Above is a picture of a $2 Euro...the Irish version (see the harp?). "Daor" is Gaelic for "expensive". I can't even begin to relate to you how fucking (strong word, I know) much it costs to do ANYTHING in Ireland. Click on READ MORE for my diatribe on how Ireland went from famine to feast. If you're interested in going there someday, you'll wanna read this.Here's a sampling:
1. $100 US dollars to fill up the tank of a Nissan Elantra. Don't ask me how big the tank is - who gives a fuck? It's a $100 bucks to fill it up. Period.
2. Pack of cigarettes = $12 bucks. And all their packs say "I'm killing myself". Thanks for the reminder Ireland.
3. A cheeseburger (McDonald's or otherwise) = $4 bucks. Mmmmm....'tis such a good cheeseburger though.
4. Rent a car for 11 days = $1,000 bucks. Baile Átha Cliath, my ass. My high school friend Justyna and I got screwed over the same way when we went to watch the reading of my play, "Stan's Addiction", in Belfast in 2006. This trip it cost $500 bucks for insurance alone. Ireland, Iceland and Jamaica DO NOT accept your car insurance nor do they accept your credit card insurance coverage. And we didn't even have FULL coverage. The ONLY way you can beat these bastards at their insurance scam is own a Mastercard World or World Elite (one or the other or both, I forgot) card. That will cover you completely.
5. Meals = pretty much all overpriced. The food was consistently EXCELLENT though.
6. Pint of Guinness = about $6 bucks. Pretty standard, though the quality varied from pub to pub. On the whole, the Guinness was excellent and we consumed mass quantities but NEVER got drunk. Must've been all the "food" in the beer. :)7. Everything else = expensive.
8. The only thing that WAS NOT expensive was the cottage in Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary. $250 bucks for 7 days. Cheap. More on the cottage later. Oh - B&B's = $103 for two people/one night. Pretty standard. We did get a B&B that was run by a Californian for $50 bucks for the two of us and two bedrooms. Very nice. Sweet lady.
NOTE: Do NOT tip the bartender in a pub. They will kill you. Standard tipping in a restaurant is 10%. Do NOT over tip. They will kill you.
Nice work Jeff, thanks for the music and the info. Looks like you had a great trip. K
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more! This journey was MOST expensive, however I know I can't take it with me...... so out of the pocket it flew! Other options: 1.Go to only ONE area... and do it completely instead of trying to get it all in on one trip. Would suggest Galway for starters...very traditional music and food. 2.Jeff's suggestion of renting a cottage from Shamrock Cottages was the best deal in Ireland. Strongly suggest that for anyone wishing to see this fabulous island.
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