Now that we have got UK out of the way (for now), it’s time for me to revisit the first “foreign” trip I had after moving here. In this post I’ll recollect my time travelling in Ireland. A beautiful country with hospitable people and incredible history, that has parallels with India.
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It was Easter 2014 when I made this trip to Ireland. You might be wondering why I am jumping ahead to 2014. Where did I travel in the almost three years since my trip to Edinburgh in 2011?
Well truth be told, I didn’t travel anywhere at all during these three years. I was saving every penny I could to pay off my student loans in India. And it took me about three years to do that. So once that was out of the way, I thought I could get back on the road again and do the things that makes my sould sing (borrowing a phrase from my wife). Travelling is my happy place afterall.
So, why Ireland? Well firstly because the flights were cheap. And secondly because I was trying to find a destination that didn’t require a visa to go with my Indian passport. And voila, after quite a bit of research, I found out that the Irish government gave a special disposition to Indian passport holders who had a “multi-entry” visa to the UK. As I was on a UK resident visa at that time, I knew I would qualify for that scheme.
Getting into Dublin
So I booked my tickets to Dublin, for a five-day trip during Easter. However things weren’t as straightforward as I expected them to be! The first signs of trouble was when I tried to check in. The airline wouldn’t let me check in without a “valid visa”. I tried to explain the scheme to them, showed them the information on the Irish government website. But they weren’t having any of it as it was not mentioned in their big fat reference book!
After being passed around to about three desks and multiple agents, they finally gave me my boarding pass. But with a warning. It wasn’t their responsibility if I was turned back from the Dublin airport and not allowed entry. I accepted those terms. After all, I knew what I read. Or so I thought!
Encounter with Irish Immigration
The immigration officer at Dublin airport was surprised, to say the least, that I flew there without a travel visa! With full confidence in my own knowledge, I once again started explaining this visa waiver scheme. It was full on back-and-forth and I was finally starting to panic. He explained that apparently that scheme was for tourists visiting the UK but not for people with resident visas like me. How mad was that?!
Anyway, after asking me a few more questions, the immigration officer finally relented and stamped my passport for the duration of my stay. And thus I was able to enter and visit Ireland. Coincidentally, this stamp on my passport became a topic of conversation with another immigration officer in another country. But that is a story for another day.
Exploring Dublin
Dublin is a charming and beautiful city. On the day I got there, after checking in to my modest B&B, I went out for a walk to explore the city on foot. There is so much history littered around in this city and I can never do any justice to that. So I’ll skip to the main bits that I explored, and would recommend you to, if you were planning to visit. If you are interested in a detailed guide, check out my post around the top things to do in Dublin.
The first thing I did was walk over to the famous Temple Bar which is known for its lively pubs, street performers, and colorful buildings. And there is an actual bar called Temple Bar! I remember Liverpool were playing that day. So here I am in my Liverpool shirt in an Irish bar.
As soon as I stepped into the bar, I saw this group of Man Utd fans and I cursed a little under my breath. At first, they didn’t say anything, allowed me to get comfortable. And then they started giving me stick! I must stress though that it was all good natured, and those lads were brilliant.
I had a good time there watching the game and tasting my first Guinness. Which happened to be the next thing I did there, visit the Guiness Storehouse. It was an incredible experience, especially the free Guinness on top of their 360 bar on the top floor with panaromic views of Dublin. If there’s one thing you do in Dublin, do this. Even if you don’t like Guinness!
Day trips
I also went on three different day trips on my visit to Dublin. These were to see the stunning Cliffs of Moher, the beautiful Connemara National Park and the city of Belfast (capital of Norther Ireland).
I was very lucky to have great weather during my visit to Ireland. Which made these day trips really frutiful. Especially the trip to Cliffs of Moher. It is one of the most breathtaking place of natural beauty; humbling, calming and peaceful. And for any Harry Potter fans, this location served as the backdrop for Dumbledore’s confrontation with Voldemort in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
The trip to Belfast was incredibily moving. As someone who has grown up in India, I wasn’t familiar with the history of Irish island. It is during the trip to Belfast, and the “troubles”. For those who are unaware, the troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. I won’t do it any justice by trying to explain the history and politics here, so I will leave it to you to do your own research. And also, Belfast is also the home to the Titanic Musuem. A must visit for all Titanic fans (if I can call that?)!
I did make a proper trip to Belfast two years later, again during Easter. However this time, I wasn’t travelling on my own. It was my first trip with my then girlfriend and now wife. And the weather literally poured cold water all over this trip! Perhaps a story for another day.
Travelling in Ireland
So that in summary are my experiences of travelling in Ireland. I found the Irish very friendly and warm towards me. Visiting the Dublin Castle and learning about the history was also a bit of an eye-opener. Especially because I could draw parallels between the British occupation and crimes against humanity against the Irish people, similar to what they did with the Indian people (and across all their colonies).
If there is one thing that took me with a little bit of surprise was how expensive travelling in Ireland was! I think it a lot of it had to do with my naivety. Afterall, this was the first time I was travelling in a completely foreign country. But that didn’t stop me from making the best of the five days I spent in Ireland. I normally do not go back to the same place twice. Primarily because there is so much to see in the world. Although, I might make Dublin an exception!
