Luck o’ the Irish

I was torn between featuring travel tips in Ireland or Scotland. But when I looked up their personality types in Brent Massey’s, “Where in the World Do I Belong??” I discovered that he didn’t have an entry for Scotland—ouch—and Ireland was yet another country whose personality type is extroverted Organic Freedom (ENFP). For an uptight Classic Freedom (SFJ) like me, who swears her extroverted Organic Freedom siblings drive her crazy, I sure gravitate toward countries just like ’em. Maybe it’s because they’re so affable and nice.

Massey says of the Irish, they “have a clear perceiving preference for being casual, open-ended and spontaneous.” Plus, Organic Freedoms are known for wanting to maintain harmony and like many Irish, they’re good at pretending things are okay even when they’re not. I think this insight given in Massey’s book helped me finally understand how Ireland could’ve survived British rule for as long as they did—well, that and the might of the British Army.

Irish gems

Castle Matrix—Located near Rathkeale in Limerick, Matrix used to be a B&B and it’s still owned by the Driscoll family but no longer a B&B. They give tours by appointment, I believe—double check before running out the door though. I stayed there one magical night when our family visited to Ireland in the 80s. I can still remember almost every aspect of our stay right down to the owner’s delicious homemade mueslix. It’s a very cool, authentic place thattruly  transports you back 300-400 years. The castle was built in 1420 for the 7th Earl of Desmond. Some historians believe it was the inspiration for Spenser’s The Faerie Queene.

Dromoland Castle—Just north of Limerick in County Clare is a very luxurious castle, where you can actually stay overnight. One of my good friends just went there with her husband and in-laws and these particular in-laws don’t mess around so I know it’s good. A 5-star resprt with spa and golf, it was built in the 5th Century and was originally the ancestral home of one of the few families of Gaelic Royalty; direct descendants of Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland. From here you can see the Cliffs of Moher—image above—or head south to play golf at Ballybunion one of the top ranked golf courses in the world.

The Clarence Hotel—What’s cooler than staying at the hotel where U2 stays when they’re in town? Staying in a hotel partially owned by U2’s band members. Originally, built in 1852, The Clarence was past its prime by the seventies when its clientele swelled with artists, musicians, writers and designers who began to make the Temple Bar area their own. “Among the regulars were two members of the rock group U2, Bono & The Edge, whose fond recollections of their youthful haunt led them to assemble a consortium of Irish investors and purchased the hotel in 1992 with a view to restoring it to its former glory.” Arts & craft style