Lucky Charms & Guinness

I am here to dispel all those myths and legends you have heard your whole life about Ireland. Starting with mythical things you were told by cereal companies as a child, all the way up to drinking tales told by beer companies as an adult.

I present to you rhetoric and photographic evidence of my findings...

MYTH: Dublin is fun/historic/a drinking town/the heartbeat of Ireland.

FACT: If Dublin fell into the murky east ocean of Ireland I would probably celebrate by hosting some exorbitant party. I would not serve potatoes. Dublin is not fun. Dublin is like the Philadelphia of Ireland, but without interesting historic landmarks. Having a relatively small urban city center, it boasts nothing more then a couple pints and some cheap tarts (both of the pie variety and the lady-folk). Sure, some of the filthy buildings were great to look at and Graffon Street does have some nice shopping, but so does the internet. Like right at this very moment you are on the internet & will get to see the same exact great Dublin buildings:

top to bottom: just a Bar, a Bank, a Shopping Mall, and a Church.

LEGEND: Leprechauns are real

FACT: This one is actually true.

hiking along and found what appears to be a leprechauns house. he wasn't home.

MYTH/LEGEND: Ireland is full of graceful green rolling hills and pristine country-side.

FACT: Also actually true... but, we need to have a short historic recap to get to the bottom of this (pun intended, read on). The wise men built their houses upon the rock; in Irelands case: limestone. There is actually an area called "The Burren" which one can only conclude comes from the latin bases "Burr" or "to bare" and "en" or "not". (I made that up, but I bet I am right). So the Burren is barren - it is miles and miles of limestone hills. Indentured servants moved all of the rock out of the surface layer to get to the bottom layer of the mountainsides so they could plant crops. Peoples entire existences were based around moving rocks from the ground and lining them up alongside the property lines. The results: graceful green rolling hills and pristine country-side.

a potato farm

county clare

MYTH: Ireland is haunted
FACT: I wish. I went to the two castles below, and even slept overnight in one of them. Neither were haunted. Perhaps they are haunted, but they just were respectful of me.

Spent my first Irish night in this Killkenny Castle: definitely not haunted.

Rock of Cashel: also not haunted

MYTH: The Fighting Irish concept

FACT: I have travelled the world and the ones I met are some of the most accommodating, friendliest, warm people I have come across.

a couple shots of adorable men who were lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy

MYTH: Mary Ann McMullen doesn't love Ireland

FACT: Let me tell you about the things in Ireland that are worthy of my love: The entire west coast. I loved it. Adventure is to be had there. I hiked to ancient ruins, I caved to underground waterfalls, I leaned over the Cliffs of Moher's sheer 700 ft. drops, I hung out at the World Ocean Race in-port festival, I took a cruise to the celtic Aran Islands, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Inishmore Island

Cliffs of Moher

Galway Docks

World Ocean Race in Port

High Crosses of Tipperary

Dun Aengus

Waterfall Underground

Aillwee Caves & me having the time of my life in Ireland.