truly beautiful in a gently enchanting way. And I hope some of these hints and suggestions may enhance your trip. I will not repeat the fundamental tips I’ve already given down the years, but try to come up with a few fresh ones.

There is one exception. I just have to repeat the view that to enjoy whatever it is we have to offer you have to stay close to the west and south west coast. All the way down from Donegal to Dingle and the jaggy edge of West Cork is the place to be.

It is the region which is the fillet of Ireland. The spirit and substance of the best of what we are is still powerfully here, vital yet aisy.

The nearer you go to the east coast the more it has been diluted; the more we have been Europeanized and blandified. It is to the western coasts that we ourselves take our breaks and our holidays.

It is my great joy to report that I have been able to get through the past 18 months without once having had to go anywhere near Dublin!

Your dollar is now very weak against the euro. That situation is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Our unfortunate reality on this side of the Atlantic is that we have always been an expensive enough destination, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon either. Like everywhere else our fuel prices have gone up dramatically this year and this, like everywhere else, has impacted significantly on general prices for food and services. One would wish it were otherwise, but for the moment we have to live with the realities.

In the crucial areas of food and drink and fuel, here are a number of suggestions. Firstly, for whatever reason, food prices in hotels, cafes and restaurants increase sharply in the evenings after 7 p.m. when folk like to go out for dinner. Some of the menus displayed on the walls outside the eateries now have a punch like Tyson.

I would advise visitors to avail of the far better value available generally from noon until about three o’clock in the evening. Lunch prices, if you shop around a bit, are still quite reasonable.

If you study the card you will also see that substantially the same food is available during these hours as at dinner time, but at about half the price! Myself, I would avail of that loophole and save the evenings for snacks and a few drinks.

Drink is also expensive. However, one should note that Irish pubs are bound by law to display their drink prices publicly.

There can easily be a difference of as much as a euro between the price of a pint in different establishments. Check those lists.

It is also true that many big pubs in high amenity city areas frequently charge top dollar, while the quiet little old pub just around the corner (often much better craic too) is a far more authentic experience available at much less cost.

As a general rule, pubs where there is bar food available are more expensive than pubs which sell only alcohol. Shop around for God’s sake, don’t just follow the crowd.

Petrol stations also display their prices prominently on the forecourts. Check these out carefully also. There is a very significant difference between the displays.

As a general rule of thumb, the gas stations in rural areas tend to be cheaper than those in towns and cities. A word of warning here, though — a lot of stations have closed down in recent years.

There are tracts of the west where they are as scarce as hen’s teeth. Don’t go cruising looking for a bargain until you hit the bottom of the tank on the top of a bleak mountain.

A related matter of some significance, if this happens, is that your cell phone may not work when you call for aid. Especially in our most scenic regions among the mountains, the coverage can be dodgy.

It has improved over the last two years, but Murphy’s Law dictates that you will most need your cell phone in one of the black holes still in existence. Be warned!

Incidentally, back to the cost of drink (naturally), here is another hint. Should you be having a house party or just staying in some night, very cheap and good quality wines and beers and spirits are available from the Lidl and Aldi supermarkets (German chains) which are now springing up all over the country.

They are also good for such as cheese, cooked meats, bread and rolls. They are up to 25% cheaper than the competition in these areas.

On Saturdays nowadays there are now splendid farmers’ markets selling good value organic fruit and vegetables in many western towns. They have a great atmosphere as well!

I met an English lady recently who went to one such market during a camping holiday two years ago to buy carrots and parsnips. Now she is happily married to the man who grew them!

Don’t drink and drive. A soaring mortality rate on our roads has necessarily created a stiff police regime on the matter.

We used to have a situation where the Gardai (police) would need to suspect a driver had been drinking before producing the dreaded “bag.” Not any more. Now we have random testing.

Anybody can be bagged any time, anywhere, and this is happening on a national scale. Technically our breathalyzer limit enables a normal person to consume one pint of porter or, say, a single glass of wine and still be under the limit. But it is far safer to appoint a designated driver who stays dry for the evening.

And another word of warning. Many drivers are now losing their licenses through being randomly tested when driving to work THE MORNING AFTER.

And, of course, you cannot smoke in an Irish pub any more. One consequence of this, though, is that the outside smoking zones have become the most animated and social areas of the pub. Sometimes the music even moves out there as well.

This is just a bit of fine tuning of my annual hints. Hope they are of some use.

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