How Almost Any U.S. Citizen Can Get an Irish Passport Today...

Lonely Overseas? Not If You Follow the Lamb Stew Rule

Ireland is more than a beautiful country. Its people are what keep me coming back year after year.|©iStock/Paul-Briden

The owner looked up from behind the bar.

"Hey, lamb stew!" he called with a grin. "How's it going?"

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I hadn't been in his pub in three years. COVID had kept me away from Ireland. I'd just walked back into this little pub in Waterford and headed for my usual seat. Thousands of customers had come through his doors since my last visit.

And somehow, he remembered me.

We caught up for a minute. Then I ordered the only thing I'd ever ordered there."Lamb stew and a Smithwicks."

(Want an Irish beer beyond Guinness? Smithwicks is a great pick. Just say it right: "Smih-tiks." Thank me later.)

His smile faltered. "Ah, lad. Not on the menu now."

My heart sank. It felt like hearing an old friend had moved away. Or like when a pretty girl lets you know you'll never get past the friend zone. Seeing my face, he laughed.

"Wait."

He disappeared into the kitchen. A minute later, he was back. "No worries," he said. "We're on it." Soon, a bowl of lamb stew arrived, next to a perfectly poured Smithwicks.

That, right there, is why you go to Ireland.

How a Stranger Became "Lamb Stew"

I first found Grattan Bar in 2019. I arrived in Waterford on a rainy afternoon. (In Ireland, that's a bit like saying the sky was up.)

Hungry, I spotted the pub along the River Suir and ducked inside. It was just what you'd hope an Irish pub would be. Wooden bar. Wooden tables. Irish flags. A proper lineup of Irish whiskeys. And lamb stew on the menu.

Lamb and I go way back. Add soft potatoes, carrots, and a rich broth, and I'm a customer for life. During my six weeks in Waterford, I went back a slightly stalkerish number of times. 

Same seat. Same stew. Same Smithwicks.

Soon the owner was chatting with me the way only an Irishman can. He told me his life story. He explained hurling (a sport that's a bit like hockey and lacrosse combined) as if it held the secrets of life. And when rain hammered the windows, he'd just shrug: "Only a bit'a wind."

I didn't do anything special. I just kept showing up.

"I Know Someone"

It happens all over Ireland. One afternoon at a restaurant on Inch Beach, out on the Dingle Peninsula, I realized I'd forgotten to book a room for the night.

One afternoon at a sand-front restaurant in Inch Beach, way down on the Dingle Peninsula that sticks out into the Atlantic like a workman’s rugged finger, I realized I’d not made a hotel reservation for the night. 

A waiter overheard me. "I know someone," he said.

He called a friend who ran a B&B down the coast. Within minutes, I had a room overlooking the water. No apps. No searching. No stress. Just someone helping because they could.

Maybe I’m just lucky with the Irish. Or maybe the Irish just always seem to step up and go beyond to help or befriend you, like you’re a stray who probably needs a feedin’ and a good scratch behind the ears.

You'll Remember the People

I've had moments like that in pubs in Dingle and Youghal. Even at a bank in County Kildare. Spend time outside Dublin, and the country wraps itself around you. The scenery helps. The coast looks like something out of a fantasy movie. Even the rain becomes part of the fun.

But long after you forget which castle you toured, you'll remember the people. The publican who knew you after three years. The waiter who found you a bed. The strangers who stopped feeling like strangers.

The Biggest Fear About Moving Abroad (and Why It's Wrong)

I've been to 77 countries. Here's what I've learned. For most people, the big worry about moving abroad isn't visas or paperwork. It's being lonely.  Being the outsider who doesn't know anyone.

You won't be. You don't need to join a club or speak the language perfectly.

Just alight in the city of your choice and pick a pub, pick a café, pick a local bakery or a vendor in a farmer’s market. Sit in the same seat. Order the same thing. 

Do it enough, and one day someone looks up and says, "Hey, lamb stew!"

You don't have to hunt for community overseas. Keep showing up, and it finds you. Ireland just gets you there faster than most.

And maybe that’s the bigger message here. The niggling worry about moving abroad is that you’ll forever be a stranger in a strange land. That you’ll never find community and will live in loneliness. Grattan Bar says the reality is easier than you think.

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