Sunday, 23 March 2014

Don't Be That Guy

Today my awesomer half and I were waiting for the bus in front of Hoggis & Figgis on Dawson Street.


A late 50s-and-gray-on-top American tourist was walking past the bookshop with his wife.  The man gazed into the bookshop window and said in a patronizing tone, "So they're readers, the Irish..."



Yes Virginia, we have books in this country. Irish people learn to read and go to schools. Like this one...


Seriously, don't be that guy.  The guy who makes disparaging comments about Irish literacy aptitude 100 meters from Trinity College, one of the most respected universities in Europe.  Sir, they don't call it the land of saints and scholars for nothing.  Didn't you read the travel brochure?

Look, Ireland is not The Quiet Man.  It's not all thatched roof cottages, fields of sheep and priests making sly bets on the horses.  That's Hollywood.  This will probably burst someone's bubble but we do have electricity and running water here.  I'm not being tongue-in-cheek about this.  My fiancée' was actually asked this question by a tourist in Connemara.

"Do they have running water and electricity?"
Yes.  Yes they do.

So whatever preconceived notions you have about Ireland, please get them out of your silly head right now.  Everyone likes a good Disney movie but folks, Darby O'Gill and the Little People was a lie:  The only leprechauns in Ireland are at The Leprechaun Museum, and the reason why they have pots of gold is because thousands of tourists are gullible enough to pay €12 admission.

 The Honest Truth:  If you really want to know what Ireland is like, think of a town you have been to in the Midwest during late fall and you'll probably be about right in your approximation:  Ireland is like that.

It's kind-of-just-like America:  Irish people drive to work in Toyotas and Nissans.  They get gas at Texaco and they buy donuts at the local convenience store.  Over here, they're called Centra instead of 7-11 but they sell the same cans of Pringles and Budweiser.

(Spoiler Alert:  Budweiser is brewed in Ireland by Diagio, the people who make Guinness, and the Guinness you drink in America is actually brewed in Canada by Labatt.  I know... the truth hurts sometimes).
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11 comments:

  1. YUUGEN23 March 2014 at 17:20

    Ooops did i say something wrong?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hitchhiker4223 March 2014 at 17:26

      You made some comment about "code" and included a link to another web site. Your comment made no sense so I deleted it. I am open to comments about what I posted above, but not links to other web sites. Thanks for reading.

      Delete
    2. YUUGEN23 March 2014 at 17:29

      :) but i wanted to help your gfc problem thats it, it is not working you know ( sorry for english i dont know very well) if you want check the link we solved our gfc problem with that code in Turkey :)

      Delete
  2. YUUGEN23 March 2014 at 17:31

    you can delete these comments too, have nice evening :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hitchhiker4223 March 2014 at 17:40

      I appreciate that you are trying to be helpful but I have no idea what you are talking about. What is gfc?

      Delete
    2. YUUGEN23 March 2014 at 17:47

      gfc google friend connect gadget :) followers can not add your blog their list ı hope i could tell

      Delete
  3. Aodhnait23 March 2014 at 22:41

    Well said!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Taz Mack24 March 2014 at 00:00

    Yes, well said indeed. It is a pain when you overhear someone say something derogatory like that but I suppose we have to accept the fact we didn't exactly try very hard to counteract the image of Oireland because it helped rake in tourist dollars.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hitchhiker4224 March 2014 at 06:44

      Yes, there seems to be a two-edged-sword with tourism. The thatched-roof-cottages and the quaint pubs sell B&B reservations, but then you have people coming over here expecting the locals to smoke tavern pipes and tell them a tall tale by the fireplace. I actually read a B&B review on TripAdvisor where the customer complained the lady of the house didn't make them tea and sit down with them to tell them stories of the Aran Islands. Seriously, they expected that. We're like, um dude... she has a hotel to run. But there are honestly people out there who think all of Ireland looks like Cong, and there are only 3 professions: Peat Cutter, Bartender, and Priest. Hollywood has been a blessing and a curse to this country. :)

      Delete
  5. Nicole24 March 2014 at 00:50

    Nicely written Ahren! Sara and I were just saying yesterday that Ireland has the BEST BOOKSHOPS anywhere. We want to come back, and not just for the book shops.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hitchhiker4224 March 2014 at 07:03

      Yes! Come visit any time. I really love browsing at Hoggis & Figgis. (And sometimes I actually buy something too!) The staff are really great there.

      We were in the other day and we saw a book that I wanted to get: Heritage Trees of Ireland (Aubrey Fennell). It was basically a list of the most remarkable 150 trees known locally by historical significance, who carved their initials into it, or simply that it has a weird shape. It made me want to go visit all of them! haha

      Delete

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