- What to bring from Ireland from alcohol?
- Celtic heritage
- Warmth to body and soul
- Fragile happiness
Having learned about the upcoming journey through the Irish meadows and copses, cities and towns, the tourist begins to fantasize, to imagine a mysterious land where red-haired beauties live, courageous warriors-defenders of their native (Irish) land, mysterious mythological characters. And he is also preoccupied with the question of what to bring from Ireland, what this mysterious corner of the planet is famous for. In the material below, we will try to give the fullest possible answer to the question of the most colorful gifts.
What to bring from Ireland from alcohol?
The first problem, what to bring from alcoholic beverages, is solved primitively simply - only whiskey. It is Ireland that is declared the birthplace of this peculiar, but beloved by many drink. It is interesting that in this country it received the name "water of life", was first used as a medicine, and only much later passed into the category of alcohol.
The difficulty lies in another, how not to get confused in local varieties, to choose the most worthy and delicious, in the opinion of those to whom it is being prepared as a gift. Experts advise to pay attention to the following characteristics of Irish whiskey - separation by varieties: single malt (only barley malt is used); clean (cooked with green barley); single-grain (special column stills are used for distillation); blended.
The latest whiskey is a mixture of all the previous ones or some of them. Among the most famous Irish whiskeys are Jameson and Tullamore Dew. They are distinguished by a mild taste, delicate aroma, which contains notes of lemon and walnut. It is clear that such a gift will appeal primarily to relatives, friends and colleagues, representatives of the strong half of humanity. For their companions, you need to think about other souvenirs and presentations.
Celtic heritage
The female half will not remain indifferent to Irish jewelry, especially to those made in accordance with ancient Celtic designs. Irish designers, noticing that such products are in high demand, annually offer new lines of jewelry made of gold, silver or ceramics.
In Ireland, there are well-known brands such as Solvar, and small artisan workshops that make unique pieces of jewelry. The most popular in this country: rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets with the image of the shamrock, the main Irish symbol; decorations with an Irish cross (a kind of competitor to the clover leaf); claddagh rings.
The last piece of jewelry is especially interesting, it first appeared in the Irish village of Claddah, it looks like a ring, where a pair of hands holds a heart and a crown. This traditional decoration was presented as a sign of friendship (symbol of hands) or love (heart), the crown meant "loyalty". Sometimes these words were written as a motto on the inner surface of the ring, they were passed on as the most valuable things along the female line, either from a grandmother to a granddaughter, or from a mother to a daughter.
Warmth to body and soul
Ireland belongs to the European countries with a rather cold climate, where knitted items, fabrics and knitwear that keep warm well are held in high esteem. Of all the Irish territories, the Aran Islands stood out, where they invented their own knitting technique, named after the area - Aran knitting. Intricate weaves and plaits look very pretty, while adorning men's coarse sweaters.
Knowledgeable people will tell you in secret that this is not just a pattern, it is a kind of story about life, the family of the person who wears it, and traditions. Each pattern is a symbol, a reminder to people of some famous Irish family, or of a skilled craftswoman who manually knitted such a miracle. Today we have mastered machine knitting in the Aran technique, but if you go to the islands, you can return with a new thing knitted by hand.
Fragile happiness
Another wonderful gift that ladies will be delighted with is Irish crystal. The most famous enterprise for the manufacture of fragile beauty is located in the town of Waterford, where the strictest control over the quality of products is organized. If the slightest defect is detected, the products are immediately destroyed.
Some travelers prefer not to mess with crystal or glass foreign gifts, considering that transportation is very troublesome. A small candlestick, ashtray, mug, Christmas tree decorations or glasses will not take up much space, but they will become one of the brightest souvenirs about a trip to fabulous Ireland.
As you can see, Irish gifts are diverse, interesting, many of them have deep symbolic meaning, others are based on old legends or technologies. Whiskey and Aran sweaters will fill any winter evening with warmth, jewelry in the old Irish style or Claddagh rings will help you look royal at any social event. Gifts for yourself and for friends or family will remind the traveler of a beautiful Irish fairy tale for a long time.
