Two Events Will Keep Ireland Very Much in Our Minds in the Coming Weeks

This coming Thursday, March 17, is St. Patrick's Day. And then, on June 16, avid readers all over the world celebrate Bloomsday. That's the date on which Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of James Joyce's monumental novel Ulysses, spent a full day in various activities, walks, encounters, meals, discussions, triumphs and defeats, in a Dublin of nearly 100 years ago. The memory of that book will keep Ireland very much in our mind, and the most intense literary scholars and readers will actually travel to Dublin to revisit the scenes of Bloom's very human experiences.

[image error] Photo Caption: St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin. PatintheHat/Frommers.com Community

On Sunday's Travel Show ( www.wor710.com/frommer-travel-show ), I interviewed travel writer Michael Shapiro, who has recently returned from a stay in Ireland and is eager to share his reactions to that country, which has suffered the worst recent economic decline of all the nations of Western Europe (it vies with Greece in that regard, with Spain a runner-up). Michael is the author of the book A Sense of Place, which studies the lives of various prominent travel writers, and of Guatemala, an introduction to that country. He publishes on travel in major national magazines and important newspapers.

Has the economic crisis of 2007-2009 affected tourism to Ireland, he was asked? Immensely, he responded. By gravely lessening the incomes and assets of the Irish population, it has made them less able to pay heady prices in restaurants and shops. The result is a general lowering of prices in those establishments, which directly benefits the tourist. At restaurants all throughout Ireland, there are now "early bird specials" enabling the early diner to enjoy major discounts. Patrons are not simply permitted, but are actually encouraged, to share main plates and thus reduce the overall cost of their meals. At theaters and cinemas, prices have been reduced. Shops are scheduling far more sales than formerly. Hotels that cater to business visitors are experiencing lower occupancies and thus reducing rates.

Paradoxically, the worsened economic climate has made the Irish more approachable, more easygoing in their ways, he maintains. Gone is the occasional arrogance of the days when Ireland was the much-talked-about Celtic Tiger of nations. People have returned to the modest attitudes of past centuries, when the Irish extended a welcome to foreign visitors that was unprecedented among other European nations.

I'd be interested to know whether other readers who have recently been to Ireland, have experienced the same phenomenon of which Michael Shapiro spoke. It is undeniable that airlines and tour operators serving Ireland have recently offered some of the best values in travel, reflecting the lower amount of business they now enjoy from their own citizens.