Visiting Soon

huckfinn1982

Ok, this may be a bit out of the ordinary but here goes. I am looking at visiting Ireland for the first time from the USA this June/July. But I don't want to come and just be a "tourist" so to speak. Sure I want to do a few touristy things but I'm looking more than just being a tourist, I want to know what it's like to be a local. I want to mingle with locals, meet new and interesting people, do new things, learn new things, maybe volunteer doing a couple things. I do want to spend a short amount of time in Dublin, but I'm thinking more along the lines of the much smaller towns, where from my experience is where there is a better sense of community. I want to break bread with people I've never met, learn a little bit about Falconry, help a farmer sheer some sheep, pick up trash with others after a local event, hang out with folks, sitting on a front porch with people singing and playing music, learning some new songs, learning some dances, and many other things I may not even be thinking of.

My trip that I'm trying to plan is kind of low budget. And I'm looking for ideas that people may have of how I can enjoy myself with little to no cost. I don't want to "work" in the sense of getting paid with money, the couple things I mentioned above is something that I just want to do. To not just be a tourist coming and leaving 2 weeks later, but to for a short time be a part of something. If anyone can think of things I can do and learn and know of places or people who may be interested in my hopeful 2 week journey later this year I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance. A little bit about me, my name is Huckleberry. I'm 36 years old, I live in Wisconsin USA. I've always wanted to visit Ireland since I was a kid. A few years ago I did the ancestry.com thing and come to find out, my biological dads last name "Faulkner" traced back at some point to Dublin, from my understanding they were Falcon Trainers. Can't be 100% sure on that but that is why I threw in the learning a bit about Falconry. I look forward to your replies.

Huckleberry

Fr_Dougal

Get addicted to heroin, hilarity will ensue.

Pat Mustard

He said his name was Huckleberry, not Cotton Eye Joe.

Mr. Incognito

You are going to get torn apart here.

But practical advice:

Go to Kerry Galway or Donegal. Dublin is like any big city. Staffed with International people and very little culture. The Dubs wouldnt let you believe it but their idea of culture is coddle or da Dubs on the Hill.

If you want Ireland, Real Ireland go to the West. I would advise doing a tour of the West Coast on Foot or on Bike if you have two weeks. Fly into Cork, Cycle to Killarney, Do the Dingle Pinnulsela, Cycle up to North Kerry and take the Ferry at Fenit, Go to Doolan, Cycle to Galway, Spend two days there, Up to Castlebar, and finally sligo and Donegal.

Anyone who doesnt have an unbelieveable adventure doing that, well actually..... I want to do all of this.

I am 35. Let me know what dates and **** it I'll go too.

I want to break bread with people I've never met, learn a little bit about Falconry, help a farmer sheer some sheep, pick up trash with others after a local event, hang out with folks, sitting on a front porch with people singing and playing music, learning some new songs, learning some dances, and many other things I may not even be thinking of.

Yeah- we wont be doing most of that. We will cycle and get drunk and interact with mad locals.

jamesbere

Is your surname finn?

Been a bit biased I'd say visit the beara peninsula, beautiful part of the country providing the weather is good.

Jim Bob Scratcher

Make sure you bring a good rain jacket with ya

riffmongous

Look up 'woofing' or woof volunteering, not sure how it works with American visas and stuff but I think it's very much what you are looking for

lalababa

Look up woofing type sites. You can stay on a few farms and do Abit of work for food and accommodation.

evolving_doors

Any interest in a musical instrument! There are summer music schools for Irish traditional music during the summer around the country. They take beginners no problem (Tin whistle or fiddle!). Book early.

Nettle Soup

Spend 1-2 days in Dublin and then get out. Dublin is boring and expensive.
Spend the rest of your trip in the counties along the Wild Atlantic Way.

freshpopcorn

Anybody who visits Ireland should make an effort to visit a branch of an Argos store they are a good few around the country.
They are perfect for picking up little gifts and they even have a book with their stock for you to take home!

RiderOnTheStorm

Check out workaway.info. This is a system where people from abroad can come & work + live with a family. Its a bit like an aupair, but on a farm, forestry, beekeeper, etc. Its not hard labour, and gives you plenty of opportunities to meet locals and get out to see the real ireland.

diomed

https://lovindublin.com/best-of/28-irish-festivals-you-have-to-go-to-this-summer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahirmee_Horse_Fair

https://www.galwayraces.com/summer-festival-2018/

sligojoek

If you've an interest in falconry or birds of prey, this is a great place to visit.

http://www.eaglesflying.com/

huckfinn1982

Alot of great ideas and things to look into. Thanks and keep the ideas flowing. Like I said, sure I want to do a few touristy things, for like a day or 2 but as Rider on the Storm says, I want to see the real Ireland and give back a little. I'll check out this woofing thing as well.

badboyblast

Try and avoid Dublin if possible , concrete jungle , head down around Clare, limerick , Dingle , west cork , somewhere with a bit of character and the real Ireland , meet some characters

Purple Mountain

Let's just be honest here..
What you're hinting at is a few free beds around the country for the fortnight..
We will need some photos and a 1000 word biog to assess if you are of sound mind before we can consider you..

KERSPLAT!

Check out the stretch in the evenings, tis grand these days.

KERSPLAT!

Really though, the ring of Kerry is beautiful. A nice trip to Killarney National Park, in and around Dingle. All along the West coast is amazing, all the way up to Donegal. Beautiful places.

huckfinn1982

Not hinting at free beds. There are campsites and hostels I am budgeting for. I just feel like I would find more joy in the small things that don't cost or cost much and actually have the chance to meet locals and socialize with them on a friend level vs wasting money on things where I'm just a face in a crowd.

Oldtree

You will come across the "Craic" or "crack" here in almost every county town an village. Be very careful as it is very easy to become involved in, very exciting to start with and is highly addictive. The exception is Dublin where you will find no crack at all, but oodles of junkies lining the canal walkways.

jjbrien

People say Kerry and the wild atlantic way but that too is what the tourists do. Trick is not to do what they do the volunteering is a great idea. Id try some of the midlands towns that dont get as many tourists as Kerry, Galway etc they are on the way to Galway so be sure to stop off in them. Mullingar, Athlone, Tullamore, Birr, Port Laoise and Carlow are a few good stops to meet locals and have a bit of craic whist you are at it. Athlone is on the Shannon which is a whole trip in itself if you go along it. Tullamore if you want to do something touristy is home to the famous whiskey Tullamore dew and you can go visit the distillery.

In the south east of the the country Enniscourty is a place to check out you can hear all about the 1798 rebellion before heading onto Waterford. If you see jobs for selling Wexford strawberry's avoid it you will end up sitting on the side of a busy road all day and with Irish weather not the best idea.

Oldtree

Ps the beaches out past Louisburgh in Mayo are the finest you will find.

huckfinn1982

What is craic?

*****Edit***
Ok, I looked it up. When OldTree said I would find craic or crack I was a little confused. In the States, crack is a white powdered hard drug idiots sniff up their nose.

Ajsoprano

huckfinn1982 wrote: »

What is craic?

*****Edit***
Ok, I looked it up. When OldTree said I would find craic or crack I was a little confused. In the States, crack is a white powdered hard drug idiots sniff up their nose.

It’s that magical time when you are drunk enough to forget your troubles but you haven’t started to beat the wife.........YET.

Stares menacingly at wife

Oldtree

huckfinn1982 wrote: »

What is craic?

*****Edit***
Ok, I looked it up. When OldTree said I would find craic or crack I was a little confused. In the States, crack is a white powdered hard drug idiots sniff up their nose.

I thought they smoked it in the states. Here we just have the crack it's no smoking all over the place here.

huckfinn1982

Well, another thing about me, I've never drink alcoholic beverages in all my 36 years. So that should save me a fortune to stay away from the pubs.

Kristopherus

Oldtree wrote: »

Ps the beaches out past Louisburgh in Mayo are the finest you will find.

The finest of them had its entrance gated some years ago by a farmer in the area. Co.Co. did sfa to rectify the issue,except fence off a parking area immediately before the gate with the result that to access the beach, you have to walk.:mad:

Oldtree

Kristopherus wrote: »

The finest of them had its entrance gated some years ago by a farmer in the area. Co.Co. did sfa to rectify the issue,except fence off a parking area immediately before the gate with the result that to access the beach, you have to walk.:mad:

Plenty more well before ugool. My favorite is cross beach.

You should pick a small midlands town with a bit if heritage. There are many in County Tipperary. Roscrea, Clonmel or a smaller one like Fethard, home to the world famous Coolmore Stud.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roscrea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonmel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fethard,_County_Tipperary
http://fhcexperience.ie/
http://coolmore.com/ireland/

huckfinn1982

Maybe they smoke it. I've heard the term crack cocaine, which i was thinking they sniff. I guess I have heard the term smoking crack. I dunno, I've never done the crap.

suicide_circus

Yep get out of Dublin unless you have a reason to be here. The irish welcome thing was true at one time but it's largely disappeared. The cliche of the Irish pub is largely true, don't be afraid to strike up a conversation with people.

Oldtree

huckfinn1982 wrote: »

Maybe they smoke it. I've heard the term crack cocaine, which i was thinking they sniff. I guess I have heard the term smoking crack. I dunno, I've never done the crap.

There is an entity called a "crack ho". You need to watch out for them, they'll rob you blind.

huckfinn1982

Oh, one other thing I want to find out about, are there any stores that sell virgin media phones/sim cards prepaid phone service? My phone is not able to be unlocked to use with other carriers so I'm gonna buy a phone and a month of service while there so I have internet access/google maps, and can post pictures to facebook.

KERSPLAT!

huckfinn1982 wrote: »

What is craic?

*****Edit***
Ok, I looked it up. When OldTree said I would find craic or crack I was a little confused. In the States, crack is a white powdered hard drug idiots sniff up their nose.

Irish craic is like that, highly addictive

Oldtree

huckfinn1982 wrote: »

Oh, one other thing I want to find out about, are there any stores that sell virgin media phones/sim cards prepaid phone service? My phone is not able to be unlocked to use with other carriers so I'm gonna buy a phone and a month of service while there so I have internet access/google maps, and can post pictures to facebook.

Sorry no Virgins here, you'll have to try holland.

Ajsoprano

huckfinn1982 wrote: »

Oh, one other thing I want to find out about, are there any stores that sell virgin media phones/sim cards prepaid phone service? My phone is not able to be unlocked to use with other carriers so I'm gonna buy a phone and a month of service while there so I have internet access/google maps, and can post pictures to facebook.

There’s one in Antrim we haven’t fully embraced the phones yet. One fella had one in my town but it broke when it fell in the water so we decided against it as a collective.

suicide_circus

Short of knowing people here I dunno how you're gonna avoid a touristy experience....

SEPT 23 1989

Don't bid against McCabe he has a short fuse

KERSPLAT!

Dr.MickKiller

huckfinn1982 wrote: »

Ok, this may be a bit out of the ordinary but here goes. I am looking at visiting Ireland for the first time from the USA this June/July. But I don't want to come and just be a "tourist" so to speak. Sure I want to do a few touristy things but I'm looking more than just being a tourist, I want to know what it's like to be a local. I want to mingle with locals, meet new and interesting people, do new things, learn new things, maybe volunteer doing a couple things. I do want to spend a short amount of time in Dublin, but I'm thinking more along the lines of the much smaller towns, where from my experience is where there is a better sense of community. I want to break bread with people I've never met, learn a little bit about Falconry, help a farmer sheer some sheep, pick up trash with others after a local event, hang out with folks, sitting on a front porch with people singing and playing music, learning some new songs, learning some dances, and many other things I may not even be thinking of.

My trip that I'm trying to plan is kind of low budget. And I'm looking for ideas that people may have of how I can enjoy myself with little to no cost. I don't want to "work" in the sense of getting paid with money, the couple things I mentioned above is something that I just want to do. To not just be a tourist coming and leaving 2 weeks later, but to for a short time be a part of something. If anyone can think of things I can do and learn and know of places or people who may be interested in my hopeful 2 week journey later this year I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance. A little bit about me, my name is Huckleberry. I'm 36 years old, I live in Wisconsin USA. I've always wanted to visit Ireland since I was a kid. A few years ago I did the ancestry.com thing and come to find out, my biological dads last name "Faulkner" traced back at some point to Dublin, from my understanding they were Falcon Trainers. Can't be 100% sure on that but that is why I threw in the learning a bit about Falconry. I look forward to your replies.

Huckleberry

Not out of the ordinary at all! Several people visit Ireland every year.

somefeen

I'd suggest cork as a starting point instead of Dublin.
Dublin's grand and all but if you've only got 1 or two days its very overwhelming and everything is very far apart and expensive.
Cork would probably be more different to what your used to than Dublin and its more compact.

From there I'd work my way West. Bere peninsula and Kerry. The ring of Kerry is very touristy but beara and some parts of Kerry are a lot wilder and less known.
Definitely check out Galway city and a bit of Connemara. Connemara is like time warp in places and Galway City has a lovely vibe to it.

And if you must go to Dublin do check out Wicklow, lovely County not far from Dublin and still very rural. If your up for a bit of cycling its a gorgeous place. One of my favourite counties.

I'd suggest some of the inland places to, I always wanted to cycle the length of the Shannon or the barrow navigation, but I think the coast is what Ireland does best.

Oldtree

A word of warning about driving at night here. There is a group of trees known as "killer trees".

These trees are well known for jumping out in front of single occupant cars, late at night between 2 and 4 am, causing fatal car crashes and then pretending to be dead by the side of the road. Best if you don't have a friend with you that you have a blow up doll in the passenger seat buckled in. This neat trick could save your life.

huckfinn1982

Oldtree wrote: »

A word of warning about driving at night here. There is a group of trees known as "killer trees".

These trees are well known for jumping out in front of single occupant cars, late at night between 2 and 4 am, causing fatal car crashes and then pretending to be dead by the side of the road. Best if you don't have a friend with you that you have a blow up doll in the passenger seat buckled in. This neat trick could save your life.

What?

Working class heroes

Are you male or female or......

Oldtree

huckfinn1982 wrote: »

What?

There's loads of young fellas driving around on their own on the roads late at night and dying in strange circumstances, the chief suspects are trees as they have been found at most of these accident spots.

Working class heroes

Oldtree wrote: »

There's loads of young fellas driving around on their own on the roads late at night and dying in strange circumstances, the chief suspects are trees as they have been found at most of these accident spots.

The IRA planted them.

Freddiestar

huckfinn1982 wrote: »

What?

Also watch out for cars that leave the road of their own accord

huckfinn1982

Are you saying there are people taking curves to fast late at night, running off the road and hitting trees?

freshpopcorn

Working class heroes wrote: »

Are you male or female or......

If the OP is female I'd recommend reading a book called Asking for it by Louise O'Neill. It's meant to be a must if your a young woman going out on night in Ireland!

RocketRaccoon

Fly into Shannon and stay west, if you want to see the real Ireland. If you want over priced tourist tat then go to Dublin. I'll go against the grain here of messing around and invite you to pm me if you want proper info on Ireland.