ATTENTION TO DETAIL | IRELAND
Not going to lie, a lot of our trip to Ireland was sightseeing nature and drinking pints upon pints of Guinness per day. In between our Paddywagon countryside tours, we spent time in the major cities of Dublin, Galway, and Cork. Here, there is a plethora of hand-painted type and the kind of painstakingly intricate artistic detail only somewhere overseas can offer. I didn't take as many pictures of type that I had hoped, but I think what I've got is pretty good:
GUINNESS STOREHOUSE
St. James Gate
Ushers, Dublin 8
The Guinness Storehouse was our first stop after we got off the plane. We hoped it would help us stay awake, and it delivered. The exhibits are immersive and full of multi-media displays and oversized artifacts. I especially appreciated the portion on roasting, the type treatment made it look and feel like you are in an oven!
U ARE ALIVE Mural
Grantham Street, Dublin
This mural has apparently had some changes over time (pictured below) -- but when we were there it looked like this awesome 3D type explosion. It put a huge smile on my face and I wish I drove by it every day on my way to work. It was painted by Maser & Aches, and can be found on Instagram @achesdub
These two images are from the website linked above. The rainbow mural image is from Maser's Twitter @MaserArt. It was painted to celebrate Ireland's vote to legalize gay marriage.
The Pie Maker
10 Cross Street Upper
Galway, H91 C932
Eating at this restaurant is like a dream come true. It's totally cramped, has a bunch of random clutter everywhere, and the bathroom is the smallest bathroom I've ever been in in my life. I had to strategically maneuver for some time to get it right. It's completely unique to anywhere I've ever been before. Each plate was hand painted, and the pies were to die for. I got some sort of vegetarian pot pie on the menu, and I thought it was one of the best meals I had in Ireland.
The Crown Liquor Saloon
46 Great Victoria St.
Belfast, BT2 7BA, UK
We only had an hour in Belfast, and it was a mad dash to get to this bar. Apparently, everyone else in the city decided to join us. It's a beautifully decorated 1820's pub, with carved-mahogany booths and gas lamps. Unfortunately, it was so packed with people that I didn't take any pictures inside. What I managed to capture was some of the detail from the exterior of the building. The beautiful tile work sits next to the ordinary sidewalk, getting stepped on all day.
The craftsmanship came from Italian workers, who were in Belfast during the 1800s building churches. The building has gone through almost 1 million pounds in renovations over the last several decades, bringing it back to its original Victorian glory.
Kinsale, County Cork
Kinsale is a sleepy little town, with winding streets and a nice harbor. A lot of older people wandering around...
My favorite part was exploring the side streets and seeing the colorful row houses and doors. We came upon this 'original Guinness advertisement' according to the internet. I can't find much else about it, although it definitely seems old and hand painted.
Jameson Distillery
Old Distillery Walk
Middleton, Co. Cork, Ireland
The Jameson Distillery tour was about an hour long. We walked along the grounds of the old site, and learned how they would have produced their product. Not a lot of typography, per se, but there's lots of branding in the gift shop! It's interesting to see the special labels and design evolution when it comes to an established and historic brand like this.
Blarney Castle Poison Garden
Monacnapa, Blarney
Co. Cork, Ireland
BONUS! Not typography, but I love stuff like this. Blarney Castle has an extensive poison garden with these glass faces everywhere. I, of course, made up that they are death masks to warn people from consuming any of these plants. I also made up that they're to ward off evil spirits? Maybe birds? I don't know, and I actually can't find anything online about them.
![LUFT [AIR] MUSEUM | AMBERG](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0a3312_6fab8e2260624d55a899b063df4f2619~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_74,h_99,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/0a3312_6fab8e2260624d55a899b063df4f2619~mv2.jpeg)
