The people of Ireland

Sligo

I had always heard that the people in Ireland were friendly and welcoming, but you can only really understand that once you have been here for some time. I would like to compare the hospitality of the Irish to that of those in the Midwest, but that is still not quite true.
From day one up until now, the friendliness and kindness that the locals show us is truly humbling. I was apprehensive at first and thought perhaps this was some sort of facade towards the tourists here, but I was most definitely wrong. This last weekend a small group of us took a trip to two smaller cities, Sligo and Letterkenny. Not knowing what really to expect, we meandered through the city streets looking for shops or other attractions to visit.

We found a small shop with many different wood carvings in the window so we decided to go inside. Once inside we found an older gentleman named Micheal. He was an older man, but his face told so many stories. As we were looking about his shop, he stopped working on his carving and came and talked to us about the history of Sligo and the lore behind the lands. He even cut smaller pieces of flat wood so he could make each of us our own wood etching! 

This kind of kindness is not exclusive. Waiters and waitresses at restaurants will show you the same kindness, as will any. After departing from Sligo we made our way to Letterkenny, a small but beautiful town. We met and conversed with many different people here, and the same welcoming tone was common. Its not something that you can get totally used to. Coming from the states, it continues to be a wonderful experience.

Letterkenny Church