The bulk of our trip here in Ireland has focused on Irish businesses who export, and multi-nationals who come to do business here.  What we have not talked much about is the imports of people like us (the tourists who come here).  Ireland is a huge tourism destination, and despite it just being a tiny island about half the size of Pennsylvania, it ranks among top tourist countries in the world.

So why do people come to Ireland? When looking at the country at its surface, this can be a very difficult question to answer.  It faces the challenges of not having a dry, hot climate like most vacation or tourist destinations.  We have had great luck with weather during our time here in Ireland, but its mostly a cold and rainy climate. Not very Ideal for the average tourist.  Additionally, Ireland infrastructure is not set up to handle a large amount of people.  The roads are thin, traffic backs up easily, and most of the land is taken up by family farms.  (Which are cool to look at but might not be cool enough to travel multiple hours to see).  They just aren’t your average tourist destination, and these are all key challenges that Ireland faces in attracting people like our group.

On the other hand, Ireland has one thing that no other country can mimic, and that is their people and their culture.  I had no idea what I was walking into when I first got here.  I knew the Irish were proud of their heritage, but so is everybody.  There is so much tradition, history, and culture here that I feel bad for anybody who isn’t Irish.  It is just crazy how the whole country seems to be bought into this Irish nationalism and you see it everywhere.  Its something that I have never seen, felt, or experienced before coming here and it makes all of those challenges meaningless.  Despite the size, the roads, and the climate, Ireland is beautiful and its people are too.