Bloomsday, a singular celebration.

       June 16th is not an ordinary day in Ireland. On this day every year a celebration takes place where the life of Irish writer James Joyce is commemorated by his fans. The event was invented in 1954 and since then it has become so popular that today it is celebrated in many countries worldwide, but nowhere so brilliantly as, of course, in Ireland and especially in Dublin.

       The celebration includes an huge range of cultural activities, but the main one and the most representative consists in spending the day in the same way the characters from Ulises (a novel by J.Joyce) did. So people eat the same food, wear the same clothes, speak like the characters... And in Dublin, where the story takes places, people even follow the itinerary covered by Leopold Bloom, the main character, from whom the celebration took its name.

Sources:

http://blogs.elpais.com/juan_cruz/2012/06/bloomsday.html

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bloomsday.html

Off to Éire!

         Hello everyone! After reading so much about Ireland maybe you are thinking about making a trip to the island and feeling the Spirit of Éire for yourself. If so, I'm going to show you in this post several places you cannot miss out.

         Cliffs of Moher. They are located at the southwestern coast of the island and rise 702 feet over the ocean at their maximum heigh.

         The Cliffs took their name from an ancient stronghold that once stood over them. They have appeared in many movies, for example in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Take a look at this clip from the movie where you can see them:

         Dublin. Experienced travellers say that Dubliners are the kindest and most friendly people in the world. In the city, you will find infinite ways to have fun and places to visit, like the Guinnes Storehouse and the Dublin Castle.

         And do not forget to take a picture of Molly Malone statue, the young woman who inspired one of the most popular songs in Ireland!

         And finally, you cannot miss some of the spectacular castles sprinkled across Ireland’s lush, green countryside, like Blarney Castle, Bunratty Castle or Doe Castle. 

Bunratty Castle. County Clare, Ireland.

Sources:

http://www.discoverireland.com/us/