Quick question for Chattanooga from Ireland.. (East Brainerd, Walden: appointed, university, camps)

[Penguinssmell]

Hey guys, i was just wondering do you get many Irish people visiting your town during the summer months? Thousands of Irish students take part in a work and travel programme to the states every year, but i've never heard of any going to TN. So i was wondering do any wander up your way and what kind of reception do they get or are they well behaved? Or perhaps is there already an Irish contingent in Chattanooga at all, seems to be a couple irish bars? I was thinking about checking out north carolina this summer, but i dont want to travel all the way over there to find more irish ppl as some of them do seem to go there. I guess i'm just wondering wud chatanooga be a good place for a 22 yr old irish man to spend the summer making friends and working, or are there better places u'd reccomend? Thanks!

[lolou]

Penguins,

I don't know that many Irish people visit here at any time during the year. It's not a major stomping ground for the Irish but you will find a tiny bit of Irish culture here. There are a couple of bars in town with Irish names, but there aren't really any Irish bars/pubs. The closest you'll find to anything remotely Irish is Hair of the Dog (and I believe that's classified as English).

My family comes from Ireland - my parents hauled us to Chattanooga in 1986. There's a fascination here with all things Irish, but I think that applies all over this country. There are more Irish people here now than there were in 1986 - I've heard of a few Irish students at UTC. I know a retired UTC professor who's Irish. There are also a bunch of Canadians in town and they hang out with the Irish (the mesh of Celtic culture). My parents are in East Brainerd and they live across the street from another Irish couple (Limerick & Tipperary).

Anyway, not sure about the Irish population in North Carolina either. If you come here for the summer, you would be one of the few (if not the only) young Irish people in town. I'm guessing you'd get a good reception - there are lots of young people in the area and there's always a lot going on. It's obviously not going to be like New York or Chicago, but that's obviously not what you're looking for. You will constantly be questioned about your accent, but in a good way......based on my own experience, people will want to know all about your funny accent and your homeland.

Out of curiosity, where are you coming from in Ireland? We're from Kilkee.

[SPLIT]

P: Dont have exact Irish info for ya , even though I am 1/2 Irish myself.
Here is the big State Park Hike LInear 305 mile trail that is on going build with college students. Cumberland Trail will go all along the Walden ridge of the Plateau. Also uses Church lake camps for lodging.? NOt sure if this is one of your destinations / options.
TTA/CTC's Tennessee Hiking Guide to the Cumberland Trail With Maps/Pics Scenery here in Chatanooga is beautiful & we have many activities & the Nine day RiverBend Music festival here. More pics . Tennessee River Gorge Trust

[Penguinssmell]

lolou,

That sounds good about the lack of Irish. Now dont get me wrong i love ireland and being irish, but to me it seems pointless to travel all the way to america just to hang out with other irish ppl u dont know. As for the irish bars in Chatt, i find that nearly all "irish bars" you'll visit around the world arent even remotely irish, except for an array of irish posters and memorabilia.

On the people being fascinated with Irish ppl, that would be fine. I spent a summer in California and being Irish wasnt a big deal. Now i'm not looking to rely on it, or be the centre of attention type thing, but I'm not looking for an "international culture" like there was in socal, i'm looking for more of an american experince, if that makes sense. I dont mind being asked about my funny accent, i find that quite funny. I also find the Tennessee accent very nice, especially on a lady haha.

On the nightlife situation, is there a decent one? And are the ppl in bars and clubs during the summer months of the ages of 21 or 22, or would they be older as they seemed to be in California. This seemed to be a problem when mixing with ppl as we were always younger. I'll be 22 travelling over.

I come from Co. Wicklow in Ireland, just south of Dublin. Never been in Kilkee myself, but have been to Clare. Are you originally from there or were u born in TN?

[lolou]

I agree with you about mixing with the locals. I lived in Chicago for years and had a lot of Irish friends.....but I was often disappointed that they really just kept to themselves - hung out in Irish bars (Chicago does have some pretty real Irish pubs!), spent free time with other Irish people, attended Irish sporting events, etc. I don't see the point in living in another country if you're not going to experience at least a little bit of the culture


Nightlife: Based on what I've heard, there are lots of younger people out and about in Chattanooga during weekends, etc. I'm not sure if anyone else on this board can talk more about that - I'm not much of a club person anymore but I do hear people talking about going out for live music, etc. As someone else pointed out, there's a pretty decent 10-day music festival (Riverbend) here in June.


Born in Limerick and lived in Kilkee for almost 11 years. I haven't been to Wicklow in years but try to get to Dublin during most of my trips.

[Penguinssmell]

Yeah thats exactly what i'm talking about. Its also a reason why i'm so keen to travel alone. I dont think it's necessarily an irish trait, but people do seem to look to stick to their own when they're able too, so i dont want to give myself that chance.


The music festival sounds promising alright, its just a concern that there would be a decent amount of younger people in and around the area during the summer, cause in california there were older crowds in the bars.


I'm actually going to limerick for new years myself, so i'll let u know how i get on down there haha. I hope you dont mind me asking but how was it you got yourself to stay in the states? As that is something i'd also like to look into. I'd like to coach soccer out there

[johnnyosullivan]

Not wishing to cut across your thread there Penguinssmell, but I have a question for lolou. I was wondering if you thought there would be anybody in Chattanooga that would be interested in getting hurling off the ground with the locals. I'm trying to build up small teams across the southeast, we're talking 7-a-sides here. I'm based in Atlanta, and it would be excellant to get involved with a city like that Chattanooga that is only up the road.

Now that I've stolen your thread Penguinssmell, I suppose I had better chime in with some advice. Firstly, regarding the soccer, I would probably look into the athletic departments at places like University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and others if there are others in the Chattanooga area. Dalton, GA perhaps, or even Kennesaw, GA. Okay, Kennesaw is stretching it a bit. Anyway, the deal is that soccer coaches typically supplement their income during the summer by running camps. You might be able to pick up some work that way. The bad news is that it would be sporadic and temporary more than likely. Without doubt, you would need to supplement your income with another job...probably working in the dreaded Irish pub.

Secondly, the more I think about it, the more I realize that you might be on to a good thing with the Chattanooga idea. Unless you prearrange it, you have a very slim chance of meeting anybody Irish in Chattanooga. Also there are tons of things going on in Atlanta during the summer if you want to get down there for a couple of weekends. It's possible to meet Irish people in Atlanta if you need to, but again it's difficult. Living anywhere in the South, you will need access to a car from time to time, so factor that into your budget. From Bantry, Co. Cork myself, for the record. Not that many Irish left in the ATL anymore.

[Penguinssmell]

Hey johnny, thats no problem..


Yeah i hope to find a soccer job out there, but it is more hope than anything else. I am a parttime barman over here as i study, so if it comes down to it working in an irish bar wouldnt be the worst. Just out of curiosity, and if i'm being rude just ignore me, but what drew you from bantry to Chattanooga? And what do the americans there think of u and ur "funny accent"?

[lolou]

Originally Posted by Penguinssmell

I hope you dont mind me asking but how was it you got yourself to stay in the states? As that is something i'd also like to look into. I'd like to coach soccer out there

Do you mean how I stayed from a legal view? We were here for 8 years and applied for citizenship - I think you have to live here legally for 5 years before applying. I was a minor when we moved - my parents did all the paperwork in Ireland to get working visas to come out here - I vaguely remember trips to Dublin to the embassy to get pictures taken, etc. I'm not sure how difficult it is now to get a green card to come here.

[johnnyosullivan]

Originally Posted by Penguinssmell

Hey johnny, thats no problem..


Yeah i hope to find a soccer job out there, but it is more hope than anything else. I am a parttime barman over here as i study, so if it comes down to it working in an irish bar wouldnt be the worst. Just out of curiosity, and if i'm being rude just ignore me, but what drew you from bantry to Chattanooga? And what do the americans there think of u and ur "funny accent"?

Well, I actually ended up in Atlanta, which is about 2 hours down the road. I had been doing the whole Wildwood thing in New Jersey. A group of friends and I had secured Morrison visas. We decided Atlanta would be the next move because the Olympics were the following year. No many Irish left in Atlanta at this stage, so Americans are genuinely intrigued, but in a good natured way. It does get tiring having to explain my origins the whole time, but that's life... I'm sure you could manage it for a summer... You could probably google "soccer summer camps chattanooga" or something like that, and let them know that you are coming over... a dumb priest never got a parish, and all that...