To seriously recommend Ireland

Er, Irish people are the same as any other 'people.' Because people are people. There is beautiful countryside in most countries.

I can confirm the friendliness isn’t fake. The nice people are lovely. I probably say hello to 200 people daily, if your standing in a queue we have a chat, if you need directions you can ask anyone they’ll try to help even if they use a crazy landmark to direct you, It’s normal to be close to neighbours in the community.

I’m Irish and really hoping the laws don’t change (allergies in my case). From threads on MN it seems a lot of people are annoying at how dog-friendly the UK has become. For some of us, dog-friendly unfortunately means human-unfriendly. (I do like dogs btw, they just make me ill sadly.)

Moved to semi rural ireland after many years in London. Love it and have a new friendship group of incredibly clever, cultured women. Cost of living is generally cheaper - no rates/council tax and stamp duty was only 1%. Food is average and a not same unless you go high end but we're in London very regularly so get the chance to eat every style and ethnicity then. Super cheap flights from Shannon to UK to see friends and family. Best decision ever

I'm so sorry to hear that, DH's cousin, now retired, comes fora holiday to us every autumn. We don't often discuss serious issues, it must be said, but I will definitely ask him how things really are.
I do know his daughters are doing very well in their professional lives, one medic, one university lecturer.

No crazy house prices, hospital over crowding, drug wars or poverty in your lovely trip was there?

Ireland is a real place, with real issues and not a Disney like tourist destination. Lots of it is very beautiful, just like lots of the UK.

And we are nosey, which many misunderstand as friendly.

Things are never as they seem when visiting as a tourist. Ireland is having horrendous issues with the government, there is a lot of stress, hate, and fear of turning into the UK.
Tourist areas are nice and attract nice people.
There has been 3 tourists killed in Ireland from the UK in the last 12 months, one last month, one punch attacks, an American tourist was kicked so hard he was left in a coma and another young man murdered at tram station, I’m not sure where he was from.
Drug use is rampant, as is everyday crime, pickpockets, bags from tourist buses.
It was much safer.
Ireland has gone to shit the last decade.

I don't have much nice to say about Ireland.

For many, this is a huge relief!

I"ve been to Ireland seversl times as DH Is 'London Irish' - his parents emigrated here, met and settled in north London and raised a family there.
They always went back to Ireland for the summer and we continued the tradtion at least when DC were small.
Yes, the people we met were absolutely lovely , even family (!) and the countryside is gorgeous. It's great for a holiday when DCs are small, DH's family were/are farmers so staying on a farm was magical for thr kids.
The downsides are of course the weather, although iti was never too bad when we went, and of course the expense.

I agree it sounds lovely and was going to go in my van. But there is a huge problem for many visitors in that it's not dog friendly. Apparently hardly any restaurants/pubs let dogs in, and the culture is just not the same. Given most people go on holiday with their dogs, it will put a lot of people off visiting.

It's such a shame. While we have muzzle laws for XL bullies, they have muzzle laws for all sorts of breeds, e.g. ridgebacks, dobermans, shepherds, rotties etc.

Many areas dogs need to be on lead as well. For those of us who like to hike and spend our free time on walking holidays, it's really restrictive.

Odd, as I always assumed that culturally the ROI would be similar to us

As as sponsored by Visit Ireland as part of their 2026 advertising campaign ....

You must have been seriously unlucky so.

Unless you’ve only been three times or something?

As long as you are white. Travelled around with my Syrian mate. It wasn't very welcoming to him :(

I’m Irish and live here. We have problems like every other country. It’s wet yes but not always. Last summer was a cracker!
Galway is my favourite place to be, we go there as much as we can. Get a ferry out to the islands. It’s breathtaking.
My mother is English and when I go to London I always want to stay there. The grass is always greener!

We get less rain than the UK. Ye are mental 🤣

Place is as expensive as London. Go live somewhere like Chester !

You were very fortunate to see no other cars when you were driving around rural Ireland. But on your next visit, please use your headlights!

Nah; fair enough. Whatever about the locals being or not being friendly, the really huge difference between GB and here is the space.
I think you can overlook how very, very small an island you all live in over there. Squillions of you! Whereas over here, the entire island’s population would probably fit into Brum.
I believe this difference hits you as you descend the steps after you land in Dublin/Cork etc. The air is looser! (#science)
The other thing is stress on the ears, which dramatically decreases when you are surrounded by Irish accents.
You are soothed, and all this highly technical soothing lulls you into thinking we are all the children of Dave Allen and Marian Keyes 😈

Fancy visiting Ireland and missing out Cork city! 🤣

"but because the general male culture seems to revolve less around making women feel uncomfortable than in other countries."

<hollow laugh>

Unaccountably overlooked by Bórd Fáilte. It's a travesty.

Did you visit Tallaght op? God's own country!

Ive known plenty of Irish folk over the years,
mostly pretty friendly, and like pint o'Guiness so they do 🥰