What's in Dave's Head

One of the things I love about traveling abroad is learning about different cultures. Sometimes you may learn something profound or have an epiphany about your own culture. Other times you learn something amusing or mildly entertaining. Such is the case with some final thoughts about our latest trip to Ireland. Naming conventions : The names Irish ascribe to many things are different from our names. You need trash bags? No, what you need are rubbish sacks or refuse sacks . Dish detergent? No such thing. Perhaps you’re looking for washing-up liquid . Illegally parked? Your car won’t get booted , but it may get clamped . Signage : I’ve written before about signage – it’s occasionally not very explicit or helpful, and sometimes quirky. But there’s often a discernable politeness to it that reflects the underlying kindness of the people. Rainbows : We took it as a good omen when we saw a rainbow soon after we landed on Irish soil. We kept seeing them. Near our house in Dingle,...

On our four-hour drive from Dublin to Kinsale, we passed through Killeagh, the village from which Donna’s mother’s family came. We parked near a church we thought may have been the family parish and struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was standing outside a pub. We told him we were looking for information about the O’Keeffe family and whether the church we pointed to was the right one. “Are ye Catholic?” he inquired, and when Donna answered in the affirmative, he clutched his heart in mock distress and let out a moan. “Well, yes, that’s the Catholic Church, St. John the Baptist, so it may well be.” He went on. “Are ye Republicans?” to which Donna said no. “Oh, thank heavens at least for that!” he responded. He then went on to criticize American football (too many head injuries) and baseball (too slow). He noted that the church's cemetery was up the road a bit and recommended we pay a visit to the postmaster, who was the local historian and could be found at the Centra mar...

We flew into Dublin and spent a day and night there before driving to Kinsale. We walked from our hotel to the Temple Bar section and enjoyed our first pints on Ireland soil in a very crowded tourist bar, listened to a talented Irish musician there, and, it being Ireland, quickly struck up a conversation, with a couple from Australia who were on a round-the-world trip. Dublin is teeming with college students and young workers at the major tech and consulting companies there, including Accenture, Google, IBM, Amazon, Microsoft, and Deloitte. Trams, busses, cars, and scooters whiz through the city non-stop. The next morning we visited the former home of Sister Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy , a Catholic women’s institution that operates education and healthcare facilities around the world. Donna's sister Sue is a Mercy associate and lives in McAuley Hall at a Mercy facility. A locals’ pub Many of the pubs we visited are geared toward tourists. Others are...