Guinness: Pure Genius

  Guinness is disgusting - There I said it.

Guinness Storehouse, St James Gate, Dublin
(c) fifiheavey

I feel sorry for poor souls who think they have to drink a whole pint in order to really experience Ireland.

You don't have to – we understand. It is an acquired taste.

You wouldn't eat a whole jar of Vegemite to get the Australia experience so don't do it here - if you must order a glass!

Saying that I love Guinness, I love the two tone colour, the complicated skill of pouring the perfect pint, the symbolism, the creative ads and the name brand. So when my my friend returned home from OZ on hols and suggested we visit the Guinness Storehouse, I jumped at the chance.

Indoor waterfall, Guinness Storehouse
(C) fifiheavey

Seven story's high and surrounded in a glass atrium shape in the form in a pint of Guinness, the storehouse is a superb look at what goes into the legendary stout. Stepping over the precious 9,000 year old lease signed by Arthur Guinness (the genius behind the black stuff) you start on your journey through the main ingredients of water, barley, hops and yeast. The indoor waterfall gives a lovely background for photos as well as a surreal visual display.

An interactive digital man takes you through the process of mixing the ingredients, roasting, boiling and settling the liquid – and all the rigorous tests that the Guinness undertakes before it hits the road in the barrel.

Learning the trade, Guinness Storehouse
(c) fifiheavey

As a past bar maid in Ireland, I can let you in on a secret the reason why Guinness tastes so good in Irish bars is of course that we know how to pour it, but also because more people drink it here the pipes are cleaned religiously. In other countries the Guinness may not be as popular and so will not need the same amount of cleaning and maintenance.

One of the best exhibits in the storehouse for me was the adverts. You can go all the way back to the very first Guinness ad and keep watching as the creative brand makes a name for itself all over the world using wacky ideas.

There is a new drinking responsible quiz and tips and a new find your Guinness roots part as well as a short film on the amount of events Guinness sponsor around the world.

Views from the Gravity Bar, Guinness Storehouse
(c) fifiheavey

If you have never had a proper pint of Guinness or are intrigued by the pouring process I recommend you enter the Guinness Academy and learn how to expertly pour your own pint (you get a keep sake cert too to show your friends back home). As I obviously know how to pour, we moved up to the Gravity Bar for some stunning views of Dublin's Fair City. We got our complimentary pints and after using them as photo props we passed them on to those more grateful for the "distinctive" taste.

Good things come to those who wait!
(C) fifiheavey

Tip: Buy your ticket on line – it is a little bit cheaper (€14.50 compared to €16) and prepare to leave with a Guinness moustache!

You can never beat the Irish

You can never beat the Irish.

Its a laughable statement, right?
 Ireland was the first team to be kicked out of the Euros 2012 with a 4-0 defeat to Spain.
Our country is a financial mess which requires handouts from everyone else.
There are flood warnings in June.
We are all poor.

But, despite all that. Pushing aside how much this wee country needed just one win at the Euros, just one small triumph. Looking past the fact that we are defeated, in almost ever possible sense. We achieved something magical in Gdansk, Poland.

As the eleven world class Spanish players celebrated the complete annihilation of their weaker opponent, they couldn't help but look confused. They had to stare up at the stadium of fans with some shock.
They deserved the celebration, they are world class. They make the game look beautiful.

And yet, it was to the booming Irish anthem of 'The Fields of Athenry' that they walked off the pitch.
The sound was amazing, it was a lament more than a celebration for Irish fans.
But the Irish went to Poland to support their team to fly their flags for Ireland and nothing, not a 4-0 defeat, not a rumour of another bail out was going to stop them doing that.

Were they angry at the Irish team's performance? Yes. Were they bitterly disappointed? Yes.
But the party must still go on.

For international readers, I wish I could explain, but I can't. Why we celebrated with the Croatian fans after a 3-1 defeat, why we partied with the Spanish or why will sing with the Italians.
We do it because we are Irish and - you can't beat us!

Celebrating Irish Food

We do love potatoes!

Unless you are Irish, you probably don't come to Ireland for the food.

If you are a foodie you travel to France, Italy, Spain, Greece - countries renowned for food. 

But this is changing.

Ireland is one of the best producers of lamb and beef in Europe, we are an agricultural based country. We are also expertly located for fine fish and our vegetables are some of the most organic, sweetest produce in the world.

So why are we not pulling in the punters for our food? Is it that we can't cook? Of course not. 

We are just too easily influenced.

Galwayfoodfestival.com

A recent Lonely Planet guidebook on Ireland said you could order a panini in almost every town in Ireland - it is more accessible here than in Italy!

For too long we looked upon our own traditional foods as poor. It has taken us a long long time to get over the famine, to look past our poor decrepit history, to see the positive in the bare meals our ancestors survived on, but I think we are beginning to understand.

Food Festivals, celebrating our splendid produce, our traditional feasts and our cultural knowledge are springing up all over the place.

Galway Food Festival Brochure
(c) fifiheavey

The inaugural Galway Food Festival, which I attended over Easter attracted an estimated 30,000 visitors to the city, offering more than 70 food-themed events, from cooking demonstrations to foraging trails. And the majority of those visitors were foreign tourists, many quite surprised by what they were seeing, hearing and of course tasting.

More than 50 restaurants and outlets took part in Galway, with some reporting an increase in turnover of over 80% - what a result in a recession. What an inspiration for other towns and cities.Food festivals have “sky rocketed” in the last two years, according to  Fáilte Ireland. In that time the list of Irish food festivals across the country has gone from around 15 to 40. Irish Food Tourism is growing and rightly so.

Demo on how to cook the perfect steak
(c) fifiheavey

We visited a food demo on 'Cooking the perfect steak' at the festival. The cooking part took only a few minutes. First we heard about the history of beef in Ireland and why it is among the best in the world.

Our beef is among the best because of our strategic location and surprisingly our terrible weather. 

(Next time you curse the rain think about a nice juicy steak!)

Happy cow!

The secret ingredient to the perfect steak? 
Salt?
Pepper? 

Oil?

Nope the secret ingredient is:

A happy Cow!

Of course there were oysters galore, muscles, fish of every size and colour alongside beautiful breads, homemade lemonade, sweets, nuts, deserts and BBQ goodies.

The Food Festival was a delight.

A success. More of these please!

There is no place like home

Home is where the heart is, it is where you hang your hat.

In the lead up to Christmas, many of us around the world will make the long or short trip home to spend the season with family and friends. And if we cannot make it home, it will certainly be on our minds on December 25.

So what is the big deal – where, who, what is home?

Some of us travel the world to find that something special only to find that it was at home all along, nestled amongst the rugged hills and expansive lakes or over the apartment block, across the estate wall and hidden down the back of a 20 year old couch.

Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to. 

-John Ed Pearce

Home can be a building, a set of people, a memory, a feeling.

In Ireland we pride ourselves on providing that 'home' feeling. Countless times I have heard visitors a few days away from leaving the country sigh and say “I feel like I am home.”

Third generation Irish all over the world talk about coming home – although they might never have stepped foot on the island, why?

The funny thing is that we usually leave our own country to discover a new culture, to experience something different, only to take refuge in places, people and things that remind us of our own homeland.

For me, I think it is acceptance, a feeling of belonging. Somewhere where you don't have to try and fit in, you automatically do. Of course memories play a big part – positive and negative ones.

But if your home place is knocked down, or the people you grow up with move away, if you can no longer see the places you once played in, or touch the people you once loved then where is home?

Home is where your heart is.

Maybe that is why Ireland is referred to many as home – maybe we steal hearts. Or maybe we welcome people in, allow them to relax, to be accepted, to get comfortable – to belong. I hope we do.

Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin. 

There is no fireplace like you own fireplace – There is no place like home.

The Wedding

I like to review hotels, B&Bs, events and destinations, but this week I want to take a big step and review a wedding.

This wedding was no ordinary wedding where usually dinner is the best part, people groan through the speeches and save the dancing until 2am, this was an American Irish Wedding.

It brought together the best traditions of both cultures to make it a mega event which will be impossible to top in this century.

The celebrations began a week before the wedding (or at the engagement two years ago – depends on your point of view) the groom, his best men and friends headed for a top secret weekend to Amsterdam while the ladies brought Dublin to a standstill – and that was just with with their Guinness drinking.

I was delighted to be in the wedding party as I was doing a reading (nailed it) and so as per American tradition got invited to Rehearsal Dinner. It was such a lovely event held at the beautiful Creevy Pier Hotel, Ballyshannon. The dinner was full of heart felt thank yous to close friends and family, some gift were exchanged, a meal consumed and a few drinks ...

Could we submerge this tradition into Irish weddings?

We had some of these...

No way in hell – firstly getting the immediate wedding party, let alone friends and family away from the bar the night before a wedding would prove impossible. Also the speeches are directed to the people who have most helped you along in life, they are meant to be emotive – that would be pretty flat here. As a nation we do insult much better than flattery.

On July 8, the sun shone down on the wedding party as Rory (my giant cousin) and his beautiful lady Megan exchanged their vows, and throughout the day those up above tied down the rain gods and let the sun angels free on Co Donegal, lighting up the sky and allowing us to walk slowly and majestically instead of running frantically.

The destination of the reception was the grand Great Northern Hotel, Bundoran. The location, service and atmosphere was top notch. The food was exquisite – Oysters, New England Chowder and instead of the usual “beef or salmon” request we were rewarded with Beef, Salmon and Lobster for the main course with a delicious selection of treats for desert.

Although I felt I would see that oyster return up the same way later on that night, it did not and within a few hours after some dancing we were ready for some evening snacks which included fish and chips, battered sausages (yum) and burgers. Oh and there were sweets!

No it wasn't just the food that made the wedding, it also was not the ALL DAY OPEN BAR (although boy did it help) that made the occasion so memorable, it was of course the people.

The bride and groom were the party leaders, they danced and jumped, smiled and posed and drank and we all followed suit.

Megan & Rory (c)fifiheavey

Unusually the best men and bridesmaids along with the stunning bride and groom each did a party piece as they were applauded to their seats at the reception, this took confidence (which was in abundance) and really set the tone for the day.

Although many say you can't beat an Irish wedding, it was the yanks (I know the Red Sox fans won't like that) who really brought the fun to Fundoran. Not for them, sitting in the corner until five to two before unleashing the dance moves. They were up and at em after the first dance.

Everyone mixed so well (the alcohol helped there) and within an hour the handsome American hunks were fighting over dancing with my granny, there was Irish dancing, RnB moves and of course some dirty dancing.

The end of that magical night did not mean the end of the celebrations because Saturday they were up and out ready for more.

I don't think a wedding reception inside the Guinness Storehouse or even Disneyland would top this wedding, and why would we want to? The day was just a small tribute to the amazing newly married couple and to their friends and family who each brought their own flair to The Wedding.

This was the real Royal Wedding, no heirs or graces just some fun loving Americans, drinking loving Irish and one hell of a party.

Brilliant, awesome - legendary!

Stereotypes of the World

“Well you know what those Germans are like,” started the conversation last week that got me thinking about national stereotypes.

A friend was talking about a German girl who had given out to her for being late for the train and because she had failed to organise every exact detail of their mini trip ... typical Germans?!

Of course stereotypes can never define a group of people, because we are all so different in our own unique way, but we all have stereotypes of people from different countries and although I am an open minded person, there are many times when your foreign friend is a complete stereotype for their nation.

It just takes one really, one rude American, one stuck up French person or party animal Australian for the entire nation to be painted with the same tar.

While many embrace their national characteristics, others try their best to break the links.

For me some of the ones that really stood out were:

The Italians – a fashionable crew, who are passionate, forward and quite unorganised! I had a a very inappropriate issue with an Italian security man in the Vatican a few years ago. In the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Pope, I had an Italian man running after me begging for my number, for a kiss, a hug .... and much more!!

The English – generally chatty, fun loving and polite but can be sprinkled with some rude larger louts (usually soccer fans). When in a foreign speaking country, I always find it refreshing after a few days to find an English person, someone who enjoys a nice cup of tea and can converse freely and understand sarcasm and a joke!

The Canadians – I love Canadians, I don't think I have ever met a rude person from Canada on all my travels. They are usually tolerant, multi lingual and interesting people who are fun to hang around with.

The Australians – party loving, shallow but honest peeps. I lived in Australia for a while so really got to know them inside out, and you can always count on them for cheering you up and having a laugh with.

The Germans – the most well travelled nation in the world I believe. You always meet German people on your travels. Stereotypically organised down to the smallest item, many leave their sense of humour at home (they are quite funny in Germany) but you can rely on them for a good recommendation every time.

The Thai people – are so polite, smiley and friendly you just have to love them.

The Fijians – You have to love the Fijians, I loved them so much I wanted to take them home with me. Warm, friendly and love to cheat when playing cards!

American tourists cartoon

The Finish -Reserved, honest and trustworthy. Do you really want to know how you look in that new outfit? Ask a Finish person they will tell you the truth, believe them.

The Americans – despite their bad reputation as tourists, I have had more pleasant than nasty experiences with the 'Yanks.' The Americans are always kind, fun and knowledgeable. I have found some to be quite US centered but I think the majority try to steer away from this and open their minds. The Irish love Americans because they are “gullable” - will believe anything you tell them. Did you hear the one about the leprechaun ....?!

The French – Pompous, arrogant, opinionated – and rightly so! In France, 'a petite Francais' goes along way to unlocking French hospitality. Away from the home land the French are usually the people you follow to find a good restaurant!

The Brazilians – Impulsive, assertive and might I add good looking! I have had a lot of fun with any Brazilians I have met and I look forward to seeing how they treat tourists in Brazil.

The Indians – intelligent, always really polite but usually unable to comprehend a joke because of their perfect English.

New Zealanders – its hard not to like the Kiwis, Strong minded, tolerant and laid back with a rural mind set, always seeking adventure.

I am Irish and very proud to be so, Irish people are the best in the world; fun, friendly and usually very memorable! But while travelling I made a conscious decision to take a step back from the Irish mafia groups abroad, the huge swamps of Irish people drunk, singing and shouting enmasse swinging a tricolour. We do love to enjoy ourselves, and as we have a problem saying' no' the public's perception can sometimes be less favourable towards us.

What stereotypes have you come across?

Do you agree with the above stereotypes?