Tag Archives: Dublin

Seeing The Sights: Learning To Be a Tourist In Your Own Home

Like many who enjoy traveling to new places, when we moved to Dublin, I deliberately distanced myself, mentally, and often physically, from the millions of tourists who visit Ireland each year.  “I live here now. I’m no tourist.”  I realize … Continue reading

Posted in Dublin Attractions, Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Irish Countryside, Irish History, Irish Life & Society, Things to See in Ireland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Patriot Games: Watching the Olympics in a New Country

For the last month or so, watching the Olympics and thinking more and more about life in a new country, I’ve found myself contemplating loyalty to country and differences between patriotism and nationalism. When you grow up in America watching … Continue reading

Posted in Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Irish Food Surprises

Well, today this blog hits the big 40 (40 entries).  I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to all those who’ve encouraged, promoted, heckled, badgered, battered, belittled, and bemoaned this blog.  But most of all, I’d like to thank those … Continue reading

Posted in Dublin Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Always New

For the past week or so, I’ve been chasing a certain feeling/idea that has maddeningly remained just a step or two ahead of me. It’s hard to explain, but it’s the notion that living abroad gives you a constant feeling … Continue reading

Posted in Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, International Moving, Writers & Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Love of City Not Country – Dublin vs. Ireland

Ever since the controversial Five Things I Hate About Dublin, Ireland post, numerous well meaning (I’m sure) people have asked me why we don’t just leave.  The simple answer is Dublin.  The post, I now realize, was misnamed.  Most of … Continue reading

Posted in Bureaucracy, Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, Irish Life & Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Feeling Other – Racism and Racial Profiling in Ireland and Elsewhere

In Backwards and Forwards, one of my favorite books on writing drama, David Ball says that two connected events create one action.  By this he means one inciting event invites/invokes/encourages a response event that becomes the inciting event for the … Continue reading

Posted in Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

What Binds Us Together

Even before we moved to Ireland, one of my constant refrains has been that the Irish seem to be universally friendly and welcoming.  I knew there would come a day when that feeling would be tested.  And earlier this week … Continue reading

Posted in Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, Irish History, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Resolutions in a New Country

I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions.  I figure that if you really want to change a pattern of behavior there’s no need to fetishize a particular date? Just start changing.  To me picking a resolution start … Continue reading

Posted in Dublin Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Irish Countryside, Irish Life & Society, Writers & Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

A Christmas Story

With no trendy shoes left, and supplies of the Xbox 003 running low, Mary wailed, and Joseph, stoned to the gills on frankincense, bludgeoned the Magi with an urn full of Myrrh before storming the doors of the Bethlehem Wal-Mart. … Continue reading

Posted in Dublin Life, Friends & Family, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Love At First Pint: Finding The Right Dublin Pub

For months it squatted on the edge of my consciousness. For more than 150 years it’s occupied a prominent corner in Milltown.  Finally, it could be avoided no longer.  This past Saturday night we were destined to try The Dropping … Continue reading

Posted in Dublin Attractions, Dublin Life, Pubs | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment