Here I am again, Saoirse O’Hanlon, living in France, just back from my lovely holiday in Ireland. I’ve noticed a lot of changes since I was last there, and realised that there is a lot of things I could have said, and compared in my first article.

I think the biggest thing that struck me, in Dublin, was the amount of different nationalities. Every second person was speaking a different language! Chinese, Spanish, Italian, French… but most of all, Polish. I heard that they are very nice people, good workers, and get on with everyone else, so I suppose it’s a good thing. My dad even found a Polish supplement in the Evening Herald

That’s good too, it should make them feel a bit more at home. I would like an Irish supplement in the French newspaper, but as far as I know, there are not many Irish people living in this part of France. Maybe ‘NewsFour’ could get something done there… we’ll see!

Something else that caught my attention, was the fact that Sunday was just like a normal working day, all the shops in town were open, and I saw lots of supermarkets and DIY stores open around the city. I don’t think I could ever get used to something like this, because in France everywhere closes.

One of the reasons why I loved Dublin was because there is a bit of everything there. Dublin City, full of people, noise, shops and quiet places, like Sandymount or Terenure. In Dublin City, I spotted a few French cafés, shops but also Italian restaurants, Chinese takeaways and African shops, lots of different cultures in the one city.

That’s what I really liked about Dublin, I’m so used to the same thing. The Basque country is all the same. All the houses are the same style, the restaurants all cook the same stuff, the shops sell the same things, so having such a big choice was really cool!

The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was something else– so much noise, so many people, so much everything. The big celebration here is the ‘Fítes de Bayonne’, and every village has its own festival around the same time. Just music and dancing really, maybe a little funfair, nothing like Dublin though. We found a nice little spot opposite the central bank on Dame Street, where we met our cousins.

After spending the rest of the parade with them, we walked back to the car, and it was freezing! The two things I remembered about the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was a lot of people and a lot of rain. I never remember it being so cold.

I also got a chance to visit other parts of Ireland. I went to Killarney, in Co. Kerry, and Dingle. My parents brought my sister, my brother and I to see the Cliffs of Moher. (Or as my little brother says, the clipps!) It was beautiful!

I also stayed in Limerick for a few days, to celebrate my granny’s birthday. (Happy birthday, Granny!) During my stay in Limerick, I had the chance to visit Bunratty Castle. It was beautiful! I had been there once or twice before, but don’t remember much, as I was younger.

While I was in Dublin, I called into the ‘NewsFour’ offices, and had the great pleasure of meeting Ann Ingle, which meant a lot to me.

Now that I have got to know my country a little better, I can honestly say that it seems a great place to be– even if it was a little expensive.

Above: With my sister Dearbhla and brother Briain at Lansdowne Dart Station