D

T, <BR>In answer to Mary's original message, I agree with you that Ireland is a beautiful and dramatic country. However having said that, Mary, also would like us to compare it to the Western US and other areas. To go somewhere and spend time comparing it to other places may be a waste of valuable travel time. Ireland like any place we travel, should be viewed as an entity by itself. I loved it because it was Ireland, not because it was like Hawaii. <BR> <BR>Darlene <BR>

maureen

My husband and I have been to most those places you mentioned and many, many more. Ireland was incredible -- we traveled for two weeks (last week April and first week May so not touristy -- we skipped the Blarney Stone anyway) and loved it. We didn't make specific plans or resos and we were never disappointed. Would like to go back and continue our trip through Northern Ireland where we left off. See some castles and go to some pubs - they are part of the culture and not to be missed.

Gina

T.-- <BR> <BR>Since pretty much any evidence presented by *anyone* on this forum about the relative delights or lack thereof of a particular place to travel are "anecdotal," I'm not sure why you're dismissing people's experiences out of hand. I haven't seen too many people posting study results here. I think the reason many of us ask questions here is to learn from the experiences of others, and unless we're traveling sociologists, the answers are going to be rather necessarily anecdotal. <BR> <BR>I stand by my statement--the Irish people were astoundingly friendly and generous of spirit, more so than almost anywhere else I've traveled. This wasn't a one-time happenstance...everywhere we went in the country, my traveling companion and I were constantly boggling at each other about the kindness of the people we encountered. And I'll be happy to provide more anecdotal information about our travels in Ireland if anyone has any questions.

John

I'm at a loss as to why Mary's question on Ireland's scenery has resulted in a discussion of Irish hospitality. <BR> <BR>Nevertheless, I feel that I too must stand by my opinion, which seems to be shared by, among others, T. I've traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In my travels, I have been very fortunate to meet many wonderful people. I, however, have never been able to categorize an entire region's population. <BR> <BR>My trip to Ireland proved no different. I met some warm and friendly individuals who were interested in speaking with me about my impressions of Ireland. I also met many individuals in Ireland who could care less. <BR> <BR>I appreciate the opinions of others and am glad that many built great friendships while in Ireland. I, however, would not "go for the people" <BR>as I could not make a generalization about their hospitality.

John

I'm at a loss as to why Mary's question on Ireland's scenery has resulted in a discussion of Irish hospitality. <BR> <BR>Nevertheless, I feel that I too must stand by my opinion, which seems to be shared by, among others, T. I've traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. In my travels, I have been very fortunate to meet many wonderful people. I, however, have never been able to categorize an entire region's population. <BR> <BR>My trip to Ireland proved no different. I met some warm and friendly individuals who were interested in speaking with me about my impressions of Ireland. I also met many individuals in Ireland who could care less. <BR> <BR>I appreciate the opinions of others and am glad that many built great friendships while in Ireland. I, however, would not "go for the people" <BR>as I could not make a generalization about their hospitality.

Brogan

Disappointing???? I have to tell you that when I was young, single and in law school I told my friends that the most fun I had had in all my travels was in Ireland. They didn't believe me until they went. They were overwhelmed with Ireland's lovely scenery but more importantly the Irish people LOVE Americans. Don't forget that there are 40 million Irish-Americans and only 4 million Irish...so they think that we are all related. They go out of their way to help. They sing in their pubs. I even had a bus driver in Dublin(tours out of the national bus station) deviate the tour for about half and hour so that I could go see where the Irish patriots were shot and buried in a mass grave. The Irish are the reason you go to Ireland. Go to Slattery's on a weekend night and just have a blast. You'll only be disappointed if you hate people talking to you and wanting to help you.