Now what? You’ve gone through all that information to help prepare you for Ireland, and so what’s next?
KEEP EXPLORING! The more you read-up on the cities you will be visiting, the more you will get out of your time abroad! Remember to bounce back to Module 1 and Module 2 of this online pre-departure information any time.
Here are a few more helpful resources for the three cities you will be visiting soon!
Dublin
Georgian elegance aside, Dublin mightn’t seem as sexy or as sultry as other European capitals, but Dubliners will tell you that pretty things are as easy to like as they are to forget. Their beloved capital, about which they can be brutally unsentimental, has personality, which is much more important and lasts far longer. Garrulous, amiable and witty, Dubliners at their ease are the greatest hosts of all, a charismatic bunch whose soul and sociability are so compelling and infectious that you mightn’t ever want to leave. Read more from Lonely Planet
Galway
Arty, bohemian Galway (Gaillimh) is renowned for its pleasures. Brightly painted pubs heave with live music, while cafes offer front-row seats for observing street performers, weekend parties run amuck, lovers entwined and more.
Steeped in history, the city nonetheless has a contemporary vibe. Students make up a quarter of its population, and remnants of the medieval town walls lie between shops selling Aran sweaters, handcrafted Claddagh rings and stacks of second-hand and new books. Bridges arch over the salmon-filled River Corrib, and a long promenade leads to the seaside suburb of Salthill, on Galway Bay, the source of the area’s famous oysters.
Galway is often referred to as the ‘most Irish’ of Ireland’s cities, it’s the only one where you’re likely to hear Irish spoken in the streets, shops and pubs. Even as it careens into the modern age, it still respects the fabric of its past. Read more from Lonely Planet
Limerick
Limerick city straddles the Shannon’s broadening tidal stream, where the river swings west to join the Shannon Estuary. Following its tough past as portrayed in Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, its medieval and Georgian architecture received a glitzy, glossy makeover during the Celtic Tiger era, but the economic downturn has hit the city hard, as evidenced by extensive empty properties and drum-tight security shutters.
The city is rejuvenating again, however. Limerick has been chosen as the country’s first-ever Irish City of Culture in 2014 (a designation to be awarded to an Irish city for 12 months every two years), with a packed program of arts, cultural and sporting events. It also has an intriguing, newly renovated castle, a lively art museum and contemporary cafe culture, to go with its uncompromised pubs, as well as locals who go out of their way to welcome you.
The city is compact enough to get around on foot or by bike. To walk across town from St Mary’s Cathedral to the train station takes about 15 minutes. Read more from Lonely Planet