Ireland

by Eve Andersson

I was impressed by the Irish people. Without exception, every person I met there was friendly and many of them, especially the cab drivers, seemed proud of their city and country. They were warm to us regardless of how dishevelled we looked (the same is definitely not true in Boston or Paris). One afternoon I was walking along the street deep in thought, probably with a furrowed brow, and a passerby said "Cheer up!" Philip and I were complaining to each other about the weather on one drizzly day that hadn't a patch of blue in the sky, but the the morning news reporter said that it was a great day because at least it wasn't raining!

Ireland is a very small country, with only 3.5 million people (there are 11 million Irish people living abroad). Ireland has a history of encouraging and respecting its writers, with many of them unafraid to stretch the boundaries of literature (e.g., James Joyce).

I left Ireland feeling calm, happy, and inspired to create. I dream of returning.

• Strolling Around Dublin
• Guinness
• The Andersen Consulting conference
• Wicklow
• Carlingford
• Newgrange
• Powerscourt Gardens
• Glendalough
• Swans