Beauty From Cliffs to Pubs

Celebrating the warmth and joy of Ireland

Almost all photos by Alexandra Moreo

Hello everyone,

Ally and I just visited Ireland, a country of friendly people, green countryside, fresh air, and cozy pubs. Throughout the trip, we were taken aback by the friendliness of the Irish we encountered — hotel workers, housekeepers, bartenders, bus drivers, etc. It’s for good reason that Irish people are famous for their welcoming nature.

“Céad Míle Fáilte” is a traditional Irish greeting that means "a hundred thousand welcomes,” and we found it to be more than just a saying. Irish culture is full of genuine warmth and hospitality, as many of the Irish make strangers and tourists feel like old friends.

On an ordinary Monday night, we saw pubs alive with traditional music. Ireland’s musical tradition brings people together at pubs, even at 10 p.m. on a cold, dreary weeknight in mid-November. Friends seemed to gather just to celebrate one another, not for any other reason — something tells me they know that life itself is the special occasion, unfolding every moment of every day.

We spent our last evening at Devitts Pub in Dublin, seated at a small table tucked near a corner. As we listened to the band perform, a few guys next to us — about our age, late 20s — started grooving to the music. Two of them had a pint of Guinness raised high and another was mid-selfie, while they danced near us, not exactly with us. They were laughing, singing along to parts of the songs, enjoying themselves.

Then one of them turned, making eye contact. "Hope we're not in your way," he said. When we assured them they weren't, he smiled—genuinely interested now. He could sense we weren’t local. "How've you found Ireland?" he asked.

They listened, genuinely curious, and then, as the music kept playing around us, they wished us a safe journey home—not perfunctory, but with that true, quintessential Irish warmth.

It was just another night in Dublin, where strangers aren't really strangers at all.

There are pubs on almost every street in Dublin, all for fostering community and connection. Often, there’s music, too. Traditional Irish music, played with instruments like the fiddle, tin whistle, and bodhrán (a traditional drum), is passionate and lively. Irish pubs aren’t merely places to drink — and, wow, some locals can really drink — they’re social hubs for community, conversation, and music.

A few friends we met on a bus tour

As a writer and reader, I also appreciate how Ireland has produced some of the world's most celebrated writers, including James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and George Bernard Shaw. The country has an appreciation for the written word, stories, poems, and passing down traditions from generation to generation. There are plenty of libraries and bookshops both in Dublin and small towns. It might not be a coincidence that the country has produced so many literary heroes. It’s probably a reflection of a culture that deeply reveres storytelling and knows that narratives weave community and preserve collective memory.

Of course, Ireland is known for its rolling green countryside and the rugged Cliffs of Moher. The landscape is so green that Ireland is often called the "Emerald Isle,” a name with roots in ancient Celtic mythology, which regarded green as a sacred color.

The Irish are also funny. They find humor in many aspects of life, which reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. Quick-witted, dry, and self-deprecating is how I’d describe it. After all, none of us is getting out of this life alive.

We left Ireland for home with an appreciation for a culture that celebrates human connection in its authentic form.

Celebrate your gifts,

Matthew

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P.S. — A belated Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Check out this heartwarming gesture by Robert Berkman, one of our former neighbors in Brooklyn…