It’s well known that everyone from the USA to the UK loves to claim that they’ve got a little Irish heritage, no matter how small that fraction may be, and come St. Patrick’s day you’re likely to hear every variation possible. I’m sure if I did enough research, I’d be able to boast a good 5% in there somewhere, way back down my descendants’ line, but until that day, I unfortunately have no obvious connection to Ireland.
I chose to take this Irish Culture & History online experience because I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland, and with the world the way it has been for the past year or so, it’s not been on the cards.
The Airbnb page for the experience seemed exciting, boasting craic (which according to Google means ‘an enjoyable social activity and a good time’), as well as quizzes, music, scary stories and games throughout an interactive style tour. This was also completely booked out for weeks in advance, which made me think this must be good!
So when the date came, I grabbed a can of Guinness, chucked on my one green item of clothing, and got comfortable in front of my computer, ready to have a good time.
The Experience
After a welcome video of Michael Flatley’s Irish dancing, our guide for the evening Mark appeared with his very happy dog Missy. We went around the group of nine and introduced ourselves, specifying where in the world we were from, with a few adding exactly what percentage of Irish they were (naturally), before Mark began his own introduction.
In usual times Mark is a tour guide around a village just outside of Dublin, but like many he’s had to adapt to a new way of life for the time being. He’d obviously invested in some high-tech equipment for the experience, with lots of drone shots and high-quality panoramic videos that really gave you the impression you were out for a walk on the hills with him and Missy.
Unlike with real life, this was guaranteed good weather, which does make a huge difference when we’re talking of a land that was historically left to the Celtics by the Romans because they didn’t want to deal with the cold and wet climate.
Mark talked us through Ireland’s history including the Celtics, St. Patrick and the Vikings. Next, he told a range of anecdotes and stories including those of Grace O’Malley the Pirate Queen, the origin of the term ‘wake’ and the mysterious plaque of Frier Pat Noise.
Throughout the call Mark would constantly aim to get us involved with some pop quiz questions. Unfortunately for him, most of us seemed to work out that it was probably always going to be the least likely answer quickly.
My Thoughts
There were honestly some very interesting stories about Irish history and culture that I really enjoyed. I felt like I learnt a few facts and fun anecdotes. The expert footage from Mark all taken on a clear and beautiful day was pretty to watch.
Although a very light-hearted tour with plenty of references to drinking, I think the mood was a little more serious than I was expecting from the original description.
I was expecting more interactive games than the odd pop-up question on our screens. However, I think this is always going to change depending on the group of people you’re put with and exactly what you’re interested in gaining from the tour itself.
