And now, after 5-and-a-half days of Aran Island craic, I’m back in Dublin: Or more accurately, here: A-CHOO. Sniff sniff sniff. HONK. Sniff sniff sniff. Cough. Cough. Cough. Really, there’s no b...

Green kelp, smooth gray stones, and silvery fish in the clear, clear water. The gray heads of seals bobbing up and down in the white-capped waves; looking for all the world like scuba divers with thei...

On your last night of vacation, why not splash out on dinner? Ah, go’wan. Go’wan, go’wan, go’wan.This is how we do it:Beef and Guinness pot pie at the Bayview Restaurant, overlooking Killeany ...

The habits, clerical collars, Aran jumpers, sweater vests and gray wigs have been stowed; the Ted Festers have fecked off back to the mainland. I watched them yesterday morning from a restaurant windo...

    Because I’ll never take moments like this for granted. ...

The program is packed with events: midday screenings of “Sister Act,” 2:00 PM matchmaking with Mrs. Murphy, the Jesuit Country & Western Hour at 5. Furthermore, a Priests vs. Nuns Beach Volleyball...

I’m not on the island of Inishmore for five minutes before I’ve learned how to say goodbye in Irish. An airport shuttle bus picks us up from the landing strip and the driver asks us for our passpo...

Costumes observed here on Inishmore during Ted Fest 2010:Dozens of dowdy teapot-wielding Mrs. Doyles, gray-haired Father Teds, crusty-faced Father Jacks, and sweater vest-wearing Dougals.Hordes of pri...

Nobody gets why I’m here. “What,” they say. “Is an American doing on Inishmore?”“It’s Ted Fest,” I say. They chuckle. Then they ask me what I’m doing here again. It’s a bit wild ...

This post is your primer for the series of posts that follow: The Adventures of Liv on Inishmore During Ted Fest 2010. Ted fan? Enjoy the memories. Not yet a friend of Ted? Hold on to your arse biscui...

It’s Thursday night in Galway City and the kids are delighted with life. They’re clambering through Eyre Square, pushing each other towards throbbing clubs and swaying outside bars blasting the sa...

… and she’ll still find a way to gorge herself on delicious Japanese food. Here, we have a cup of umeshu and the sashimi appetizer at Ukiyo on Exchequer Street :Followed by orders of kimchi, kimch...

 A quick poll for all you non-Irish readers out there: View This Pollpolls  Her majesty’s royal subjects? ...

It’s late February in Dublin. The days are sometimes sunny, sometimes grey and wet. On days of the grey/wet variety I get the most out of my Dublin Bus Rambler Pass. I stare out the slick windows, a...

*according to SeanGive out – as in, “Sean gave out to me for yesterday’s blog post.”After – as in, “Sean’s after coming home from work.”Well – as in, “I’m doing well today – no...

Olivia got off the bus and wandered towards the scent of chocolates and strawberries and caramel and lemons and vanilla and sugar and heaven. Dawson Street was usually busy this time of day, but she w...

*according to SeanChancer – as in, “I can’t believe they tricked me out of two euro; what little chancers.”Knacker – as in, “I saw some tracksuit-wearing knackers throwing snowballs at an ...

Dubliners, fear not the immigrants taking your jobs – fear the machines. The Self Checkout/Fast Lane at TESCO. Step 1: Press Start and away we go. Step 2: Scan. Lose precious seconds by trying to...

It’s just a 20-30 minute bus ride from Cork City to Co. Cork’s most famous sight; Blarney Castle. I’ve never been. Kissing the Blarney Stone has been far down on my List of Things to Do While I...

So a few weeks ago, I wrote a love letter to farmers’ markets and butcher shops. Buy fresh, I raved. Kale and salmon and yams and curried quinoa. The next farmers’ market is just around the corner...