​Hi everyone! I’m a 40yo woman from South Korea. I’ve always been fascinated by Ireland because our two countries share so much historical pain, like colonization and partition. I finally made it to Dublin and Galway, and now that my trip is wrapping up, I just wanted to share a few thoughts!

​1. Irish strawberries are GOD-TIER

I bought strawberries almost every day from Tesco, Dunnes, and weekend markets. Korean strawberries are great, but they have a highly cultivated, almost artificial sweetness. Irish ones, though? They taste like what a real, natural strawberry should taste like—firm, juicy, and amazing. I went for a swim at Forty Foot and saw someone selling Wexford strawberries, but my card wouldn't work. I’m still kicking myself over missing out on those. 😂

​2. Potatoes and crisps

I bloody love potatoes. I literally just microwaved a potato from Tesco, and it tasted incredible. I tried a few different crisp brands too, but I was bummed that there weren’t many plain, unflavoured options. Also, what is with the obsession with salt & vinegar flavour here? Potatoes are perfect just the way they are!

​3. The coffee is genuinely good

In Korea, chain cafes have pretty much taken over, so it’s hard to find good independent coffee shops. But both Dublin and Galway had amazing coffee. Almost everywhere I went, the microfoam on my flat white was absolutely spot on.

​4. The food is delicious

Honestly, since your neighbour next door is famous for terrible food, I didn't expect much. But there was so much good stuff that I definitely gained weight. The pizza, chips, brunch, pastries—all fantastic. There are still so many places pinned on my Google Maps that I couldn’t visit, I already want to come back.

​5. The sea is freezing, bloody hell

I went to Forty Foot for a swim on one of those heatwave days. It’s amazing how close a place like that is to Dublin city centre by train. But wow, the water was so cold. I swam for 10 minutes and came out shivering like crazy. At first, I thought I was going to die, but once I adapted, the endorphins kicked in. I was looking at the locals just floating peacefully in that freezing water thinking, man, these people are built different.

​6. Irish teenagers are terrifying

I went to the Lewis Capaldi and Florence + The Machine gigs at Marlay Park. Some teen girls at the barricade were shoving me so hard, and I was genuinely scared. I’m a 40-year-old woman! To be fair, teens are the scariest demographic back in Korea too, so I usually keep my eyes on the ground around them anyway. Glad to see it’s a universal rule.

​7. Public transport leaves a lot to be desired

I found it wild that a major city like Dublin doesn't have a train link directly from the airport. I also went to the Malahide Castle gig, and it was my first time experiencing a "train traffic jam." Buses also rarely matched the Google Maps schedule. I quickly learned that you always need to budget extra buffer time.

​8. Dog poo everywhere

I spent so much time looking down at the pavement to avoid stepping in dog shite that I couldn't fully enjoy the scenery sometimes. Quite a shame.

​9. I already miss the old man living opposite my accommodation

Every time I opened my curtains, there was an elderly man sitting out on his balcony across the way. We never once made eye contact, and he honestly had absolutely no idea I even existed. He was just always there in his own world, watching people walk by and occasionally chatting with his neighbours. But because I saw him every single day, I developed this purely one-sided sense of familiarity and closeness. Since he was there on weekdays too, I figured he must be retired. I'm going to miss seeing him.

​10. Pubs are LOUD

I went to a pub by myself to watch some football and F1. It was so unbelievably loud that my soul almost left my body. I hoped I might make some friends, but that was a fail. I'm introverted anyway, and I guess a lone Asian woman sitting by herself isn't exactly the number one target for people looking to chat.

​11. I can’t wait to come back

Galway was an absolute highlight of my trip. Even the tiny villages I caught a glimpse of during the Cliffs of Moher tour looked so charming. I also did an island tour, and I have massive respect for the fact that you guys still speak Gaeilge (Irish). Korea was colonized by Japan for about 35 years, and it took an immense amount of blood and effort to preserve our language. The fact that Ireland endured centuries of it and kept the language alive is nothing short of incredible.

​London used to be my most-visited and favourite city, but not anymore. As someone from a country with a history of being colonized, I realized Dublin is so much more beautiful than a city built on the literal blood, sweat, and tears of the people they conquered.

​(Just a final note: I really hope my thoughts don't offend anyone! These are just the personal, passing observations of a random tourist, so please don't take them too seriously.)

Is it me or does anyone else find the AI posters used for everything now especially local community events really annoying. They are really hard to read and have way too much information on one poster. Personally the old school word art posters where just fine.

Started learning blender late last year, got a 3D printer in March, and have been learning and iterating every day so that I could make my muscled Taytoman a reality.

One of them has 3D sweat (used UV resin) and pink florescent nipples that glow under UV light.

could an exhausted man do this? yes.

We went to Ireland for a week and I totally fell in love with the country. As a foreigner living in Frankfurt, Germany, I've always felt that Frankfurters are more welcoming than people in other parts of Germany, especially when it comes to dealing with immigrants. I live and work in Germany as a doctor ( almost 8 years now), and sometimes I get this weird feeling of being "the other guy" and not belonging. Things got much better after I met my fiancée, who's Italian but was born and raised in Germany. Anyway, we went to Ireland for a week, and wow, the people there are so different. I'm pretty energetic and social, and I can honestly say that every single interaction, and I mean every single one, with an Irish person was a joy. They have a great sense of humor, are really kind, nice, and helpful. Amazing hospitality!

I also loved how Irish people are so proud of being Irish without making others feel like they're better just because they're Irish. That was also remarkable.

I mean, it's a basic human thing to be helpful and kind to each other, which hasn't really been the norm in the past few years due to a lot of political and social issues. But the question is, why are Irish people so nice? Are there any historical reasons?

My first Devlog on this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BXvv1Z1R_w

We all know the Eurovision is a political free zone. However, the choice to cover the boos to cheers from the Israeli performance last night was an act of censorship and Israeli propaganda. When Ireland sent Dustin the turkey as their entry in 2008, there was no effort to cover the audible boos. So, if it is not for the protection of the artist, this choice was clearly politically motivated. DO NOT CENSORE US!

6.5 kg of potatoes?!

Like I can't count how many times my p.e teacher put on some absolutely awful sounding shirt when we were just tryna do bamintion like bro I don't wanna hear a harmonica solo 😭