The Irish Storyteller

​The stories, history, and folklore bring so much magic to a tour of Ireland.   I went on a tour of Ireland last you, and our guide was Mickey Nolan.  Mickey has been a tour guide been with Celtic Tours since 1988,and he was full of stories about everything Ireland; to the history and fun facts of the country today.

The stories, history, and folklore bring so much magic to a tour of Ireland.   I went on a tour of Ireland last you, and our guide was Mickey Nolan.  Mickey has been a tour guide been with Celtic Tours since 1988,and he was full of stories about everything Ireland; to the history and fun facts of the country today.
  
In Ireland, the accents are very strong depending on where you are in the country.  Even Mickey, who is from Dublin said there were some places it was hard for him to understand the dialect.  The country of Ireland is the size of North Carolina with a population of over six million people with a majority living in the county of Dublin.  The homeownership in Ireland is high at approximately 82%.  The one interesting story Mickey shared with us about homeowners is the water bills in Ireland are similar to taxes and are very high.  Many people in the country do not pay their water bills for years and years, and the counties had done nothing about it until recently.  Since fifty percent of Irish household do not pay their water bill and never have, the county is trying to pass laws to make people pay.  The Irish water commissions do not turn off the household's water either.  It has become a hot topic in Ireland over the last year.  

They drive on the left side of the road (more about the history of driving on the left in another blog), and unlike the US, there are seat belt laws on all buses.  The driver is responsible for all of the passengers.  The company tracks all of the buses, and after a certain amount of time, it alerts the driver to take a break.  The tracking systems only allow the driver to drive so many days per week to be driving the truck. At any time the police can board the bus and see if everyone has their seatbelt on and check the driver’s log.  There are stringent rules in Ireland with coaches to keep everyone safe.
  
The Euro is the currency in Ireland.  Mickey shared with us a simple way to quickly know which Euro is the 1 and 2 Euro coin since all of the coins are similar. If the coin has silver, it is the Euro coin.  The one Euro coin has a silver centerpiece, and the 2 Euro coin has the silver circumference.  He also offered a tip to make it easier in a shop – If you are in the shop, hold out your hand to let the shopkeeper take the coins as needed for the sale if you are unsure.  The shop keepers will happily help you with this.  Though Mickey pointed out to not do this with the beggars, since that may evoke a different reaction, then you may want.  

In the next blog, Mickey shares more stories about the political system in Ireland along with highway art and where did driving on the left side of the road come from.