Ireland: a land defined by rolling, vibrant landscapes and a rhythm of life that prioritizes connection over rush, where the “Emerald Isle” reveals itself through rugged cliffs, ancient stone walls, and the comforting roar of a pub fire. It is a place where the soul of the country is found as much in its wind-swept wilderness as in the spontaneous songs that erupt in local pubs.
To get a taste of this magic, see it through the eyes of an insider like Travel Director Aileen Atkinson, for whom Ireland has felt a home since birth. She now unlocks the true heart of the island of Emerald for our guests the true heart of the island of Emerald, from the hidden gems of “petrol station gourmet” to the heartfelt local traditions that make the country come alive.
What’s your personal connection to Ireland?
“I’m half Irish and half English—my mum is from Dublin and my dad is from London. I was brought up in the London Irish community, and I spent most of my time bouncing between the two countries. Like most kids, I was sent to my grandparents’ for breaks and vacations, which I spent most of the time running around farms and up in Dublin. I’m an Irish passport holder, and my family, weirdly enough, represents almost the entirety of the British Isles; my brother married a Welsh lady, my sister married a Scotsman, and I’ve got the UK and Ireland covered. My partner is also in Dublin, so between them all my connection is very deep.”
What is your favourite place to visit on tour and why?
“For me, it is actually a particular drive day: the drive we do from Killarney up to Galway. So you do Wild Atlantic Way, which has some of the most beautiful, gorgeous scenery along the Irish coast. You go through cute little towns like Kinsale and Adare, see the rugged scenery at the Cliffs of Moher, and finish in Galway. Galway is a stunning town with so many amazing small bars and incredible traditional Irish music, which is a big thing for me. I love traditional Irish music, I think it’s really important and it’s nice to see. The West Coast of Ireland is stunning. A lot of people just go to Dublin, you know, if you’re doing a short visit, you might do Dublin and Belfast, but the West Coast has got some really beautiful parts of it as well.”
If Ireland were a person, how would you describe its personality?
“I would say it is like having a hug from your grandmother. Like, honestly, It’s the warmest personality—really open, welcoming, and inviting. They always say there’s no such thing as a stranger in Ireland because everyone is willing to sit down, have a chat, and talk to you about anything. It’s a very talkative and friendly community.”
What is the biggest misconception that visitors have?
“A lot of the time the biggest misconception is are we in England, and having to explain the difference between UK and Ireland. Because a lot of people are like, “Oh, I can use my pounds over here, like my sterling!” You’re like, no, no, it’s a completely different country. Yeah, they do speak English here, but Irish is also a recognised language. And you have to kind of unpack that definition because a lot of people don’t really understand it. And you have to explain the 32 counties, how six of them are in the north and the rest are part of the Republic of Ireland, and just explaining the difference between the island of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. People get very confused by the different laws between Ireland and the UK. Also, people think that you can drive between the two, that you don’t have to take a ferry. That’s always a fun one!”
What’s a stereotype that makes you laugh because there’s a grain of truth?
“That we are fond of a drink. This is true to some degree, but it’s not just about the drinking. There is a large drinking culture in Ireland, but it’s more about the social side of it. In Dublin alone, there’s over like 700 pubs; just in one county. And it’s not about going and having a drink, or a few too many, it’s the community that comes from it. Everything that happens in that pub that is really, really important. You’ll see the ‘old boys’ sitting at the bar having their nightly pint and a chat, or people sharing music and old-fashioned stories. It’s everything that comes with it. Yes, we are fond of a drink and that is a bit of a stereotype, but the pub is a community centre in Ireland. It’s sometimes a shop, so you go to some pubs in Ireland and they’ll have a grocery shop attached to it. They have these secret little pubs where you just go to pick up some groceries, but in the back there’s a pub as well. You can go to a pub and not have a drink. That’s the beautiful thing these days. You know, cups of tea are very popular in a pub in Ireland as well. Guinness Zero is a very popular drink. So, you know, people love that. It doesn’t taste any different. It’s actually delicious.”
What question do guests ask you most about Ireland?
“Why do you love potatoes? Genuinely, people ask why did the Irish love potatoes? This again comes back to the stereotypes a bit, but then you have to kind of explain the Irish history about potatoes and why it’s so important. We love a potato — nothing wrong with a humble spud. It’s quite normal to go for a Carvery and they’ll have like four or five different types of potato that you can choose from because everyone does love a potato. But then you explain the kind of darker history, you know, with the potato famine, and how it was our staple diet for so long, partly because when it was introduced to Ireland it did really, really well. Actually, that’s the other thing people don’t realise — that the potato is not native to Ireland. They don’t know it was an introduced species. People are always asking “Do you actually eat this many potatoes?” I’m like, yeah, we do!”
What do you miss most when you’re away from Ireland?
“For me, it’s the food. Traditional Irish food. Things I can’t get in England. Yes, I can make a good Irish Stew in England, but in Ireland the quality of food is really, really amazing. They do pork like no one else, like rashers and black pudding, white pudding; a proper Irish fry up is delicious. Ireland’s got some of the best oysters, some really good seafood. Oh, and chicken fillet roll. They have a lot of deli counters in Ireland, where you could go to a deli counter in a petrol station and it will be amazing, you could get a whole roast dinner at a petrol station.
I miss being able to go and buy a loaf of Brennan’s bread or going and having a cup of Barry’s tea or, you know, going and getting all the sweets. Like I’m I’m obsessed with Manhattan popcorn. It’s the most simple plain popcorn. I love it to bits, and things like having a crisp sandwich like Tayto in proper Brennan’s bread, with lashings of like Kerrygold and just like proper sandwiches. I do miss that. The Irish do things differently and whether it’s better or worse, it’s different. Like a scone, as someone who comes from England, they’re all jam and cream and I’m like, no, no, butter and jam is the the best way to have a scone. That’s just the way that we were reared. But definitely I think the food is something I miss the most, as well as the nature. The nature over there is so beautiful.”
Do you have one piece of advice for first-time visitors?
“Come with the correct clothing! I know it sounds really trivial, but in Ireland you can have all the seasons in one day. You could have a sunburn by the end of a day where it was hailing 3 hours before. You just need to have the right clothes. There’s no such thing as bad weather here, there’s just the wrong clothing. In Ireland, everyone’s like, oh, it’s always wet, it’s always raining. Yeah, it does rain a lot, but that’s why our fields are so green and so lush, that’s why the scenery looks so pretty because we get a lot of rain. It’s a very wet climate, but it’s beautiful. And if you just have the right clothes and you go in with a good rain jacket, an umbrella in your bag, prepared for all seasons in a day then you will have a great time. It’s only a problem when people are wet or cold. Also, if the weather turns really bad just go inside, go into a cafe, go into a pub and just sit there. They still have proper open fires you can stand by, warm yourself up again with a bowl of soup.
So be prepared for the weather. That’s all. That’s the biggest piece of advice.”
Finish this: “You haven’t truly experienced Ireland until…”
“You’ve enjoyed the craic with the locals in the pub, a rural pub ideally, with a mixed group of every age, every generation, with a bunch of ‘old boys’. You’ll be having a few drinks and the next minute someone will stand up and start reciting poetry. They’ll start singing songs and it’ll come out of nowhere and it’ll be the person you least expect. Like some old fella in the corner will just stand up and start reciting poetry. They’ve got such an amazing oral tradition in Ireland, passing it on through music and poetry and the spoken word. We have so many amazing poets and writers that have come out of Ireland, that kind of generational thing is passed on.