I arrived in Dublin, Ireland last week to find myself in a city split in half by a tidal river known as The Liffey. There's many things to love about Dublin, aside from the average beer size being a pint. This country rains (on average) 150 days per year, but you wouldn't know it by the jolly vibes given from the locals. Whether you've been to this city or not, below are some fun facts about The Republic of Ireland.
Ireland has no snakes.
If you suffer from ophidophobia, no worries, because there are no snakes over here. Although, there are snails and the locals hate stepping on them because of the crunch. This is a nice change as opposed to the crunching of cockroaches that Philadelphia provides.
The Irish most likely came up with the phrase hillbilly.
You can thank Ireland for your use of western Pennsylvania-natives (no, not the Amish) because somewhere in some hills of this country were a bunch of tykes named 'billy' as a nickname for James since these people loved King James VIII.
No one here gets paid for playing sports.
That's right -- hurling, football -- it is all for what it was intended to be for: sport. There's no money involved, nor is there trading of athletes. Your team is the one of either your birthplace or current residence. This means that if I wanted to play soccer, I'd represent Michigan, the best state over the pond. Moreover, a biology teacher was the dude who made the winning goal in some last big team, which is pretty cool because he knows a ton about plants and can run.
Ireland is not part of the UK.
Ireland is on its own -- The Republic of Ireland. Ireland is part of the EU. The UK that voted to leave the EU (#Brexit) is technically called The United Kingdom Of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. If you don't know, this Brexit is a two-year process and referendums can occur so no one really knows what the hell is going on over here, either.
To make things even more complicated, the Irish flag is green to represent the Republic of Ireland, Orange to represent Northern Ireland who consider themselves British, and white to represent peace between the two.
The police here don't carry guns.
The fuzz here are referred to as guarda, and their technical name translates to guard of the peace. They're not officers, they are guards. Marinate in that as you will.
Dublin water tastes really good.
Guiness tastes better. Apple flavored cider is 5.3 percent alcohol. So you can get drunk and get your daily serving of fruit.
Ireland didn't create Saint Patrick's Day.
You can thank the USA, because this magical day wasn't actually celebrated in Ireland until the Irish moved to North America and settled in places such as Boston and New York, chomping at the bit to celebrate their Irish heritage. Like I've said before, Erin Express is a gift. Next time you go to Boston, thank the Irish Catholics for their ancestors.
Ireland was the first country to legalize gay marriage.
And has billboards to show for it.
Ireland has bogs that are left over from the Ice Age.
Such bogs exist on farms and host many Bachelorette parties. Nothing like getting muddy before getting married.
A republican here is not the same thing as a Republican in the states.
Here, it means a radical nationalist, i.e: someone who's really into being Irish. As opposed to, you know, conservative.
Catholicism is a culture.
These Catholics are not like the ones I went to high school with. Cheers.
