I just had the most amazing week in the Republic of Ireland, courtesy of Tourism Ireland. Dublin shows signs of the Celtic tiger in the modern high rises on the old docklands next to the River Liffey, but the lovely old Georgian houses still look out over St Stephen’s Green, a nine-hectare park with lakes and lawns in the middle of the capital city which is bisected by the River Liffey.
Trains are a super-efficient way to travel between cities and I went to Cork, where the food was especially good, fresh from the farmers’ markets. In Killarney, the centre of the lake district, I encountered the “˜Irish mist’, the local term for a light drizzle. No matter, I whipped out my raincoat and enjoyed the dramatic skies over the island nation’s tallest mountains, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks. An hour later, the sun shone weakly and the Torc Waterfall flowed even more strongly.
Did you know South African tourists don’t need a visa to visit the Republic of Ireland? So skip the tiresome – and expensive – UK visa application process and meet your British family and friends for a fun get together in Ireland.
Check out www.discoverireland.com
