The Ireland Edit · The Canon
The Ireland Edit
Way.
Thirteen essays on what Ireland is actually like, written from inside it.
Volume I · 13 of 13 published
Editor's Note
We live here. We are American. We have spent a decade noticing the things about Ireland that get lost in translation, the small truths the guidebooks never quite find. These thirteen essays are those truths.
The canon is finite by design. Thirteen essays. Four territories. No more. When the last one is written, we will bind them and start Volume II. Read them in order or read them as you find them. They are meant to be re-read.
Deborah Nunez · Editor
The Canon
Thirteen essays, in four territories.
Published essays read in full. Forthcoming entries are listed so the shape of the canon is visible from the first visit.
Territory · 1–3
Culture
What the country is actually like, once you stop performing the trip.
01
Essay · 12 min read
What Americans Get Wrong About Irish People
The friendliness is real. The warmth is not the same thing.
Read the essay02
Essay · 7 min read
Why Nobody Is In A Hurry
The country is not slow. It is unwilling to be rushed.
Read the essay03
Essay · 8 min read
The Irish Luxury Americans Don't Notice
The most valuable things in this country are rarely the ones being sold.
Read the essay
Territory · 4–6
Hospitality & House
How welcome is built in Ireland, and why it feels different.
04
Essay · 6 min read
The Irish House Is The Centre Of Everything
To understand Ireland, stop looking at the castles and start looking at the kitchen table.
Read the essay05
Essay · 4 min read
The Difference Between Hospitality And Service
The best Irish hotels inherit their manners from Irish kitchens.
Read the essay06
Essay · 3 min read
The Irish Hotel Test We Use Before Booking
The questions we ask before we send anyone we love to a hotel in this country.
Read the essay
Territory · 7–8
Land & Weather
The country teaching you how to slow down without asking.
Territory · 9–13
Americans In Ireland
The arrival, the conversation, the wanting to come back.
09
Essay · 7 min read
What Americans Get Wrong About Being Irish-American
The Ireland your family left is not the Ireland you are visiting. What that means for the trip.
Read the essay10
Essay · 3 min read
What I Tell Every American Friend Before Their First Trip
The letter we have written more times than any other, set down properly.
Read the essay11
Essay · 8 min read
The Biggest Mistake Americans Make In Irish Pubs
The mistake is not the beer. It is treating the pub as a sight to tick off instead of a room to inhabit.
Read the essay12
Essay · 8 min read
The Best Day Of Your Trip Will Not Be On The Itinerary
And what that means for how you plan one.
Read the essay13
Essay · 7 min read
What To Actually Do With That Parish Name
The companion to No. 9. Four things to do before you fly, and how to spend the day so it lands.
Read the essay
The Principles
The six ideas underneath every essay.
I.
Ireland rewards attention more than movement.
II.
Stay longer. Choose fewer hotels.
III.
Travel through people, not through sights.
IV.
Book moods, not rooms.
V.
The best experiences are rarely planned.
VI.
Luxury is staying put.
When You Are Ready