Tourism numbers drop steeply to Ireland in 2010

Mullins, sounds like you were the ignorant foreigner in our country. Calling one of our workers a derogatory name is unacceptable. Anyone can make a mistake giving back change, it happens more often than not in the US. Don't be so bigoted.

ireland is a multi cultural country and workers in our tourism industry reflect that. Very biased of you to expect to have only whatever your definition of Irish is involved in our tourism industry. Hiring discrimination is illegal in Ireland, sounds like it's not in the US.

Spent 3 weeks in Ireland Sept 2010, the only ignorance I saw came from the foreign workers, cashier in supermarket in Kilkenny short changed me by 10 euros, an irish lady in the lineup was so embarrassed she ran outside to apologize on behalf of the Irish people, I was long gone by then, next morning she stopped me on the street to tell me how angry she was at how I was treated. She was going to call into the radio station to have her say. I told her that it would take alot more than an ignorant foreigner to turn me against Ireland. I had the time of my life, love the island, love the people, can't wait to get back.

@AjReaper - I live near Tombstone and have done so for over 5 years. Not once, while in and around Tombstone, has someone asked me where the cowboys and Indians are located. I've been asked where one can go to see the ACTORS who are cowboys and Indians but never have I come across anyone who thinks it's still the Old West here. Really?

I'm sorry to disagree with you but, I was recently in Ireland and I came across nothing but Irish citizens working in both the tourism industry and most of the businesses we ate/shopped/spent time in. I can say there was one exception and that being the maid at our hotel. However, every tour we took, every taxi in which we rode, every Hop On/Hop Off, every employee of every attraction, was Irish. My trip there was the single most enjoyable trip I've ever taken and I would love to do it again. Since coming back, I've shared with pretty much every relative and friend I have (as well as a number of total strangers) how much they need to see Ireland. I experienced a great deal of Irish culture and loved every minute of it, including my son and I getting lost in Dun Laoghaire looking for the train station. The charm of visiting Ireland is still there, believe me.

LOL. then Dublin I presume you feel right at home with me? Since you neglected to present any thought, opinion, or information on the topic I can only assume you are incapable.

Ajreaper you are an idiot.

I have to agree with GeorgeD. It's rather disappointing to travel to Ireland, expecting the tourist industry to be employing Irish people and instead find yourself being served by foreigners. Besides viewing the scenic landscapes, most Americans want to experience some Irish culture firsthand. If I want to interact with Poles, for example, I'll go to Poland. Ajreaper, at least there are Indians in Arizona - the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, Yuma, etc. You should've told them to go to Texas for "cowboys."

My guess would be they hire from those who apply- I know many tour operators will advertise the fact they have Irish guides, folks often born and raised in the areas they take tourists to, to assume your driver, bar man, or waiter will be "Irish" is a bit silly considering the number of immigrants to Ireland during the years of the Celtic Tiger. I attended school in Tombstone AZ, famous for the gun fight at the OK corral and tourist would often ask us where the cowboys and indians were, much to our amusement. Sometimes having preconcieved notions about the place and it's people can often lead to disappointment.

I am always struck at how the Irish media look right past the elephant in the room when it comes to declining tourist numbers. I refer to the fact that in a country which sells its tourism experience in large part on words like "people" and "culture", it turns out that the hospitality industry prefers to hire foreigners rather than Irish people for jobs as drivers, restaurant staff, barmen, hotel receptionists, even the ones who sell the tourist kitsch in Carrolls. A friend of mine took a bus tour of the Ring of Kerry. The driver was a guy from Moldova. My friend took it almost as a personal insult that the Irish tour operator would employ a foreigner with very imperfect English just because he'd work for minimum waqe. My friend won't be back in a hurry--he considered it an insult that his tourist euro had been avariciously grabbed by some fly-by-night tour operator in Kerry. Irish tourism operators don't deserve success as long as they prefer to pay the lowest common denominator to migrant cheap labor rather than give jobs to local people who know something of the history and folklore of a place.