Husker fans – I hope your ticket is purchased and your flights are booked for the trip to Ireland next month.
As an Irishman married to a Nebraskan, I have come to be a fan of the Huskers and am just stoked for the upcoming match. Ended up purchasing tickets in the Northwestern section, but I’m sure it will be a sea of red through the stadium with mere splashes of purple.
In most threads about the forthcoming Irish game, I have offered travel advice / tips from a local’s perspective. So, I thought one thread may be valuable for now. I’ve laid out some of my input off the top of my head, but will gladly entertain specific questions and will do my best to help.
**General advice for your trip to Ireland**
* Ireland uses the Euro (€).
* The UK uses the pound sterling, and it will not be accepted in Ireland (rare exceptions apply).
* Credit / debit cards & Apple / Google Pay are widely accepted. American Express is the only major card you will have trouble with – it is seldom accepted. Since March 2020, I have not carried cash on me day to day and have no experienced any major issues.
* We *do not tip* wait staff / hotel staff / taxi drivers / anyone. If you feel the service was exceptional, feel free to tip / round up your bill but please know that there is absolutely no expectation to give a tip.
* I used to work in a hotel, and tips were always appreciated but never expected. If you do tip, try to do so in cash as employers are shady with card tips. Also try to ask where the tips go (i.e., if it’s direct to your server, or if it goes to a pool) as again, different places have different practices that can be shady.
* We don’t have ranch \[dressing\]. We don’t have iced tea. We seldom have Dr Pepper.
* We don’t have Uber / ride share apps. Taxis are regulated and licensed in Ireland. FREE NOW is the most popular app to get taxis. Local taxi companies will operate in cities and most larger towns.
* We use the same outlets as the UK, so if you have a US to UK adapter, they will work fine here.
* For the avoidance of doubt, the Republic of Ireland is not part of the UK / Great Britain. Northern Ireland (think Belfast) is. Calling us British / English is rather insulting and is guaranteed not to go down well. I’ve had to explain this to a lot of people over in the US, hence my including it here.
* We generally do appreciate stories of your Irish heritage, but we do make fun of it a lot – particularly when we’re told your great-great-great-great-uncle on your mom’s side emigrated from Bally-wherever-the-hell in Co Mayo.
* Public transport is poor to non-existent outside the major cities of Dublin, Galway & Cork. Private companies do operate coaches between bigger towns and the main cities. We have an okay train network that radiates from Dublin.
* Transport to / from Dublin Airport is very poor. There is no light rail like most modern airports. There are several bus routes you can Google, or, take a costly taxi.
* One funny thing is Americans always telling me about the language Gaelic. Whilst we understand what you mean, we refer to our native language simply as Irish, and less commonly as Gaeilge. It is seldom spoken day to day, save for rural parts of the country and occasionally Galway City.
* If you are Catholic and need Mass on Sunday (or, any day) there are plenty of churches to choose from in any town you wind up in. If you want specific recommendations, please reach out.
* I’ve had people ask me about the Protestant / Catholic / republican / loyalist divide. I’m in my mid-20s, so this isn’t something of my generation. I also grew up in the west of Ireland, so even if it was I would have been geographically removed. There is no divide today, but there are outbursts now and then (Google July 12 / Orange Order / Northern Ireland bonfires for example).
**Advice for Dublin**
* The Luas (*pronounced like the name Lewis, sort of*) is the light rail in the city. It is relatively cheap and will help you get to most of the places you want to go, but not all.
* The DART is a commuter rail line that services the greater Dublin Area. There is a Lansdowne Road stop, which is the stop you need for the match.
* There is a bus route (Dublin Bus) but I do not foresee a reason to use it save for your accommodation being outside the main thoroughfares.
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* In terms of where to eat & drink in Dublin, there are countless blogs to guide you there. I am not from Dublin and do not spend a lot of time there, so am short of recommendations.
* Temple Bar is the area where you will likely gravitate. It is a total tourist trap and you will pay extortionate prices for your pint. It is sure to be fun on game day with the atmosphere, but be prepared for the cost.
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* Guinness is probably *the* thing to do in Dublin nowadays. It’s costly enough (c. €20+ from memory) but takes maybe two hours at a comfortable pace. A pint is included in the cost of admission. As I described elsewhere, it is basically Guinness propaganda and I have never been so thirsty for a pint in my life.
* There’s a Jameson tour, but I’ve not done that so no comment.
* Croke Park may be worth a visit if you’re into sport. It’s the HQ of the GAA which is sort of like the NFL for Ireland’s two national sports: hurling and (Gaelic) football. There is a museum there which may be of interest to you.
* Dublin has several churches you may wish to visit: Christchurch (Protestant), St Patrick’s (Protestant) and St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral (Catholic). Numerous parish churches will be dotted around the place.
* The Book of Kells is located in Trinity College Dublin, of Normal People fame. It is a fine exhibit and the college has fine grounds, but nothing extraordinary.
* The national museum is free to enter and has some pleasant exhibits to enjoy. It is on the Luas Red Line, predictably on a stop called Museum.
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* Dublin is, broadly, a safe city but like any modern major city it has its rougher edges. No more than Paris or Rome, keep an eye on your belongings and surroundings. Ditto goes for Cork & Galway, albeit to lesser extents there in my view.
**Advice for Cork City (and surrounds)**
* Cork is Ireland’s second city, connected by road & rail from Dublin and road from Galway.
*Where to eat / drink*
* Popular restaurants include:
* Elbow Lane (steak house with open fire grill indoors; very small capacity; own brewery with small batch beer; stout is excellent)
* Market Lane (sister to Elbow Lane for more dinner options; same beer; bigger venue)
* SpitJack’s (focus on rotisserie chicken and similar)
* Liberty Grill (more popular for brunch)
* Goldberg’s (good pub grub)
* Coqbull (arguably decreased in quality of late)
* Bunsen (burger chain also in Dublin)
* Jacob’s / Greenes / Issacs (more high end dining options)
* Son of a Bun (super popular burger restaurant local to Cork with outrageous monthly specials, at least by Irish standards).
* Popular bars include:
* Rising Sons (microbrewery, beers are ok, big TVs for sports, pricey pizza)
* Bierhaus (absolutely incredible bar with 30+ taps of craft beer, both local and international – no food)
* Impala (excellent bar with a great vibe and good beer – no food)
* Oliver Plunket / Reardans / Old Oak / Clancys (younger person bars, busy, loud, take it or leave it)
* An Spailpin Fanach (trad music most, if not all, nights of the week).
* Beamish and Murphys are stouts in the same style as Guinness. Both are traditionally Cork stouts, and are seldom found outside of the south of Ireland. Worth a try as opposed to your usual Guinness.
* Local breweries include Franciscan Well (which has a brewpub on North Mall with excellent pizza), Cotton Ball (shockingly have never tried theirs) and Blacks of Kinsale (probably the strongest of the lot).
* Other eateries include:
* Jackie Lennox’s, Bandon Road – traditional chipper
* Cameron (Washington Street) – French bakery
* Duke’s cafe – nice cafe
* Marina Market – an old warehouse that was converted to house an indoor market; multiple stalls with various foods so there’s something for everyone from fried chicken, to Brazilian BBQ to potatoes to pizza and more.
*What to do*
* Plenty of nice churches to visit including St Mary’s Dominican Church on Popes Quay, the Franciscan Church on Liberty Street
* Wander the English Market (go early to get lesser crowds)
* Visit Cobh by train: pleasant seaside town, which was the last stop of the Titanic, plenty of photo ops.
* Visit Kinsale by bus: another pleasant seaside town with a nice walk and some sweet bars. I would vote Cobh over Kinsale for ease of access and scenery.
* Enjoy the bars in the evening – lots of fun
* Stop by Bradley’s on North Main Street, a superb off license with fridges of local & international beer, wine, and local produce.
*General Cork advice*
* Cork has a public bus system which is relatively useful, but I don’t imagine you would need it outside of getting to Kinsale or if your accommodation is far away.
* I feel safer in Cork than I do in Dublin, but it does have its rougher edges and its shady characters. Exercise some common sense and you’ll be fine.
**Advice for Galway**
*Where to eat / drink*
* Éan, Druid Lane: A wine bar by evening, but a brunch / pastry spot in the mornings. Have never tried to the wine bar, but the pastries are unreal. They vary day by day, but generally have croissants, danishes, brownies and sausage rolls at minimum. They have Calendar coffee, which is roasted in Co Galway.
* Xian Street Food, Quay Street: Asian street food takeaway. Their spice bag is a thing of Galway legend.
* Caribou, Woodquay: A very trendy craft beer / cocktail focused bar, but their food is very underrated in Galway.
* Il Vicolo, Bridge Mills: One of the better Italians in Galway. It’s been a long time since we ate here, but it has a strong reputation.
* Cava Bodega, Middle Street: Superb tapas restaurant. The menu is refreshed on a semi-regular basis.
* Salt House (Ravens Terrace) & Oslo (Salthill): Both bars are owned by Galway Bay Brewery, one of the original breweries on the Irish craft scene. Good beer with occasional guest taps. Oslo has food, Salt House does not. Salt House occasionally has music.
* Tigh Chóilí \[pronounced Chee Coal-ees\] (Mainguard Street), The Crane (Sea Road): Probably two of the most popular more traditional bars in Galway. Both generally have live Irish trad music most / all nights.
* O’Connors, Salthill: A very popular bar, and has live music often but not always trad music.
* O’Connell’s (Eyre Square), An Pucan (Forster Street), Kings Head (High Street): All very popular bars, but not your traditional Irish bars. Usually will all be busy and will have some form of live entertainment (sport or music).
* Ward’s Cornerstore, University Road: An excellent sandwich bar that is very good value.
* Neachtain’s, Quay Street: A Galway institution. If you can nab a table outside, it makes for great people watching.
* McDonagh’s, Quay Street: Super popular fish and chips spot albeit overrated. Have heard good things about Hooked, but have never been.
Things to do in Galway
* Visit the various churches including Galway Cathedral (built only in the 1950/60s) and the Claddagh church,.
* While you are at the Claddagh church, enjoy the quays / Claddagh Basin area. The Claddagh is an old part of Galway and was historically outside the city walls. It was a fishing village. Nowadays it’s a suburb of the city with an older demographic. The Claddagh Ring has its name from here.
* From the Claddagh, you can walk The Prom out to Salthill. It’s a scenic walk along Galway Bay.
* NUI Galway is a pleasant campus to visit, if you wanted to but I would not rate it as essential.
* The Cliffs of Moher feels like an obligatory trip from Galway City. If you are renting a car, it is a fine drive through some scenic areas and you can divert to some ruins of abbeys etc. There are bus tours frequently that will bring you in and out in a day.
* The Aran Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Galway. There is a new service that departs from the Docks in Galway City to the islands, or, older services that bus you to Co Galway / Clare and you get a boat from there. A typical itinerary includes renting bikes and cycling around the island.
Pre-Galway watching
* Ed Sheeran has a song called Galway Girl. The music video was filmed in Galway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87gWaABqGYs
* Locations include the affoirmentioned O’Connells (bar at the start of the video) and O’Connors (bar at the end of the video)
**Other towns in Ireland**
\–> The following will be hard to access without a car (and even still may not be easy) but may be worth exploring to see if you can add them to your itinerary.
* Kilkenny: Medieval town with an excellent castle & grounds. Home of Smithwicks (pronounced Smith-icks, drop that middle w). Nice town centre to walk around in.
* Dingle, Co Kerry: Seaside small town, hugely popular particularly for trad music.
* Killarney, Co Kerry: Similar to Dingle in size and vibe, albeit located close to a wonderful national park as opposed to the seaside.
* Waterford & Wexford: closely located towns, both seaside, both pleasant.
* Sligo: Burial site of WB Yeats is in Sligo, gorgeous rugged coast of the west of Ireland.
* Donegal: breathtaking!
\–> The Wild Atlantic Way is a hugely popular touristic route that traces the western coast of Ireland. It is mapped out to go through multiple towns & villages and is well sign posted throughout. A car is essential to make the most of it.
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