The homeland. The place of my ancestors. A trip to Ireland. To be honest, I never expected to ever visit the island. Growing up, we didn’t go on a lot of trips. When you grow up like that, trips across the ocean don’t feel attainable. A lot of unexpected things for this trip. As a married man. Second Trump presidency. Recently 33. Homeowner. Ireland was more than I imagined. The beauty, the people, everything felt..right.
The country felt like a Xanax. It is incredibly calm, everything moves at a slow pace, it soothes any anxiety you have. We left Chicago at 4:00pm and arrived in Dublin at 5:00am. Thankfully a friend of ours was leaving that same day so we were able to stop into her hotel, have breakfast and a shower before going to our hotel to check-in.Our hotel was centrally located, a block away from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Many things were within 20 minutes of walking, but they also have Uber to reach the rim of the city. That first day we planned to wander the city and stay awake to not let the jet lag overtake us. We walked around the beautiful campus of Trinity College as students wandered from class to class. The library and the Book of Kells are worthwhile though they have begun charging to see. Walked to the Irish Art museum which was beautiful.
Tour of the Guinness factory. Felt like a Disney exhibit/tour. Several floors. Lots of restaurants. Top floor, two bars with windows all around. Best view of Dublin. A mix of tourists (not many Americans) and customers for holidays.
There are so many different little shops, cafes, pubs, anything that your heart, stomach, and wallet desire. We went at the end of November, which is typically a low time for tourists (Americans anyway), and the bonus of them having Christmas markets all over to enjoy. The low side, typically the weather is quite wet (we had great weather), and it gets dark at about 4:00 pm.
Dublin felt like any big European city. Lots to do, plenty of side adventures, but it didn’t feel incredibly Irish. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the city and enjoyed my time there, but I wanted that small Irish feel. That connection to this land that my family for generations has felt living here before moving to America. I wanted that moment of this is where I’m from.
Next morning we had breakfast early at the hotel. Lots of early 2000s/2010’s music. No one is up at 7-8 am. Took an Uber to the train station. Paul (Uber driver) , an older Dubliner, talked about the city of Galway. Said we just missed thousands of college kids descending upon the bars. 12 bars in a night, red jumpers (like Santa suits) kids get nuts, very drunk steal things from the bar, pictures/toilet seats.
We took a train from the east side of the country (Dublin) to the west side of the country (Galway). The train ride was $10, and about 2-2 ½ hours long. This is where my body and mind felt a connection to this land. The dark skies quickly turned to a lush blue.
I found myself staring out the window getting lost. Houses along the country, very different from ours. Old men golfing. Sheep line the fields. Small county farms sit on green fields of pastures. Small towns spaced apart, large fields of green are quite striking, to our lack thereof. Even Dublin is quite city-esque, but still small. Not sure If I believe in past lives, but something in me feels kinship to these sheep herders and farmers in Ireland. That simple life felt like what I had been doing or would be doing. A simple, relaxed and comforting life. Train has 9 small stops. Some seats are assigned, others are not, first come first seated. I listen to Van Morrison, watching the green pastures of Ireland pass in the train window. What is it that I’m feeling? I’ve always been calm but here is even more so. Life moves so slow. There’s time to do and relax, no rush. Even the dead trees are covered in green. Ireland refuses to give up or give in. They only know survival. White specks of sheep dot the lush green landscape of the country. They graze and explore the wild pastures of Irish life. Cows/sheeps in the green fields. Trees. Small houses. Small farms, huge warehouses, horses. White and brown horses in the fields. A foreign dreamland to my current circumstances but which I felt myself in another time, working the land, tending to my land and livestock, in this beautiful country.
We arrived in Galway, and walked the block to our hotel. It faced a large town square area where a large Christmas market was taking place. Galway was the city that made me fall in love with Ireland. It’s quaint with shops and markets, plenty of food options (3 different Michelin restaurants), all the pubs your liver desires, and picturesque landscape.
I think the best thing you can do is not have an itinerary and just wander the city. Find those little places and settle in.We met a grandma and her son outside a coffee shop. Ate pastries and chatted. Talked about healthcare. Jokes. Found a mini-mall with an old book store, art store. Fences all made of stone. Dublin felt like more of a bigger European city. Galway felt like an Irish city. Beautiful food, pubs and cafes, shopping, walking. Spanish arch right on the bay.
We were there for a weekend, and there were a lot of shops. A mix of people coming on our train, overcrowding on the way in, lots of young Irish kids coming in for a weekend of fun. There was a Christmas festival, lights and wreaths everywhere. A Ferris wheel, lots of small stalls with local vendors and goods, similar to a farmers market. Fresh food. We ate a churro-like dessert with ice cream and chocolate, Oreo, a lot of good restaurants, fish and chips, and a breakfast spot. The weather shuts on and off like a faucet, pouring rain to a drizzle, to incredibly warm all in a span of an hour. Young men in Christmas sweaters causing amok. Lots of malls and stores sharing a lot of Irish/Galway merchandise, in an easy walkable city.
We took the train back to Dublin for our flight the following morning.I found myself staring in silence out the window. The open fields leave themselves to thinking. Your mind wanders. Even saw a rainbow on our way back. The flight home was a long one, with much to reminisce on.
That flight home, I found myself going over the differences between what I’ve grown up with and experience in other American cities to the several cities visited in Ireland. Those little cultural things that we pick up, that aren’t necessary elsewhere. I did find a lot less people were on their phones there and actually talked face to face without checking their phone every second, which was refreshing.
People were kind if you wanted directions or asked about a place to eat. Everything was calm, people were relaxed. No big trucks, guns, or that certain uneasy feeling we as Americans have in the back of our minds at all times. There we were able to let go and be ourselves, relax, and take in the culture, the people, and what a beautiful country that Ireland is. We also were able to see the history of where our families came from and the hardships they endured. To see my great grandparents now and to see what they would think of me. It’s one of the trippy thoughts, but a beautiful one. Just two parents wanting a better life for their kids, coming to America. Where do we go from here? I’m not entirely sure, but I know, another trip to Ireland is necessary. Erin go Bragh.
Callahan Herrig 