Destination: Ireland
Taking the Pulse of the Irish Pub
by Michael Yessis | 03.17.10 | 3:44 PM ET
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, the Los Angeles Times checks in on the state of the Irish pub. Verdict: Still struggling in Ireland, still ubiquitous around the world.
And it’s still one of the Seven Wonders of the Shrinking Planet.
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Yahoo! BuzzWorld Travel Watch: Major Earthquake in Haiti, Road Blocks in Greece and More
by Larry Habegger | 01.13.10 | 12:25 PM ET
Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news
What’s That Smell?
by Paul Lynch | 01.07.10 | 4:48 PM ET
iStockPhoto Paul Lynch explores the intersection of travel and the nose
Travel Movie Watch: ‘Leap Year’
by Eva Holland | 12.01.09 | 10:27 AM ET
See, I told you Hollywood never gets tired of this story. “Leap Year” stars Amy Adams as uptight Anna, who decides to take advantage of an old Irish tradition and fly to Dublin on “Leap Day” to propose to her boyfriend. Of course, she gets sidetracked by a series of comic mishaps and a handsome European stranger—the trailer tells you the rest:
It hits theaters in January, alongside When in Rome, making it a good month for fans of the romance-in-Europe flick.
Mapped: The Cheeses of Britain and Ireland
by Eva Holland | 10.08.09 | 10:57 AM ET
Another tasty bite of geographical fun—and more proof that British food is worth defending. (Via @LPUSAstaff)
R.I.P. Frank McCourt
by Eva Holland | 07.20.09 | 10:29 AM ET
The author of “Angela’s Ashes,” the Pulitzer-winning memoir about his impoverished Irish childhood, has died at 78. The Limerick Leader looks back at McCourt’s last visit to his childhood home, when he tagged along on the “Angela’s Ashes” walking tour, while Book Bencher Cressida Leyshon remembers editing the first excerpts of the unpublished manuscript for The New Yorker.
Happy Bloomsday!
by Michael Yessis | 06.16.09 | 3:47 PM ET
A few links from around the internet to commemorate Bloomsday:
- AFP Reports that, despite the global recession, thousands of James Joyce fans streamed into Dublin today to celebrate.
- In the Guardian, Declan Kiberd explains just why Dublin has come to embrace Bloomsday, calling Ulysses “modernism’s most sociable masterpiece.”
- Colum McCann wrote a touching piece in the New York Times about how Ulysses provided him with comfort and connection to his late grandfather.
- Of course, on Twitter you can follow @StephenDedalus and @LeopoldBloom.
Dhani Tackles Poetry: ‘Speak’
by Dhani Jones | 04.20.09 | 3:07 PM ET
Sarah Berl, Red Line Films NFL linebacker and Renaissance man Dhani Jones hosts the new Travel Channel show, Dhani Tackles the Globe.
Like any good Renaissance man, he’s writing poems inspired by the travel experiences featured on each show.
The topic of tonight’s journey: Hurling in Ireland.
Tradition, Change and the Fate of the Irish Pub
by David Farley | 03.26.09 | 4:16 PM ET
A couple decades ago, the authenticity of Irish pubs both within and outside the Emerald Isle was never questioned. Pubs abroad, one assumed, were likely started by an Irish immigrant, looking to offer homesick lads a taste of home and the wanderlust-stricken a rehashed memory of that last trip to Dublin.
Today, however, things are different. Welcome to the Irish Pub Company, which has birthed hundreds of near-identical “Irish” pubs from Shanghai to Sienna. Yes, the décor in that pub you’re nursing a Guinness in isn’t decades- or centuries-old; it wasn’t transported from a farm house or old church in County Cork. It was manufactured by a company that’s making a killing exporting Irishness.
Bill Barich’s fascinating book, A Pint of Plain, released in February, details the history, the present state and the inevitable fate of the Irish pub. Both in Ireland and abroad. Barich, an American in Ireland, travels around the isle, chatting up publicans and pub owners and discussing how modernity and globalization have led to falling attendance at Irish pubs as well as the movement to dispatch cheap prefabricated models across the planet. The only problem with Barich’s book is that you’ll start to wonder if that Guinness you’re crying into is real, too.
Ryanair ‘Serious’ About Charging for Bathroom
by Rob Verger | 03.06.09 | 12:03 PM ET
The AP reports that the head of Dublin-based Ryanair is indeed “serious about making passengers pay for the right to relieve themselves on flights—and is flush with interest in the idea of mounting credit card-operated toilets.” Charging by credit card is logistically easier than charging by coin, as had been suggested earlier, which “wouldn’t work in part because Ryanair operates heavily in areas using both the euro and British pound.”
I’ve said it before about Ryanair (when they had some not-so-nice words about bloggers) and I’ll say it again now: oy vey.
What about someone who needs to go, but doesn’t have a credit card?
The Worst Airline PR Ever?
by Rob Verger | 02.25.09 | 3:51 PM ET
Oh my. Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start with a story as weird as this one.
Here’s what happened: Jason Roe, an Irish freelance web designer and blogger, posted an item on his website where he claimed he had found a quirky way to make the prices on Ryanair’s booking system drop down to zero. He followed up on the same post: “I did not claim to complete the booking process for a free flight. I found a bug that showed a 0.00 price listed beside flights. Orders could not go past the passenger details page.” (Whether the original posting implied that a free flight could actually be purchased is debatable.)
Ryanair Joins the Cruise Game
by Eva Holland | 02.18.09 | 11:09 AM ET
The king of low-cost carriers has joined forces with Costa Cruises and will now be offering discounted bookings with the Italian company through the Ryanair website, the Telegraph reports. “Ryanair and Costa Cruises will reduce the cost of traditionally expensive cruise holidays and bring greater choice to those looking to beat the recession and take advantage of these great value cruise holiday packages,” said a representative for the Irish airline.
There’s no word on whether Costa will start nickel-and-diming passengers as a condition of the deal. Charges for the lounge chairs on deck? Pay-by-weight at the buffet? A steadfast refusal to offer assistance, compensation or even a refund of the measly 15 pounds you paid for your ticket after a last-minute cancellation by the airline? (Not that I’m bitter.)
The Three Literary Capitals of the World?
by Eva Holland | 12.22.08 | 12:00 PM ET
Conde Nast Traveler has chosen Berlin, Dublin and Boston as its three best cities for bookworms. They’re all worthy choices, but still, I have to ask: Was this list originally titled, “Three Best Cities for Bookworms, Not Counting Paris and London”?
Plans for U2 Tower in Dublin ‘Shelved’
by Michael Yessis | 11.04.08 | 12:33 PM ET
All four members of U2 are invested in the Norman Foster-designed building, a planned 36-story tower on the banks of the River Liffey. If it ever gets built, it will be the tallest building in Ireland. Developers wanted to break ground this year, but now they’re waiting 12 months to see if the economic climate in Ireland improves. Bono and the Edge, however, still seem to be moving forward with their plans for the Clarence Hotel.
Ryanair: The World’s Least Favorite Airline?
by Eva Holland | 10.20.08 | 1:30 PM ET
The Ireland-based budget carrier earned the title in an annual TripAdvisor poll—for the third consecutive time. Nonetheless, 42 million passengers are expected to take their chances with Ryanair this year, braving stingy legroom, unfriendly staff and frequent delays (the most common complaints against the airline) in exchange for those irresistible £10 tickets.
Photo by paolo margari via Flickr (Creative Commons)
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